
Innocence Project at the UVA School of Law
For those seeking assistance or requesting an application for a possible case referral to the clinic, contact Nicholas Cummins at 434-924-3732 or ncummins@virginia.edu.
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 Professors Deirdre Enright and Jennifer Givens. 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 Professor Enright for supervision and direction. Students earn eight credits for the year, four of which are graded and four of which are ungraded. 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. One enrolled in the clinic, you may not drop. Of the eight credits awarded for this clinic, four will be graded credit/no-credit in the fall, and four in the spring will receive a letter grade.
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.
In the News
News About the UVA Law Innocence Project
- 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
- 3.31.21 “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)