George Washington University Law School’s Health Justice Policy and Advocacy Clinic Wins CLEA Award for Excellence in a Public Interest Case or Project

April 23, 2026

This year’s winner of the CLEA Award for Excellence in a Public Interest Case or Project is the Health and Justice Policy and Advocacy Clinic at George Washington University Law School.

The clinic’s project focused on “patients to policy” advocacy. Between Fall 2024 and Spring 2026, the clinic’s students—led by Prof. Emily Benfer —engaged in creative, highly effective, and multipronged advocacy work that ultimately: (1) prevented the eviction of an individual client, Ms. S, and her family, who would be unhoused today but for the students’ representation; (2) defeated a quickly moving and well-supported federal bill aimed at widespread and expedited eviction of federally assisted housing tenants; and (3) spearheaded a comment campaign to halt a 2026 federal Interim Final Rule rescinding the rights of tenants nationwide.
The clinic’s “patients to policy” work to protect low-income tenants serves as an inspiring model for engaging students in complex and fast-paced problem-solving.

The impact of the clinic’s work—on Ms. S’s family and on students alike—has been profound, as students noted: “The Health Justice Policy Advocacy Clinic gave this family a voice. It gave them hope. It gave them support. It gave them access to representation that local nonprofits could not provide because of the limitations of their grants. The Health Justice Policy Advocacy Clinic gave me a chance. It gave me knowledge. It gave me mentorship. It gave me the ability to consider how policy and community organizing influences how I can represent clients at the individual level.”

“On a personal level, this clinic helped me grow into the lawyer I want to be. At the start of the semester, I struggled with imposter syndrome and was unsure whether I could meaningfully contribute to a fight of this magnitude. What Prof. Benfer and this clinic gave me was the space to learn, take initiative, make mistakes, and grow...I showed up every day as my full, genuine self, and this clinic rewarded that authenticity with trust, responsibility, and impact.”

We also acknowledge the honorable mention for this award: the University of Denver - Sturm College of Law Immigration Law and Policy Clinic’s victory in the case of Jeanette Vizguerra v. Choate. Led by Prof. Elizabeth Jordan, two generations of the Clinic’s student attorneys successfully secured the release of Jeanette Vizguerra—a longtime, nationally prominent immigration activist—from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody through sustained, multifaceted, and novel habeas corpus litigation in the United States District Court of the District of Colorado.