Health Rights Clinic

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As a groundbreaking, medical-legal partnership with UM's Miller School of Medicine, the Health Rights Clinic explores innovative and collaborative ways to educate future lawyers and physicians to deliver quality care to underserved populations.

Students in the Health Rights Clinic assist low-income, health-impaired clients under the supervision of a professor and supervising attorneys who are also clinical instructors. Clients are referred by health care providers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and other community-based organizations and students work with health professionals to provide holistic care to patients and clients.

Why Join This Clinic?

By integrating legal services as a vital component of healthcare, students in the Health Rights clinic provide holistic legal services to clients, free of charge. Students also:

• Represent clients in Social Security disability hearings before Federal Administrative Law Judges and assist clients in obtaining public benefits such as Medicaid, Medicare and food stamps.
• Function as the client's primary advocate in all aspects of the client's case, including interviewing and counseling, fact investigation, drafting and filing briefs, participating in negotiations and hearings.
• Collaborate directly with medical professionals – UM Miller School of Medicine medical students, fellows, residents and psychiatrists – to evaluate cases and obtain evidence for clients.
• Experience cross-training with medical residents in each other's disciplines – physicians teach at the law school and law students teach at the medical school; also medical students can take this clinic as a clinical rotation offering.
• Work together as legal-medical team to review and examine relevant medical records, charts and (for example, termination of life prolonging treatments or loss of mental capacity).
• Engage in policy and impact advocacy on such topics as HIV and confidentiality, immigrant benefit eligibility, and healthcare reform

Three Types of Law

In this clinic, students gain exposure to three types of law practice:

1. Social Security/Public Benefits – Students provide legal services in Social Security and other public benefits cases, such as food stamps, as well as securing Medicaid and other insurance. Most students appear in federal administrative court to advocate for a client on health and disability-related legal matters.
2. Advanced Directives – Students also draft advance directives such as wills, living wills, health care surrogacy, pre-need guardianships and guardianships.
3. Immigration – Students represent health impaired clients in immigration related matters. Specifically, students file applications and regularly appear before the Department of Homeland Security on behalf of our clients seeking U.S. Citizenship or Legal Permanent Residency.

On-Site Experience

In the Health Rights Clinic, students not only work at the law school, they also interview potential clients at the following partner location sites:

• VA Hospital Miami/VA Medical Center Miami – Medical residents, law students and clinical legal faculty assemble in one of the VA's outpatient clinics to meet, assess and review patients, referred by social workers.
• Jefferson Reaves Sr. Health Center – This center serves a large-multi-cultural, low-income population in Overtown, Miami.
• Adult HIV Clinic – Located at UM Miller School of Medicine and Jackson Memorial Hospital.

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The Clinic Team

Director:

Professor JoNel Newman
305-284-4125
jnewman@law.miami.edu

Supervising Attorneys:

Clinic Staff: