General Litigation Clinic
Our General Litigation Clinic covers legal services in family law (including violence protection, custody, support, divorce, and adoption), social security and other public benefits, property issues, consumer debt relief, bankruptcy, and other public interest cases.
Client Eligibility and Application
By serving a population that would normally be unable to pay for legal assistance, the General Litigation Clinic ensures that West Virginians at all income levels have equal access to justice.
To be eligible for clinic services, clients must be low-income and have a case for which they cannot afford to hire a lawyer. Get details on the financial guidelines.
At this time, the General Litigation Clinic is not accepting new applications. For more information, contact cliniclaw@mail.wvu.edu.
Client Cases
A team of students recently negotiated a significant financial settlement that fully compensated a client for monetary and non-monetary damages sustained in a breach of contract matter.
The Clinic is regularly appointed as Guardian ad litem for children in Family Court cases in Monongalia and Preston Counties. Our students conduct in-depth investigations and represent the best interests of children in Family Court.
Through a partnership with the WVU Cancer Institute, student teams provide legal services to patients undergoing cancer treatment. Services include the preparation of wills, assistance in seeking Social Security Disability, and family law representation, among other related matters.
General Litigation Clinic Benefits
Hands-on experience, real clients, and practical skills that prepare you for legal practice.
Education in Action
9,000 annual hours of legal work
500 annual requests for aid
12-15 student clinicians
2 undergraduate interns
1 full-time staff
1 master's in social work student
From the Director’s Desk
“I have seen the benefits of clinical education as a former clinical law student, as a member of the bar, and now as the Director of the General Litigation Clinic. Our clinical students deliver exceptional representation for our clients in a variety of contexts, from representing petitioners seeking domestic violence protective orders to handling civil disputes in circuit court. For students, clinical education offers hands-on learning that transforms classroom knowledge into real-world practice. For our community, access to pro bono legal services ensures that lower-income individuals receive meaningful legal representation.”
— Jennifer Stephens, Director of the General Litigation Clinic
Student Insight
“Serving as a student attorney has taught me about the practical side of being an attorney. From serving as a Guardian ad litem to representing survivors of domestic violence and parents going through custody battles, I’ve been able to use the doctrines and theories that I’ve learned in other classes to help real people. Working in the clinic has made me more confident in my ability to be an effective attorney, and in my resolve to use my legal training to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves.
Devin Price Class of 2026
Your Support is Critical to Our Success
Help Provide Legal Aid
We’re thankful for our partnership with the WVU College of Law and for the resources the college provides to empower our work. To complement these resources, our clinic also raises funds to fulfill our mission of providing legal aid to low-income West Virginians.
These donations support hiring support staff for the clinic, travel expenses, costs of representation for such expenses as depositions and transcripts, and necessary technology, including case management software.
Visit give.wvu.edu or contact:
General Litigation Clinic Director
Jennifer Stephens
Email: jennifer.stephens1@mail.wvu.edu Phone: 304-293-8639 Office: Room 260, WVU College of Law