Students in this yearlong clinic investigate and litigate wrongful convictions of inmates throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. Some of the cases have forensic evidence (usually DNA) that could be tested, and some are non-DNA cases.

For those seeking assistance or requesting an application for a possible case referral to the clinic, contact @email.

UVA Law Innocence Project WebsiteVirginia Innocence Project Pro Bono Clinic

Preliminary cases are assigned to individual clinic students for factual development and evaluation to determine whether or not the clinic should accept the case. The decision to accept or decline representation will be made by the full clinic with the final decision being made by the instructors. Students work in teams of 3-4 to investigate and litigate the cases that are accepted. In every case, students are directed and assisted by the clinic professors, but as students demonstrate competence and confidence, they may earn the opportunity for greater independence. Although the clinic will have a mandatory classroom component, most time will be devoted to casework — interviewing potential clients and witnesses, general investigation, reviewing case files, collecting records, searching court files and drafting pleadings. Students will likely visit inmates at correctional centers, and conduct investigation in a wide variety of socioeconomic settings accompanied by a clinic professor, private investigator or, in some instances, another student.

Students should attempt to arrange their schedules to have at least one full weekday free for investigations. Some weekend and evening investigations are also required. In addition, student teams meet regularly with instructors for supervision and direction. Students earn eight credits for the year, half of which are credit/no credit (Fall) and the other half are graded Honors/Pass/Fail (Spring). Students should anticipate that the clinic will require a minimum of 15 hours per week, but the hours required for clinic work will vary according to the demands of the cases. The professors will not always be able to predict or control when the cases will demand intensive hours, so flexibility is important. Once enrolled in the clinic, you may not drop. 

Virginia Innocence Project Pro Bono Clinic

The Virginia Innocence Project Pro Bono Clinic seeks exoneration for wrongfully convicted people in Virginia. Students who volunteer investigate cases; speak with and visit clients, witnesses and other key people in the case; and write briefs.

To be considered for this clinic, students must both rank the clinic in the clinic lottery and submit application materials within the timeline set by the Student Records Office. Students selected for the clinic through the clinic application/lottery process will be automatically enrolled prior to the regular course lottery.

The positions that the clinic takes on behalf of its clients are independent of the views of the University of Virginia or the School of Law.

Faculty
Juliet Hatchett
Assistant Professor of Law, General Faculty
Associate Director, Innocence Project Clinic
Remote video URL
Skills Taught
Investigate wrongful convictions, interviewing potential clients and witnesses, reviewing case files, collecting records, searching court files, developing and implementing litigation strategies
Grading
CR/NC (fall); H/P/F (spring)
Course Credits
8 (4 fall/4 spring)
In the News

News About the UVA Law Innocence Project

9.21.22 ‘Serial’ Subject Adnan Syed, Who Was Aided by Innocence Project at UVA Law, Released From Prison

7.15.22 Innocence Project Wins Exoneration for Another Victim of Corrupt Detective

6.27.22 Book on Shenandoah Murders Highlights Work of Innocence Project at UVA Law

5.13.22 Innocence Clinic Leaders Win UVA’s Collaborative Excellence in Public Service Award

5.3.22 Innocence Project at UVA Law Helps Obtain $6.25 Million in Compensation for Clients, Proposes Reforms

3.10.22 6 Innocence Project Clients Win Freedom So Far in 2022

1.24.22 Innocence Project Client Pardoned, Released After 20 Years in Prison

1.6.22 UVA Law Innocence Project Client Eric Weakley, Member of ‘Culpeper Three,’ Receives Pardon 

8.25.21 Hatchett, Premjee Take on New Roles With Innocence Project

8.17.21 Third Innocence Project Client Receives Absolute Pardon

8.11.21 Another Innocence Project Client Obtains Absolute Pardon

7.16.21 Innocence Project Client Receives Absolute Pardon

1.13.21 Innocence Project Client’s Story Inspires $100,000 Donation

7.2.20 Innocence Project Client Freed on Conditional Pardon

4.14.20 Innocence Project Helps Wrongfully Convicted Virginians Have Better Shot at Writ of Innocence

9.17.19 Alumni Q&A: Jim Neale ’98 Helps Open a New Chapter on Innocence Clinic Case

9.10.19 Juliet Hatchett ’15 To Guide Innocence Project Student Pro Bono Efforts

3.8.19 Innocence Project at UVA Law Celebrates 10 Years

9.26.18 Client Paroled for Crime That UVA Law Clinic Says He Never Committed

5.23.18 Innocence Project at UVA Law Wins Exoneration for Man Convicted of Two Bank Robberies

4.27.18 Freed UVA Innocence Project Client Messiah Johnson Heads Home

1.12.18 Innocence Clinic Wins Release of Man Convicted of Armed Robbery

10.6.17 DNA Exclusion, Affidavit Buoy UVA Law Innocence Case

5.26.17 UVA Law Innocence Project Client Released After 30 Years

3.24.17 New Evidence Bolsters 2 Habeas Petitions Filed by Innocence Project at UVA Law

2.23.16 Judge Agrees to Test DNA Evidence UVA Law Innocence Project Discovered

8.11.15 Jennifer Givens Joins Innocence Project Clinic as Legal Director

6.1.15 'Serial' Brings to Light Work of Innocence Project

5.20.15 Clinic Helps Change State Law on Exculpatory Evidence

12.22.14 UVA Law Innocence Project to File Motion for DNA Testing in 'Serial' Murder Case, Keep Investigating

11.20.14 Inside a 'Serial' Addiction: Hit Podcast Features Legal Footwork of UVA Law's Innocence Project

10.3.14 Student Pro Bono Clinic Investigates Claims of False Conviction

2.11.14 UVA Law Clinics Help Exonerate Man Convicted of Rape, Ending Seven-Year Struggle

11.16.12 UVA Law Student Leads Drive to Allow Innocence Clinic Client to Vote for First Time

9.14.12 Judge Overturns Robbery Conviction of UVA Law Clinic Client Facing Deportation

8.16.12 Federal Appeals Court Upholds Reversal of UVA Innocence Clinic Client's Death Sentence

6.12.12 UVA Law Clinic Client Feels 'Vindicated' as Virginia Supreme Court Clears His Name

5.24.12 Virginia Supreme Court Exonerates Law School Clinic Client of 1978 Rape

3.2.12 Virginia Supreme Court Hands Victory to Wrongfully Convicted Man Aided by UVA Law Clinics

2.29.12 Innocence Project Clinic Seeks to Help Exonerate 'Culpeper Three

2.6.12 DNA Excludes UVA Innocence Project Clinic Client Convicted of 1978 Rape

1.13.12 Virginia's High Court Hears Appeal by Innocent UVA Law Clinic Client

12.9.11 In Light of Innocent Client's Ordeal, Clinic Professors Urge Commission to Reform Sex Offender Registry

9.1.11 Judge Overturns Drug, Firearm Convictions of UVA Innocence Project Client

8.16.11 UVA Law Innocence Project, Child Advocacy Clinics Right to Clear Teen Convicted of Rape

7.13.14 Death Sentence, Conviction of Innocence Project Clinic Client Overturned

1.5.11 Innocence Project Clinic Seeks to Overturn Death Sentence

5.12.10 Students Help Clear Backlog of Untested DNA Samples

9.30.08 Law School Launches Innocence Clinic

Recent Media Coverage

3.1.24 “Court Rejects Virginia’s Bid To Overturn Ruling Clearing Norfolk Man of 2000 Murder” (8News)

10.27.23 “Old Cases Connected To Corrupt Norfolk Officer To Be Reviewed by UVA Innocence Project” (The Virginian-Pilot)

10.27.23 “Norfolk Prosecutors Partner With UVA Innocence Project To Review Disgraced Detective’s Cases” (WTKR3)

10.27.23 “Cases Connected to Convicted Former Norfolk Police Detective To Be Reviewed by Prosecutors” (13News Now)

4.27.23 “An Exonerated Man Grapples With Three Stolen Decades of Life” (VPM)

11.6.22 “DNA Testing Excludes Dennis Dechaine From Some Key crime Scene Evidence” (Portland Press Herald)

11.4.22 “Data Reveals Innocent Black Men in Virginia More Likely To Be Incarcerated Than Other Groups” (WTKR-TV)

10.31.22 “How Guilty Pleas Fastrack and Derail Justice” (70 Million)

10.13.22 “Opinion | Adnan Syed’s Case Gives Maryland a Black Eye and a Teachable Moment” (The Washington Post)

9.21.22 Aided by UVA Innocence Project, ‘Serial’ Subject Adnan Syed Released From Prison (UVA Today)

8.18.22 “Innocent Norfolk Man Who Spent 27 Years in Prison Blames Disgraced Detective Robert Glenn Ford” (WTKR3)

7.25.22 “Norfolk Man Exonerated 2 Decades After Conviction on Testimony From Coerced Witness, Disgraced Police Detective” (The Virginian-Pilot)

7.18.22 “UVa’s Innocence Project Achieves Third Exoneration Involving Corrupt Ex-Detective” (The Daily Progress)

7.15.22 “Innocence Project Wins Case for Wrongfully-Convicted Norfolk Man” (CBS19)

7.15.22 “Law Students Clear the Name of Another Man Wrongly Convicted of Murder” (UVA Today)

7.14.22 “Virginia Does Not Compensate Innocent People Who Plead Guilty Under Duress” (WTKR-TV)

6.6.22 “Virginia’s Compensation for the Wrongfully Incarcerated Falls Behind National Average” (WTKR-TV)

4.13.22 “Innocence Project at UVA School of Law Hosting Fundraiser To Support Clients” (NBC29)

4.12.22 “Innocence Project Celebrates Past Success, Worries About Future Prospects” (WVTF Radio)

3.11.22 “Editorial: Cases Are Never Closed for the Wrongly Convicted” (The Daily Progress)

3.8.22 “Bill Restricting Public Access to Police Files Advances Out of Virginia Senate” (Virginia Mercury)

1.12.21 “Messiah Johnson Spent 20 Years in Prison for a Robbery He Didn’t commit; He Hopes Northam Will Grant Absolute Pardon” (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

1.10.22 “Absolute Pardon for Man Wrongfully Convicted of Murder” (CBS19)

1.10.22 “Another Man Confessed But Northam Won’t Exonerate Messiah Johnson” (WVTF Radio)

1.8.22 “Virginia Governor Pardons Man Convicted in 2002 Killing” (The Associated Press)

1.8.22 “‘An Innocent Man Was Behind Bars’: Northam Grants Full Pardon to Man Convicted in 2002 Portsmouth Killing” (The Virginian-Pilot)

12.1.21 “U.Va. Alumnus Works To Bridge Opportunity Gaps for Formerly-Incarcerated Young People” (The Cavalier Daily)

11.27.21 “Joseph Carter Column: Virginia Bill Can Prevent Wrongful Convictions, Boost Police Accountability” (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

9.20.21 “Innocence Project Says Answers to Cold Case Shenandoah Murders May Sit Buried in FBI Evidence Locker” (WUSA9)

9.3.21 “John Grisham Wants To Keep Innocent People Out of Prison” (The Washington Post)

8.29.21 “Opinion: Virginia Can Do Better Than Keeping Innocent People in Prison” (The Washington Post)

8.19.21 “UVA To Offer Evidence-based Guidance For Criminal Justice Reform” (WVTF Radio)

8.18.21 “Another Wrongfully Convicted Man Given Absolute Pardon” (CBS19)

8.17.21 “Innocence Project Client Gets Absolute Pardon-Dierdre Enright” (WINA Radio)

8.16.21 “Virginia Governor Pardons Man Wrongly Convicted of 1985 Northern Neck Murder” (Washingtonian)

8.16.21 “Third Exoneration Won in Recent Months by Innocence Project; Reedville Man, Paroled in 2017, Granted Absolute Pardon” (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

8.16.21 “UVA Law’s Innocence Project Helps Secure Pardons for Men in Two Norfolk-Based Cases” (WAVY-TV)

7.22.21 “Northam Grants Absolute Pardon to Wrongfully Convicted Man” (CBS19)

7.21.21 “Norfolk Man Pardoned After Serving More Than 22 Years Behind Bars” (WAVY-TV)

7.21.21 “Northam Pardons Man Imprisoned for Drive-By Shooting” (The Associated Press)

7.20.21 “Norfolk Man Pardoned After 22 Years for Shooting Which Injured No One” (The Virginian-Pilot)

7.20.21 “Wrongfully Convicted Man Given Absolute Pardon” (CBS19)

7.19.21 “UVA Innocence Project Client Granted Absolute Pardon” (The Daily Progress)

6.25.21 “Use DNA, Not Posters, To Solve Cold-Case Murder, Argues Deidre Enright” (The Washington Post)

4.25.21 “Opinion/Editorial: Virginia Moves Toward Opening Records of Police” (The Daily Progress)

3.31.21 “Innocence Project at U.Va. School of Law Litigates on Behalf of Wrongfully Convicted Virginians” (The Cavalier Daily)

2.27.21 “Opinion: Virginia Must Bolster Access to Police Investigations” (The Virginian-Pilot)

2.19.21 “Innocence Project: Investigating Wrongful Convictions” (UVA Lifetime Learning)

2.19.21 “UVA Innocence Project Working on Getting Wrongfully Convicted Out of Prison” (CBS19)

1.31.21 “Since 1608, Virginia Has Executed More People Than Any Other State. It May Now Abolish the Death Penalty.” (The Virginian-Pilot)

1.28.21 “Virginia’s Lawmakers Look Into Abolishing Death Penalty” (WINA Radio)

1.20.21 “Will Virginia Abolish the Death Penalty? Surovell’s Bill Advances” (Virginia Dogwood)

1.18.21 “Virginia Senate Committee Backs Bill To Abolish the Death Penalty” (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

12.4.20 “Opinion/Editorial: Wrongly in Prison: Now What?” (The Daily Progress)

11.24.20 “Virginia Falls Short in Compensating the Wrongfully Imprisoned, Study Finds” (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

10.20.20 “Kamala Harris, Mass Incarceration and Me” (The New York Times)

9.3.20 “Innocence Project, Virginia Beach Mass Shooting Families Urge Lawmakers To Release Criminal Investigative Files in New Bill” (WTKF-TV)

7.13.20 “Man who says he was wrongfully convicted of murder freed after 24 years in prison” (Charlottesville Tomorrow)

7.8.20 “Fentress Wins Conditional Pardon” (WVTF Radio)

7.7.20 “Morrissey: Why Is Rojai Fentress Still in Prison?” (The Roanoke Times)

7.3.20 “Gov. Northam frees Rojai Fentress after 24 years” (The News Leader)

7.1.20 “Richmond Man Who Claims Innocence in a 1996 Murder Is Granted Conditional Pardon” (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

6.30.20 “Imprisoned for 24 Years: Innocence Project Says RichmondMan Should Be Freed” (WVTF Radio)

5.21.20 “‘I Would Like To Clear My Name’: Man Who Claims He Is Innocent of 1985 Lancaster Murder Is Back in Court” (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

4.27.20 “4th Circuit Invites Governor To Act in Innocence Claim” (Virginia Lawyers Weekly)

4.15.20 “New Evidence Will Get Weighed in 35-Year-Old Murder Conviction” (Bloomberg Law)

4.13.20 “Gov. Northam seeks immediate parole consideration for ‘Fishback’ inmates” (NBC29)

4.13.20 “Groundbreaking New Law in Virginia Removes Barrier to Proving Innocence” (Innocence Project)

3.21.20 “Inmate gives Craigsville prison high marks for coronavirus response” (The News Leader)

2.22.20 “Shawn Armbrust, Deirdre Enright and Jennifer Givens Column: Virginia Needs Real Justice for the Wrongly Convicted” (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

2.5.20 “Bill Easing Hurdles To Prove Wrongful Convictions Advances” (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

12.6.19 “Innocence Project Looking Into Case of Virginia Men Who Say They Are Doing Time for a Crime They Didn’t Commit” (WRIC-TV)

7.9.19 “Couple with Intellectual Disabilities 'In Love,' But He's In Prison for Rape” (WVTF Radio)

7.8.19 “Man Freed From Jail Uses New Freedom To Start Dream Business” (WKTR-TV)

6.27.19 “A Murder on the Rappahannock River” (Washingtonian)

3.21.19 “Northam Signs Bill Approving Compensation For Wrongly Convicted Man Imprisoned For 11 Years” (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

3.8.19 “‘The Case Against Adnan Syed’ Revisits the Crime ‘Serial’ Made Famous. Here’s What to Know Before Watching.” (The New York Times)

2.25.19 "$520,163 Approved for Man Wrongfully Imprisoned for 11 Years" (The Associated Press)

1.30.19 "Bill To Compensate Man Wrongfully Convicted of Bank Robberies Advances in Legislature" (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

1.21.19 "Opinion/Editorial: Unreliable Evidence Hurts the Innocent" (The Daily Progress)

12.14.18 "Virginia Beach man spent 27 years in prison for rape. Now his accuser says he is innocent." (The Virginian-Pilot)

12.5.18 "Virginia Court of Appeals Rejects Exoneration Bid in 1990 Rape of Juvenile" (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

11.5.18 "Special Report: An Unlikely Advocate" (WAVY-TV)

11.5.18 "Local car dealer helps pardoned inmate achieve independence" (The Winchester Star)

10.2.2018 "Wrongfully Convicted Felons Examine Legal System at UVA Event" (NBC29)

9.27.18 "Man Wrongfully Convicted of 1990 Rape Released From Prison" (CBS19)

9.26.18 "Man Walks Out of Jail, Plans To Continue Fighting To Clear His Name From 1991 Virginia Beach Rape Conviction" (WTKR-TV)

9.26.18 "Parole Granted to Virginia Beach Man 27 Years After Conviction for Rape He Says He Didn't Commit" (The Virginian-Pilot)

8.14.18 "Caretaker Faces Deportation Over Dubious ‘Shaken Baby’ Conviction" (The Appeal)

8.13.18 "Woman in Shaken Baby Case Released From Prison to ICE For Deportation" (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

8.4.18 "Apropos Of Something: Flattery Gets You Everywhere & Righting Post-Conviction Wrongs" (WPVC Radio)

8.4.18 "Woman Claims Innocence in 'Shaken Baby Syndrome' Case Set To Be Paroled Then Deported" (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

8.2.18 "Rojai Fentress Says He Didn't Kill Anybody. The Innocence Project Believes Him. Will a Judge?" (The News Leader)

7.24.18 "A Daycare Provider, Shaken Baby Science And Hope For A Pardon" (WVTF Radio)

5.22.18 "Innocent man who spent nearly 10 years in prison officially exonerated: ‘It’s finally over’" (WTVR-TV)

5.22.18 "Covington Man Wrongly Convicted of Area Bank Robberies Cleared by Virginia Court of Appeals" (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

4.27.18 "Norfolk Man Pardoned After 132-Year Sentence is Released From Prison" (WTKR-TV)

3.23.18 "'It Still Doesn't Right What I Did': Bank Robber’s Surprise Confession Frees Innocent Man Who Served 9½ Years in Prison, But It Doesn't Ease His Conscience" (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

2.28.18 "AG's Office Joins Exoneration Requests in Extraordinary Case of Virginia Man Convicted of Bank Robberies for Which Real Robber Confessed" (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

1.13.17 "Overturning Wrongful Convictions; Iran’s Cyberwarefare" (WPVC Radio)

12.22.17 "Man Serving 132-Year Sentence for 1997 Robbery Under Consideration for Clemency" (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

12.15.17 "2017 Seton Lecture: Ms. Deirdre Enright of UVA's Innocence Project Clinic" (Portsmouth Abbey School)

12.15.17 "Two Innocence Claims Filed Friday for Virginia Man Who was Freed From Prison After Another Man Confessed" (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

4.25.17 "Innocence Project Directors Explain Why Wrongful Convictions Happen" (WVTF)

4.19.17 "Jennifer Givens on the Experiences Students Get in UVA Law's Innocence Project Clinic" (Culpeper Star-Exponent)

4.17.17 "UVA Law Innocence Project is Working Toward Ending Wrongful Convictions in Virginia" (WVTF)

3.6.17 "UVA Law Program Uncovers Evidence in 1990 Rape Case" (The Daily Progress)

2.22.17 "Virginia Beach Judge Allows Re-Testing of Evidence in Brutal 1990 Rape of Girl" (Virginian-Pilot)

2.9.17 "UVA Law Innocence Project's Jennifer Givens Talks Technology That Could Overturn a Rape Conviction" (WAVY-TV)

1.25.17 "UVA Law Innocence Project Casts Doubt on 1986 Murder Conviction of Virginia Man" (Rappahannock Record)

12.14.16 "UVA Law Innocence Project Questions Fentress Murder Conviction" (Staunton News Leader)

11.12.16 "Professor Deirdre Enright of UVA Law's Innocence Project on Latest in 1969 Va. Murder Case, Evidence Searches" (The Daily Progress)

4.25.16 "Deirdre Enright on Virginia Governor's Order to Enfranchise Felons" (The Cavalier Daily)

4.25.16 "Lawyers Challenge Evidence of Shaken Baby Syndrome" (WVTF)

4.25.16 "McAuliffe Order to Enfranchise Felons Applies to Sentences Cmpleted on, before April 22" (The Cavalier Daily)

3.9.16 "Serial's Secret Sauce? Indulging in Ambiguity" (SF Weekly)

3.6.16  "UVA Law Program Uncovers Evidence in 1990 Rape Case" (The Daily Progress)

2.22.16 "Virginia Beach Judge Allows Re-Testing of Evidence in Brutal 1990 Rape of Girl"(Virginian-Pilot)

1.10.16 "Can True Crime Stories Interfere With Old Cases?" (Rhode Island Public Radio)

1.6.16 "'Making a Muderer' in the Age of Social Media" (Complex)

12.5.15 "Straight Talk: Deirdre Enright" (Charlottesville Podcasting Network)

7.16.15 "When Prosecutors Believe the Unbelievable" (Slate)

7.4.15 "The Innocence Project" (With Good Reason)

2.13.15 "Breaking Down The Serial Podcast: Attorneys Dissect Adnan Syed’s Case"(Legal Talk Network)

2.9.15 "DNA Could Offer Another Avenue for Serial's Syed" (WVTF)

1.14.15 "Serial Update: Maryland Appeals Court to Rule on Adnan Syed’s Case" (Time)

1.5.15 "Serial’s Deirdre Enright" (Inside Charlottesville)

12.29.14 "‘Serial’ Case Goes on For U.Va. Law’s Innocence Project" (UVA Today)

12.24.14 Investigators Know A Lot More About The 'Serial' Murder Case Than We Heard On The Podcast (Business Insider)

12.22.14 Law Students Identified Another Possible Suspect In The 'Serial' Murder Case (Business Insider)

12.19.14 The Innocence Project Tells Serial Fans What Might Happen Next (TIME)

12.18.14 Season One: Episode 12: Finale: What We Know (Serial)

12.18.14 The 'Serial Podcast: By the Numbers (CNN)

12.18.14 Serial Shines Spotlight on Innocence Projects – It Would be a Crime Not To (The Conversation)

12.17.14 Next Time, on ‘Serial,’ The Lawyers Are Listening (National Law Journal)

12.17.14 Serial Podcast Finale: 7 Burning Questions Before It Ends (US Weekly)

11.20.14 Behind the Scenes of 'Serial': An Interview with Co-Creator Julie Snyder (Entertainment Weekly)

11.19.14 Serial Creators Don't Know What Will Happen to Adnan Syed (Columbia Journalism Review)

11.13.14 'Serial' Podcast Catches Fire (The Wall Street Journal)

11.13.14 Why Is Justin Wolfe Still in Prison? (Slate)

11.7.14 The Murder Plot Isn't the Most Captivating Part of 'Serial' (New Republic)

11.6.14 Serial Takes a Step Back and Gets Some Experts Involved (Slate)

11.6.14 Episode 7: The Opposite of the Prosecution (Serial)

9.30.14 A Closer Look at the DNA Link Between the Graham & Harrington Cases (WVTF)

2.2.14 Edgar Coker’s Name to be Taken Off Va. Sex Offender List Years After False Accusation (The Washington Post)