Associate Dean for Clinical Programs and Experiential Learning & Hosch Associate Professor Jason A. Cade published “‘Water is Life!’ (and Speech!): Death, Dissent, and Democracy in the Borderlands” in 96 Indiana Law Journal 261 (2020).
About
Community HeLP is an in-house legal services clinic in which law students engage in interdisciplinary advocacy on behalf of low-income clients with a variety of health-harming legal needs. In recent years the clinic’s docket has focused primarily on legal issues affecting noncitizens, including humanitarian and family-based immigration benefits, advocacy on behalf of immigrant detainees, and public education on issues at the intersection of health and immigration. Students have also regularly engaged in work involving access to food stamps, disability rights, advanced care directives, housing, and other issues affecting legally-underserved communities. Working under the supervision of Associate Professor Jason Cade and the clinic's staff attorney, students have direct responsibility for all aspects of client representation in cases undertaken by the clinic, including: interviewing and advising clients; conducting research and drafting legal documents; advocating in court proceedings and administrative hearings, and collaborating with legal and medical professionals in the community. Clinic students periodically develop or update training materials for medical providers, legal advocates, and patients, and engage in related systemic policy work. The clinic has downtown office (located very close to campus).
The two-semester clinic is structured so that students receive significant supervision, training, and guidance in the first semester, enabling more independent, advanced, and systemic work in the second semester. The weekly seminar component of the clinic provides skills training and substantive instruction in the clinic’s primary practice areas. The seminar also includes clinical “case rounds” designed to develop reflective advocacy, collaborative problem solving, and a framework for skills-transfer across issue areas.
Course Information & Requirements
How to Apply
Students must submit a written application, using the Unified Application Form prior to enrolling in the Community HeLP Clinic. Please answer all questions on the application. After the applications are screened, students may be interviewed. Before registration, students will be either invited to enroll in the Community HeLP Clinic or notified that they have been placed on a waiting list. The Community HeLP Clinic can enroll up to eight students per semester. The clinic is available in the spring and fall semesters to (rising) 2L and 3L students.
In the News
The Community Health Law Partnership Clinic's Jason A. Cade and Kristen E. Shepherd and the First Amendment Clinic's Clare R. Norins were featured in Law360 regarding their representation of women who allegedly endured abusive gynecological and other medical treatments while in the custody of U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. The class action complaint asserts that the women suffered retaliation, including expedited deportation, for speaking up about the medical abuse. The article titled "Detained Migrants In Ga. Launch Medical Abuse Class Action" was written by Jennifer Doherty and published 12/23/20.
The Community Health Law Partnership clinic recently obtained release of a client from an immigration detention center in Georgia pursuant to the district court's order in Fraihat v. ICE, which requires new assessments and release determinations for individuals at heightened risk of contracting COVID-19 while in custody. Third-year student Raneem Ashrawi helped prepare the request along with clinic Staff Attorney Kristen E. Shepherd and clinic Director Jason A. Cade.
The School of Law was mentioned in a Common Dreams article regarding the work of the Community Health Law Partnership Clinic and the First Amendment Clinic. The clinics are serving as co-counsel in a putative class action filed December 21, 2020, on behalf of women who allegedly endured medical abuse and retaliation for speaking out about it while in the custody of U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. The article titled "Class-Action Suit Sought Over 'Disturbing Pattern of Inhumane Medical Abuse' of ICE Detainees Including Forced Hysterectomies" was written by Andrea Germanos and published 12/22/20.
The Community Health Law Partnership Clinic and the First Amendment Clinic joined forces to assist women who allegedly endured abusive gynecological and other medical treatments, as well as inhumane conditions and retaliation, while in the custody of U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement in Georgia. Third-year student Anish Patel helped with the preparation of a motion addressing immigration and free speech issues that the U.S. District Court for Middle District of Georgia granted in its entirety. Specifically, the motion allows the women to submit their statements to the court under seal and using Jane Doe pseudonyms in order to protect the women against further retaliation for speaking out. The clinics also co-represent one of the detained women individually and are pursuing remedies for her release in multiple state and federal forums.
Associate Dean for Clinical Programs and Experiential Learning & Hosch Associate Professor Jason A. Cade presented “‘Water is Life!’ (and Speech!): Death, Dissent, and Democracy in the Borderlands” as part of the Indiana Law Journal Author Talks Series at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law during November.
The Community Health Law Partnership Clinic obtained legal immigration status and work authorization for a client pursuant to the Violence Against Women Act in late October. The case will now proceed to adjudication of the client's application for permanent residence. Working under the supervision of Clinic Director Jason A. Cade, clinic students involved with this case included second-year student Paige Medley and recent law school 2020 graduates Andrea G. Aldana, Stroud F. Baker and William D. Ortiz in addition to 2019 alumnus Roger C. Grantham Jr.
Associate Dean for Clinical Programs and Experiential Learning & Hosch Associate Professor Jason A. Cade published "All the Border’s a Stage: Humanitarian Aid as Expressive Dissent" in 84 Studies in Law, Politics, and Society: Law and the Citizen 109 (Emerald Publishing Limited, 2020) (A. Sarat, ed).
The Community Health Law Partnership Clinic virtually presented "An Update for Advocates and Communities on COVID-related SNAP and P-EBT Benefits" that covered changes to the SNAP (food stamps) Program and the P-EBT (school lunch) Program for families with school-aged children as well as how to challenge decisions. The August webinar had over 60 attendees, representing 50 organizations across Georgia. Associate Dean Jason A. Cade, who directs the Community HeLP Clinic, served as moderator of the event that featured Georgia Division of Family and Children Services Director Tom C. Rawlings (J.D.’92), Georgia Legal Services Program Supervising Attorney Bonnie Miller (J.D.’98) and GLSP Public Benefits Specialist Marta Shelton. Rising third-year student Ansley S. Whiten helped organize the webinar and prepare the materials.
The Community Health Law Partnership presented "The Future of DACA," a webinar in Spanish about recent legal developments concerning the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and the benefits and risks of applying. The event featured immigration attorneys Jessica M. Daman (J.D.’10) and Hannah MacNorlin, and was moderated by Community HeLP Clinic Staff Attorney Kristen Shepherd. Rising second-year law students Paige Medley and Izaan M. Rizwan helped organize the webinar and prepare the materials under the supervision of Associate Dean & Clinic Director Jason A. Cade. The webinar was viewed over 1,000 times in less than 48 hours.
Hosch Associate Professor and Community Health Law Partnership Clinic Director Jason A. Cade received a Flom Incubator Grant from the Skadden Foundation to address the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic for immigrant families and other uniquely vulnerable communities in Athens and surrounding rural areas. Cade and a coalition of partners will use the $10,000 grant to rapidly develop and launch a novel model for engaging in remote screening, advice and advocacy aimed at addressing the most pressing civil legal needs for immigrant and other low-income individuals and families. If successful, the project design could be expanded and replicated to effectively provide remote services for various hard-to-reach communities in Georgia and elsewhere, both during and beyond the current pandemic, according to Cade.
The Community Health Law Partnership Clinic recently conducted a live online workshop exploring recent changes to the public charge ground of inadmissibility and what it means for low-income noncitizens seeking legal status in the United States, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Third-year law student Andrea G. Aldana, second-year law student James C. Berrigan and clinic Director Jason A. Cade presented and fielded questions from more than 40 UGA School of Social Work students and faculty as well as local community social workers. Hosted by the School of Social Work, the workshop was moderated by Assistant Professor Jane McPherson, who is the director of the school's Global Engagement Program.
Community HeLP Clinic secures visas for victims of serious crime - Friday, March 20, 2020
The Community Health Law Partnership Clinic recently helped two clients secure their U Visas, which grant victims of serious crime - who are helpful to law enforcement in investigation or prosecution - with four years of lawful status and a path to permanent residency in the United States.
Current Community HeLP Clinic students James C. Berrigan and Lisa C. Garcia marshaled the evidence needed to achieve this successful outcome for both clients. Former clinic students and 2018 law school graduates Michael D. Aune, Caroline A. Jozefczyk, Clayton C. McClain and Christopher D. “Chris” Johnson assisted with earlier stages of the case.
The successful effort on behalf of these clients was made in conjunction with bilingual therapists from UGA’s College of Education working at the Mercy Health Clinic, where the Community HeLP Clinic operates a medical-legal partnership addressing social determinants of health.
Community HeLP Clinic helps crime survivors with visas - Tuesday, February 4, 2020
The Community Health Law Partnership Clinic recently helped two clients with their preliminary approval for U Visas, which provide a path to lawful status for noncitizens who are the victims of serious crime and are helpful to law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution.
According to Jason A. Cade, the clinic’s director and holder of a Hosch Associate Professorship, when the statutory backlog is cleared the clients will have full U status. “In the meantime, they can now reside and work lawfully in the United States,” he said.
Current Community HeLP Clinic students James C. Berrigan and Lisa C. Garcia marshaled the evidence needed to achieve this successful outcome for both clients. Former clinic students and 2018 law school graduates Michael D. Aune, Caroline A. Jozefczyk, Clayton C. McClain and Christopher D. “Chris” Johnson assisted with earlier stages of the case.
The successful effort on behalf of these clients was made in conjunction with bilingual therapists from UGA’s College of Education working at the Mercy Health Clinic, where the Community HeLP Clinic operates a medical-legal partnership addressing social determinants of health.
Cade publishes article in the Georgia Law Review Online - Tuesday, October 8, 2019
Hosch Associate Professor Jason Cade published "Teaching Tomorrow's Lawyers Through a (Semi-) Generalist, (Mostly-) Individual Client Poverty Law Clinic: Reflections on Five Years of the Community Health Law Partnership" in 53 Georgia Law Review Online 143 (2019).
Community HeLP Clinic assists clients in obtaining citizenship - Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Congratulations to the Community Health Law Partnership (HeLP) Clinic for assisting two clients from Egypt with their citizenship cases. Third-year student Sarah A. Mirza and Onur Yildirim (J.D.'18) helped prepare the initial applications last year. Third-year student Amy E. Buice and second-year student William D. Ortiz worked to prepare the pair for their naturalization interviews and attended the naturalization ceremony in 2019. The cases were supervised by clinic Director and Associate Professor Jason A. Cade.
Cade presents on enforcement policies at the southern border - Friday, March 1, 2019
Associate Professor Jason A. Cade presented on the consequences of enforcement policies at the southern border for asylum-seekers and other migrants at the 2019 Emory International Law Review Symposium titled "Continued Relevance and Challenges of the 1951 Refugee Convention on Global, Regional, and Local Levels" during February.
Cade publishes article in Northwestern University Law Review Online - Monday, February 18, 2019
Associate Professor Jason A. Cade published "Restoring the Statutory Safety-Valve for Immigrant Crime Victims: Premium Processing for Interim U Visa Benefits" in 113 Northwestern University Law Review Online 120 (2019) (with Mary Honeychurch, a 2018 graduate of the School of Law).
Cade publishes article in Washington and Lee Law Review - Wednesday, December 5, 2018
Associate Professor Jason A. Cade published "Judicial Review of Disproportionate (or Retaliatory) Deportation" in 75 Washington and Lee Law Review 1427 (2018).
Cade publishes article in Northwestern University Law Review - Tuesday, November 20, 2018
Associate Professor Jason A. Cade published "Sanctuaries as Equitable Delegation in an Era of Mass Immigration Enforcement" in 113 Northwestern University Law Review 433 (2018).
Cade presents at Fordham University School of Law - Monday, November 19, 2018
Associate Professor Jason A. Cade presented "Sanctuaries as Equitable Delegation in an Era of Mass Immigration Enforcement" at the 2018 Cooper Walsh Colloquium titled "Remodeling Sanctuary: Urban Immigration in a New Era" held at Fordham University School of Law during November.
Cade, Flanagan publish article in Richmond Public Interest Law Review - Monday, April 2, 2018
Associate Professor Jason A. Cade and Meghan L. Flanagan have published "Five Steps to a Better U: Improving the Crime-fighting Visa" in 21 Richmond Public Interest Law Review 85 (2018). Flanagan (J.D.'17) is a current fellow in the Wilbanks Child Endangerment and Sexual Exploitation Clinic.
School of Law faculty member looks for legal solutions to health issues - February 27, 2017
Focus On Faculty Profiles: Jason Cade - April 2, 2017
Students in assistant professor Jason Cade’s Community Health Law Partnership clinic gain practical experience providing legal services to low-income patients at community health centers.
Community HeLP Clinic offers assistance to Athens Housing Authority residents - Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Georgia Law’s Community Health Law Partnership, led by Assistant Professor Jason A. Cade, took on a substantial advocacy project during November to benefit residents of Athens Housing Authority in addition to its current work with patients at Mercy Health Center.
State law changed on Oct. 1, allowing households with elderly or disabled members to qualify for additional SNAP (food stamps) benefits based on unreimbursed medical expenses. Second-year student Christina A. Cason and third-year student Andrew B. McClintock led a presentation on the newly changed law to residents of AHA, and shortly after, the entire clinic screened AHA residents who expressed food insecurity at the presentation. As a result, the clinic has accepted 10 residents as new clients and provided advice to numerous others regarding their eligibility for food stamps and the medical expense deduction. Cason and McClintock, with assistance from other clinic students, also developed a standard form to help applicants and advocates calculate qualifying expenses. The form has been shared with the Georgia Legal Services Project in hopes that it can be used to assist qualifying individuals throughout the state.
The clinic plans to continue its presentations and screenings on this issue in 2016.
Community HeLP Clinic caps successful year with win - Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Congratulations to Georgia Law’s Community Health Law Partnership for finishing its first year with a win in a contested SNAP (food stamps) case. During the spring semester, third-year students Ricardo A. “Richie” Lopez and Carrie A. Moss advocated on the behalf of a disabled clinic client and achieved an almost $200 monthly increase in benefits.
Lopez and Moss also uncovered multiple agency errors leading to significant underpayments dating back almost one year. Three days after graduating from Georgia Law, Lopez returned to the clinic to represent the client in an administrative hearing, during which the agency relented on all issues and agreed to reimburse the client for back benefits totaling almost $1,600.
Directed by Assistant Professor Jason A. Cade, the Community HeLP Clinic provides an innovative approach in addressing the social determinants of health for indigent individuals. Law students partner with health care professionals to tackle a variety of legal needs that affect patients. Over the course of the 2014-15 academic year, students in the clinic assisted approximately 40 low-income persons in the Athens area in overcoming a range of health-harming legal needs, including issues relating to food stamps, disability benefits, and immigration.