Black Lung Legal Clinic

Washington and Lee’s Black Lung Clinic assists coal miners and their survivors who are pursuing federal black lung benefits for the years the miners worked breathing in coal mine dust, making a living to support their families. In trying to collect benefits, miners face formidable teams of lawyers, paralegals and doctors that coal companies assemble to challenge those claims.

Even so, W&L’s Clinic has a success rate roughly five times the national average in cases in which its students appear. Under the supervision of clinical law faculty, upper level law students evaluate claims, develop evidence, conduct discovery, depositions, and hearings, and write motions, arguments, and appeal briefs.  An attorney who defends mining companies against black lung claims, said the students do an excellent job. While the clinic is unable to accept every request for representation, it has represented about 200 clients since its inception in 1996.

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Black Lung Clinic
Washington & Lee University School of Law
Lexington, Virginia 24450
(540) 458-8562