Poverty, Justice, and Community Lawyering: Interdisciplinary and Clinical Perspectives

This introduction recognizes the efforts toward social justice through interdisciplinary clinical teaching and practice. The goals of this project are three-fold: to raise awareness about interdisciplinary clinical teaching and practice, to inspire thoughtful discussion and debate, and to develop scholarship, guidelines, and course materials. Throughout the project, there has been a focus on questions raised in both academia and practice: What are the goals, the rewards, and the challenges of interdisciplinary teaching and practice? How does one go about designing and developing an interdisciplinary clinic or course?

What are the ethical issues that arise in interdisciplinary education and practice, and what are some guidelines for resolving them? What can we learn from reports from the field as to what are the best practices, different models, and likely problems? In what ways do interdisciplinary collaborations advance or impede the delivery of legal services and justice?