Criminal Clinic
For over 40 years, the Criminal Clinic has enabled SMU Dedman Law students to gain invaluable courtroom litigation skills by representing indigent defendants facing misdemeanor criminal prosecution in Dallas County Criminal Courts. While enrolled in the Clinic, students work on improving their client communication, legal research and writing, maintaining a case file, developing and implementing case strategy, plea negotiations, and both motions and trial practice. Over the course of the semester, most students argue a motion and/or try a contested case in front of a jury.
Exhaustive involvement with clients and intensive case management affords Student State Bar Associate Members unique insight into the many complex facets of the criminal justice system. Further, the clinic allows them to hone a wide range of lawyering skills, including analytical and practical skills, that are then put to work in service to the Dallas community and Dallas County's indigent defendants. Clinic services include but are not limited to, interviewing and counseling clients, negotiating with the State, fact development and analysis, strategic case planning, conflict resolution and decision making, motion and trial practice, drafting motions and pre-trial representation, voire dire presentation, organization and management of legal work, and (of course) supervised representation in Dallas County criminal courtrooms. Student State Bar Associate Members take the lead in all aspects of their casework and are working hard year-round in service to the community.
Faculty and Staff
Debora Garcia Sanchez
Acting Director, Criminal Clinic and Adjunct Clinical Professor of Law
Mike McCollum
Adjunct Clinical Professor of Law, Criminal Clinic
Gloria Carranza
Legal Assistant
Mailing Address
SMU Dedman School of Law
P.O. Box 750116
Dallas, TX 75275-0116
Physical Address
SMU Dedman School of Law
Storey Hall
3315 Daniel Avenue, Suite 30
Dallas, TX 75205
Legal Clinics
Phone: 214.768.2562
Email: legalclinics@smu.edu