Students in the CAC work on a variety of cases and projects concerning children and low-income families. In some cases, students act as Law Guardians (attorneys) for children who have been brought before the family court because of child abuse and/or child neglect concerns.  Many of these children have been removed from the care of their parents, at least temporarily, and are residing in foster care or with relatives. In these cases, students are responsible for ensuring that the legal interests and needs of these children are being met. As part of this representation, students appear in court hearings in the Essex County Superior Court, Family Division. On other cases, students represent family members in fair hearings (like mini-trials) before administrative law judges (of the Office of Administrative Law and the Office of Hearings and Appeals) where individuals have been wrongly denied needed public benefits or incorrectly terminated from benefit programs. In these hearings, students do everything from interviewing clients to writing briefs to representing clients at hearings. 
    Community education and outreach also is an important part of the work of the CAC. Accordingly, in addition to individual casework, students are responsible for at least one community education project each semester. Past projects have included conducting educational workshops, planning and presenting at conferences, preparing written educational materials, and staffing information tables at various community gatherings.
    What is unique about the CAC is its holistic, collaborative, and interdisciplinary approach to addressing the needs of children and families. In all its work, the CAC collaborates closely with all of the other clinics at Rutgers School of Law and with professionals in other disciplines in addressing the multiple issues, legal and non-legal, that the children and their families may face.   If issues arise that some of the other clinics at Rutgers are better equipped to handle, we will work closely with those other clinics. 
    In addition to fundamental lawyering skills, substantive law, and professional responsibility, the CAC’s curriculum teaches law students the importance of evaluating cases in a comprehensive manner and how to work effectively with persons from other disciplines. Students enrolled in the CAC for the first time are awarded six credits for their work and are expected to work on their field and course work for approximately 18 hours per week. A seminar class meets for two hours each week. The CAC is open to second and third year students. However, actual appearances before the Essex County Superior Court, Family Division and some appearances before the Office of Administrative Law are limited to third year students pursuant to New Jersey Court Rules.