Civil Litigation
About the Section
Student practitioners in the Civil Litigation section represent children in cases such as: intra-family and private adoptions, avowal and disavowal of paternity, name change, attorney for the child in highly contested custody cases, limited interdictions, and continuing tutorship. In coordination with the Immigration section, students represent unaccompanied minors in Special Immigrant Juvenile proceedings in Juvenile court. Students also work with the Louisiana Prisoner Reentry Initiative to offer legal services to incarcerated or recently released persons in Jefferson, Tangipahoa and St. Tammany Parishes to resolve legal issues for these participants including traffic, custody, misdemeanor attachments, divorce, and child support in an effort to help them successfully reenter the community. Students may also work with the court and a team of professionals to help families referred to the Family Preservation Court program after their children have been removed from their homes due to drug addiction.
Section Success
During the Fall 2024 semester, the section secured a favorable judgment in a Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) case for two minor children from Honduras—a middle school-aged child and his elementary school-aged sister—determining that it is in their best interest to remain in the United States in their mother's custody. This decision reunites the brother with his mother and younger sister, ensuring they can grow up together in a safe and stable home, with no risk of returning to unsafe conditions in Honduras.
Supervised by Professor Ramona Fernandez
News Coverage
Professors Ramona Fernandez and Tobie Tranchina were invited to participate in a roundtable discussion with Governor John Bel Edwards to discuss the Louisiana Prisoner Reentry Initiative. The Stuart H. Smith Law Clinic & Center For Social Justice partners with United Way of Southeast Louisiana, Catholic Charities, and Southeast Louisiana Legal Services to provide legal services to formerly incarcerated individuals, removing legal barriers as they reenter society.