Claire Raj, Esq.

Claire Raj is the Associate Dean for Clinics and Externships and Professor of Law at the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law.  Professor Raj’s research and advocacy centers on special education law.  Professor Raj’s scholarship has addressed topics such as: inequalities in access to special education services among racial and ethnic subgroups, disparities in discipline of students with disabilities, and the impacts of state and federal voucher policies on students with disabilities.  Her scholarship has appeared in the Emory Law Journal, UCLA Law Review, University of Michigan Law Review, and elsewhere.

Professor Raj is also the founding director of the Education Rights Clinic at the Joseph F. Rice School of Law. Second in third year law students in the Clinic represent families of children with disabilities in the midlands area. Cases include assisting children with access to special education services and accommodations, advocating for improved educational services and supports, and representing students at discipline hearings.  
In 2024, Professor Raj was appointed to a temporary position as Special Counsel with the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights under the Biden administration. In that role, she assisted with research and drafting of proposed changes to Section 504’s implementing regulations.