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Ackerson law clinic

Robert and Sue Ellen Ackerson Law Clinic

The Robert and Sue Ellen Ackerson Law Clinic represents clients in Emergency Protective Order hearings, divorce actions, and housing cases. While most of our clients are referred from the Legal Aid Society of Louisville, we accept referrals from other agencies.

The Clinic provides law students the opportunity to represent clients who are victims of domestic violence in Jefferson Family Court or clients who have forcible detainer (eviction) cases before Jefferson District Court. As such, the students are the primary contact with clients for all matters being handled by the Clinic.

All student work is supervised by the Director of the Clinic and a staff attorney. To be eligible to participate in the clinic, students must have completed 60 credit hours. This is a requirement under Rules of the Supreme Court (SCR) 2.540 to receive a limited license to practice law.

We do not charge for services performed through the Clinic. Our goals are to provide an educational experience for the students and to provide the community with an additional legal resource. Students take this class for one semester. If a matter requires assistance through the next semester, another student will be assigned to the client at the beginning of the semester.

Meet the Director

Heend Sheth is the Interim Director of the Ackerson Law Clinic where she teaches both Clinic I and Clinic II courses, focusing on representing low-income survivors of domestic violence in Jefferson County Family Court and Jefferson County District Court.

Director Sheth’s legal career has been focused in the area of domestic violence. She started her career first as a Victim’s Advocate in Jefferson County’s Domestic Violence Intake Center and later as an Assistant Jefferson County Attorney in the Domestic Violence Unit, prosecuting cases of domestic violence, child abuse, elder abuse, and sexual assault. She joined the University of Louisville in 2018 as a Staff Attorney for the Ackerson Law Clinic where she instructed 3L students on not only how to interview and advise survivors of domestic violence, but also how to prepare the clinic’s cases for trial.

One of Director Sheth’s major interests, and a large part of the courses she teaches, is trial practice. She has coached and consulted with various mock trial teams over the years and is a proud alumna of the Bellarmine Mock Trial Team. She is a member of the Kentucky Bar Association, Louisville Bar Association, and the Women Lawyer Association. She is also a board member for the Friends of the Jefferson County Public Law Library.

Contact the Clinic for more information