Legal Clinic 357 East Chicago Avenue Chkago Illinois 60611 312.503 8576
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the lillli.... Legal . ai.... C lime Legal Clinic 357 East Chicago Avenue Chkago Illinois 60611 312.503 8576 www.law.nwu.edu Teaching the Law In Context- . failures of our justice system. They see the results of the training Taking the Broad View that they receive from the talented faculty of this Law School through the use of those skills on behalf of the clinic's clients. by Thomas F. Geraghty We know that they carry the legal skills learned at the Law School and the commitment to making things better into their this experience confirms is the imperative for us professional lives. In addition to the rewards of working with "w hatto not only train the minds of our students but to students, there could be no better job than helping to support engage their souls as well. Dick Speidel has called my the work of my marvelous colleagues who labor so long and attention to Dean Erwin Griswold's departing lecture as dean hard on behalf of their students and their clients. of Harvard Law School. In that lecture, Griswold pointed out One important lesson that we try to teach is the necessity that one of the risks of legal education-a risk that can lead to of continuing to grow as people and as professionals. After a tempering of our students' idealism-is that there is sometimes all, the goal of a university is to impart knowledge to be used 'too much intellect in the discussion and not enough spirit.' to better the community. In pursuing this goal, we must recog- Our community showed great spirit in the weeks and months nize and teach that law is practiced in context by providing leading up to [the Conference on Wrongful Convictions and the examples of how legal rules and institutions actually work and Death Penalty]. It was a privilege to be part of this triumph." how they interact with each other. -Lawrence C. Marshall, replying to his colleagues' congratu- We must take a "broad view" of latory note regarding the National Con(erence on Wrongful the nature and the purpose of our Convictions and the Death Penalty, November 19, 1998 teaching. The work of Bob Burns and Steve Lubet in constructing Larry Marshall's response to the praise of his colleagues and, their model litigation/ethics/evidence indeed, the manner of his leadership in conceptualizing and curriculum is an example of this inno- carrying out the National Conference on Wrongful Convictions vative contextual approach in the and the Death Penalty made explicit the dual roles of education: classroom. This sequence of courses to build knowledge and skill as well as capacities for ethical and is designed to impart knowledge and to provide students with committed lives. This holistic vision of legal education is what examples of how discrete legal subjects interact with each other drives a good clinical program. in the real world-that clients' problems and cases are seldom There is no more rewarding way to teach than to work resolved by addressing a discrete legal issue. The work of with the Law School's talented and committed students to help Cheryl Graves and Lisa Copland in involving students in the them learn the intricacies of legal representation in the class- creation of community mediation panels to address the prob- room and in the clinic on behalf of clients who, but for our lems of children who commit crimes is another example of how efforts, would be deprived .................. .. ....... .. ........ .. ..................... ..... to develop new approaches to address problems in context . We teach students how to of basic human rights and Our students also learn in context through their representa- human necessities. Our solve problems and to create tion of clients. It is not enough to teach or to learn the discrete students are challenged to skills of research, writing, interviewing, counseling, and trial processes that lead to new develop lawyering skills in advocacy. We teach students how to solve problems and to cre- the classroom and in the ideas and iniatives that ate processes that lead to new ideas and initiatives that benefit courtroom and to recognize clients. We must think critically and creatively about methods benefit clients. and remedy the systemic Continued on page 2 Legal Clinic News & Notes Dean's Message of Cook County, in this newsletter, these programs have the center is striv- been enthusiastically received by our stu- ing to make the dents and will be important additions to juvenile courts that our community and curriculum. strong and vibrant clinical pro- serve Chicago a The successes and accomplishments gram is one of the cornerstones model system of described in this newsletter are a tribute of a great legal education. We A justice for children. to our f acuity, students, and staff and are are proud of the quality of our clinical A second in the best Northwestern Law tradition. program and the national stature and example is the I want to thank all who make these pro- recognition we have achieved both for work that is done on death penalty grams a success. our program overall and for its compo- cases and the National Conference on But we must do more. Because of nent parts: simulation and trial advocacy Wrongful Convictions and the Death space constraints, we currently cannot programs and live client clinics. Penalty, which was brilliantly organized accommodate all of our students who Our clinical program at Northwestern last fall by Larry Marshall. This program wish to participate in our distinctive is unique among American law schools. brought national and international atten- clinical programs. And some of our pro- As described in these pages, we do an tion to the fact that under our current grams are dependent on foundation excellent jo b of enabling our students to system of justice, at least 75 men and grants, which although generous, are not hone their trial skills in our simulation women were tried, convicted, and sen- permanent. We must put these important programs and to represent and counsel tenced to death for crimes that they did activities on firmer financial ground. We clients in our live client clinic. We also not commit. Regardless of anyone's per- can begin to do this through the Law provide externships that enable them to sonal views of the appropriateness of the School's recently launched capital cam- better understand the legal process. We death penalty, it was clear from this con- paign. I invite all who support our won- then go fur ther and encourage them to ( erence that wrongful convictions are a derful clinical program and the students examine our system of justice and to help serious issue that cannot be dismissed. who benefit to consider seriously a con- lead t he reform of law and legal institu- Our recently completed Strategic tribution to further its mission. tions. Thus, our students learn and work Plan calls fo r Northwestern to expand As always, I want to hear from our for justice on both a case by case and and broaden our clinical program. We community. If you have questions or systemic basis. have taken significant steps in this direc- thoughts about the clinic or our programs, One example of our work for legal tion by establishing the Small Business please do not hesitate to get in touch reform is the Children and Family Justice Opportunity Clinic and the International with Tom Geraghty or me. Center. Wo rking with the Juvenile Court Center for Human Rights. As described Continued from page 1 we use to educate and the ways in which we, as lawyers, law the law firm of Sidley & Austin. In addition, the Law School teachers, and students can make a difference to individual has opened a new Center for International Human Rights, clients and to the community. headed by Douglass Cassel, a nationally recognized human Our clinical program has been fortunate to have the tal- rights advocate and scholar. Thus our students will find ented people and the resources that have enabled us to take this opportunities for clinical studies in the world of business broad view of the role of clinical education-one which com- and on behalf of people around the world. The Children and bines the best professional training with the capstones of client Family Justice Center, headed by Bernardine Dohrn, continues representation and critical examination of justice issues. It is the its important work of advocating for juvenile court reform Law School's dedication to this broad view of clinical education and will sponsor during the next year a series of important that makes the clinical program at Northwestern meaningful to conferences on the future of juvenile courts to coincide with the our students and valuable to our community. centennial of the Juvenile Court of Cook County. As the result This comprehensive view of clinical legal education has of Bernardine's work and the work of other members of the been carried forward by this year's developments in our clinical center's staff, the Law School has become an important contrib- program. The past year has been a particularly exciting and utor to the debate about the issues of justice relating to children productive time, a period of growth and of the creation of and families. new opportunities for our students. A new Small Business And what could be more important and exciting than Opportunity Clinic has opened under the leadership of Tom Larry Marshall's work on behalf of the wrongfully convicted? Morsch, a 1955 graduate of the Law School and a partner in The National Conference on Wrongful Convictions and the Legal Clinic News & Notes 2 Death Penalty, held at the Law School last November and Death Penalty Conference Presents attended by 1,500 people from around the country and around a Vision for Reform the world, was the most compelling and important event ever held at the Law School.