PRACTICUM

Anti-Trafficking Law & Policy Practicum

The Sunita Jain Anti-Trafficking Initiative (SJI) at LMU Loyola Law School (LLS) is a collaboration of the Loyola Social Justice Law Clinic (LSJLC) and the LLS Anti-Racism Center (LARC). The Sunita Jain Initiative builds upon LSJLC’s legacy of system transformation through on-the-ground best practices representation of trafficking survivors and connects this clinical work to LARC’s research and policy innovation, focused on anti-racism, equity and inclusion in the law. 

Building on this foundation, SJI guides the next generation of survivor advocates to enact anti-trafficking law and policy at the local, state, and national levels, addressing the root causes of human trafficking. These include the systemic subordination of poor communities of color, further marginalized by the intersections of gender, gender identity, sexuality, disability, national origin, religion, and/or immigration status. This first-of-its-kind initiative, housed within LLS—a law school whose mission is rooted in educational excellence and a deep commitment to social justice—aims to overcome the myriad injustices that subvert trafficking survivors’ access to self-determination and empowerment.

Program Structure 

LLS Students enrolled in the year-long Anti-Trafficking Law and Policy Practicum participate in a fall semester seminar class, followed by spring semester fieldwork. This integrated approach ensures that students not only gain theoretical knowledge but also develop practical advocacy skills by working on real-world policy initiatives.

Policy Seminar

It is well-documented that anti-human trafficking efforts in the United States have predominantly focused on a carceral approach to justice. While the so-called “Three P’s”—prosecution, protection, and prevention—ostensibly form the foundation of the U.S. Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) and the United Nations Transnational Organized Crime Convention (UNTOC), prevention, particularly through efforts addressing known risk factors for victimization, receives the least attention. The prioritization of prosecutorial efforts to arrest and convict traffickers monopolizes available resources and disproportionately harms vulnerable communities. Moreover, there is a longstanding history of marginalizing survivors’ perspectives, despite their critical importance in shaping effective policies for trafficking prevention and trafficker accountability.

The fall seminar offers an in-depth exploration of human trafficking policy strategies within the anti-trafficking movement. It also examines California's political systems—including legislative processes, budgeting, and administrative agencies—that can be leveraged to support trafficking survivors and vulnerable communities.

The seminar challenges students to critically assess current human trafficking laws and practices, particularly in terms of their efficacy in preventing trafficking. Students will also consider strategies to overcome systemic racism in anti-trafficking advocacy and policy-making. Additionally, the course encourages students to reflect on how they can integrate survivor-informed, evidence-based, and community-centered approaches into their legal careers. 

Policy Practicum

After completing the two-credit policy seminar, students in the Spring semester are engaged with the Sunita Jain Anti-Trafficking Initiative's ongoing policy agenda. They support community service providers and lived experts in Los Angeles and/or across California by researching and drafting legislation, budget requests, or city/county board motions to advance anti-trafficking policy efforts in the state. During this field placement, students meet weekly for a two-hour seminar focused on supervision and case rounds for their policy projects.

Learning Outcomes 

By the end of the course, students are able to:

• Understand and apply the legal frameworks provided by U.S. federal and California state laws to anti-trafficking efforts.
• Analyze the intersectional nature of human trafficking and evaluate policy approaches through an anti-carceral, anti-racist lens.
• Develop critical perspectives on the practical steps attorneys must take to support survivor-informed, community-led policy changes.
• Produce written scholarship and oral advocacy that critically examines current policy approaches in the anti-trafficking movement, proposing alternative strategies through advanced research and writing that build on course themes.
• Recognize a lawyer's responsibility to serve vulnerable communities and understand the law’s role in advancing social justice.

Visiting Associate Clinical Professor  

Both the seminar and practicum are led by Professor Stephanie Richard, who brings over 20 years of experience in scholarship and policy work to the classroom. Her expertise equips students with the tools needed to engage in thoughtful and impactful anti-trafficking advocacy. To learn more about her background and contributions, you can read her full bio here.