Economic Justice and Public Benefits Clinic

The Economic Justice and Public Benefits Clinic represents lower-income clients and client groups in cases involving public benefits—principally the federal Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Disability Benefits programs. It also takes on some issues involving state public assistance cash-benefit social welfare programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other food/nutrition programs, and unemployment compensation. Additionally, the Clinic pursues challenges to inequitable and excessive fines and fees and other practices undermining access to justice and the economic well-being of low-income persons and families.

Meet the Faculty

Prof. Jon Dubin, Clinic Director

Professor Dubin is an expert in Social Security Disability law and an author of several books on the topic and multiple law review articles cited by the U.S. Supreme Court. He teaches a classroom course in Social Security Law. He also created and teaches a course in Poverty Law to address economic and distributive justice in law more broadly and will address some issues in that course in the new Clinic. He will lead third-year Clinic students in direct client service in formal federal court appeals, administrative hearings with cross examinations of expert witnesses, many forms of less formal client work and administrative advocacy, and some projects pursuing broader law reform.