Rhode Island Medical-Legal Partnership for Children

In 2002, the School of Law was a founding partner of the Rhode Island Family Advocacy Program - now called Rhode Island Medical-Legal Partnership for Children (RIMLPC) - a medical-legal collaborative that offers legal services to low-income families in health care settings.

Through the Feinstein Institute’s externship program, students work under the supervision of an attorney from RI Legal Services to provide legal assistance to families at Hasbro Children's Hospital. In this interdisciplinary setting, law students collaborate with doctors, social workers, and medical students from The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.  Students conduct legal intakes, assist in the casework, and prepare legal education workshops for health care providers on issues such as housing, public benefits, family law, and educational rights.   

The School of Law offers a course to RIMLPC participants and other interested students, entitled "Poverty, Health, and Law," taught by the Feinstein Institute’s Director of Public Service and Community Partnerships, Liz Tobin Tyler, and faculty from The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.  In joint classes held with students from The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, students work together on case simulation and explore interdisciplinary approaches to problem solving.