The Collaborative Family Law Clinic at LMU Loyola Law School is proud to celebrate a decade of meaningful service, growth, and education. Since its inception in 2014 as a pilot project with just five students and a handful of cases, the clinic has grown into a robust program with a full caseload and maximum student enrollment.
At its core, C-LAW remains dedicated to a dual mission: to support modest-means families navigating divorce through access to mediation and a team of collaborative professionals, and to provide LLS students with hands-on experience in the power of consensual dispute resolution. As one student noted, “Through this training, I learned the overall complexities of collaborative law—especially the importance of shifting from a traditional adversarial mindset to a more cooperative and problem-solving approach.”
Each week during the fall semester, volunteer professionals—including attorneys, mental health providers, and financial specialists trained by the Los Angeles Collaborative Family Law Association (LACFLA)—come together with LCCR mediators to support clients. LLS students work side-by-side with these professionals in a truly interdisciplinary environment.
In recent years, C-LAW has expanded its services to include art therapy, offered through a partnership with LMU’s Art Therapy Program. This unique component has had a profound effect on clients’ ability to express emotions and engage meaningfully in the process.
“I found that the client really opened up during art therapy,” one student reflected. “She drew pictures that clearly reflected her emotions, which helped guide our questions and gave us insight into her emotional state.”
In addition to in-office collaboration, students also participate in visits to Stanley Mosk Family Court and Dependency Court, offering firsthand exposure to the judicial system. These experiences help ground students’ clinical work in the legal realities their clients face.
The tools students develop through C-LAW go far beyond legal knowledge. They learn emotional intelligence, listening skills, and how to foster mutual respect between parties.
“I learned techniques like active listening and looping. When someone loops back my conversation, I feel heard and remember more of what I said,” shared one student. “I also learned how to reframe language to be more respectful and constructive.”
Others commented on the importance of structured communication and preparation: “We created an agenda that allowed the parties to hear a divorce story from the perspective of a third party, feel their emotions, and then move into the spousal support conversation. It helped both parties come to terms with their situation.”