Food Law and Policy Clinic of the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation (LSC)

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Student Work  |  Clinical and Course Information  |  Faculty and Staff  |  Contact

Student Work

The Food Law and Policy Clinic of the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation was established in 2010 to link Harvard Law students with opportunities to work with clients and communities on various food law and policy issues. The Clinic aims to increase access to healthy foods, prevent diet-related diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes, and assist small farmers and producers in participating in food markets.

Students in the Clinic have the opportunity to work on a range of federal, state, and local law and policy projects, such as: 

 
  • working with state and local food policy councils to identify and support policy changes to the food system; 
  • analyzing and recommending ways to increase access to healthy produce for low-income individuals and those living in areas with limited food access;
  • identifying and eliminating legal and non-legal barriers inhibiting small producers from selling at farmers markets, grocery stores, restaurants, and farm-to-school or farm-to-institution programs; 
  • assessing food safety laws to inform regulatory changes that could increase economic opportunities for small producers; 
  • establishing and supporting rural farmers markets, including breaking down barriers to the use of SNAP (food stamps) and WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program benefits at markets; and 
  • investigating best practices to promote healthy school environments, including improving the food options available in public schools, promoting better school health curricula, increasing the procurement of fresh, local foods for school meals, and creating more opportunities for school and community gardens.
 
   

This clinic is part of the WilmerHale Legal Services Center (LSC), a general practice community law office in Jamaica Plain. LSC's diverse clinics provide clinical instruction to second- and third-year law students and serve as a laboratory for the innovative delivery of legal services. Students are taught and mentored under the supervision and guidance of clinical instructors and fellows in one of LSC's litigation clinical practices.

Clinical and Course Information

For registration information, see the 2013-2014 clinical curriculum.

Faculty and Staff

Emily Broad Leib (Clinical Instructor, Lecturer on Law)
Alli Condara (Clinical Fellow)

Contact

WilmerHale Legal Services Center
122 Boylston Street
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
617-522-3003

Last modified: May 01, 2013

© 2013 The President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved.