The Health Law Clinic has a long history as a regional leader in providing civil legal services to people living with chronic, terminal or disabling medical conditions. The Clinic was founded in 1987, as one of the first AIDS law clinics in the country. Since that time the Clinic has provided direct legal services to hundreds of individuals living with serious illnesses or disabilities and affected families where minor children are at risk of being displaced by the death or permanent disability of a parent or caretaker. Students working in the Clinic provide direct client representation in civil law cases involving public income and health care benefits, discrimination, insurance, family, estate planning and permanency planning.  The Center’s Health Law Clinic works closely with many Boston-area community based organizations to ensure that the legal service needs of those living with serious medical conditions are met.

The Health Law Clinic is also actively engaged in state and national research, policy development and advocacy on current health care access law and policy initiatives. On the national level, students work with collaborative partners on health care access law and policy development aimed at improving health care services provided through Medicaid, Medicare, Ryan White, and private insurance programs.  Recent research studies include: “The Massachusetts HIV Stigma Project” a Department of Public Health funded study to assess the effects of stigma and discrimination on the health-related behaviors of people living with HIV; and “The State Healthcare Access Analysis Project” a privately funded initiative, in collaboration with advocates and government leaders, to research and analyze individual state’s current capacity, opportunities and challenges to meet the health care access needs of their residents.