The Health Law Practice Clinic provides students the opportunity to advocate for underserved and historically marginalized communities and individuals, and to support governmental efforts for health justice.

The core of the Clinic’s work is student advocacy for health equity. Students are placed in externships with community and government partners where they work to dismantle legal barriers that negatively impact the health and well–being of vulnerable communities and individuals. Clinic students also act as advocates for community, non-profit, educational, faith-based, and other organizations and groups engaged in work designed to further health justice. Coursework for the Health Law Practice Clinic examines how the Constitution, statutes, and the common law frame these issues. Class time focuses on advanced practice skills needed to transition from law students to practice-ready attorneys. Classroom discussions are designed to help students connect theory to practice, and frequently include guest lectures from practicing attorneys.

Students immerse themselves in the right to adequate health care, access to insurance and government-supported health programs, immigrant access to health services, challenging discrimination, and the ways in which government authorities can promote public health and health equity. Students focus on those who are denied access, coverage, or quality of care due to race, citizenship, gender, LGBTQIA+ identities, disability, or lack of financial resources. Classroom discussions examine how the law determines access to health care and regulates the quality of patient care. Areas of law included in this examination include the federal Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, and Medicare, and the responsibilities of medical professionals, drug companies, and government entities to promote and protect health.

Faculty

  • Harvey Epstein
    Law Lecturer
  • Rebecca Bratspies
    Director, Center for Environmental Urban Reform and Professor of Law
    Rebecca Bratspies is a Professor at CUNY School of Law and Director of the Center for Urban Environmental Reform. An internationally recognized expert on environmental law, Professor Bratspies has written scores of law review articles, op-eds, and other publications. Her most recent book is Environmental Justice: Law Policy and Regulation. She serves as an appointed member of New York City’s Environmental Justice Advisory Panel, and of EPA’s Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee. She is a member-scholar with the Center for Progressive Reform, a core member of the Global Network for the Study of Human Rights and the Environment, and an editorial board member of the International Journal of Law in Context. She is a past member of the ABA Standing Committee on Environmental Law, past president of the AALS Section on the Environment, and a former advisor to the Consultative Group on Agricultural Research. A former Luce Scholar and law clerk to Judge C. Arlen Beam, she holds degrees from Wesleyan University (Biology) and the University of Pennsylvania (J.D cum laude). Her environmentally-themed comic books Mayah’s Lot and Bina’s Plant brings environmental literacy to a new generation of environmental leaders. View Rebecca Bratspies full bio.
x