The Aoki Water Justice Clinic combines transactional law, policy advocacy, and strategic research to ensure low-income California communities receive clean, safe, and affordable drinking water. It is the first law school clinic of its kind in the country.
Students in the clinic deliver direct legal assistance; educate decision-makers and the public on the relationship between racial inequality, poverty, and lack of access to water; and identify strategies for eliminating the root causes of water inequality. Students partner with clients to navigate funding opportunities, form new management entities, merge water systems, draft agreements, bring systems into compliance, and strengthen governance. The Water Justice Clinic also offers community trainings, and develops templates and guides for community advocates.
Information for Interested Law Students
The Water Justice Clinic is a semester-long clinic open to 2Ls and 3Ls. Students who successfully complete one semester with the Water Justice Clinic may enroll in the Advanced Water Justice Clinic with the permission of the clinic director. Students must be available for orientation the weekend before classes begin each semester and must attend class seminar, weekly supervisory meetings, scheduled hearings and client meetings, and case rounds. Interested students should attend the Clinics Information Session and timely submit their application for admission.
Information for Interested Clients
The Water Justice Clinic provides Technical Assistance to help disadvantaged communities develop, fund, and implement eligible drinking water or groundwater needs. If you are a system that is out of compliance or experiencing insufficient water delivery capabilities, needing extension of service for drought/contamination impacted communities, interested in pursuing consolidation, or are serving less than 200 connections, please reach out to the Clinic Director to determine if the Clinic can be of service.