March 23, 2010
In today’s Trivia Tuesday, we’re taking a peek into Stanford Law School’s Pro Bono Program, which is run through the law school’s John and Terry Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law.
Stanford’s approach to pro bono (law-related community service) is somewhat unusual, in that students complete all pro bono work on a voluntary basis. While most law schools that have a robust pro bono program, such as Penn and Columbia, require that students perform a minimum number of hours of eligible work in order to graduate, Stanford’s Levin Center devotes its considerable resources just to the students who are interested in making the most . . . → Continue Reading
February 15, 2010
Throughout the month of March, law students from four different law schools have the chance to go to the University of Miami School of Law Health & Elder Law Clinic, advocating for Haitians who came to the U.S. before the devastating earthquake that occurred last month. Through the clinic, law students can help these legal immigrants file for temporary protected status (TPS), thus enabling them to stay in the U.S. and continue to earn money, which the Haitians can send back to Haiti to help their families who are still recovering from the effects of the earthquake.
Last week UM announced that this clinic’s work could be used as a spring break alternative for law students throughout March, . . . → Continue Reading
February 10, 2010
The latest evidence of legal education pushing toward experiential learning comes from the University of Miami School of Law, where two new clinics were recently announced in a school press release.
The Federal Appellate Clinic is a one-semester offering designed for upper-level students who will draft appeals for criminal defendants referred by the Federal Public Defender.
In the release, the clinic’s director, Professor Ricardo J. Bascuas, stressed that students will “advance their written advocacy and client communication skills” through the program. Miami law students will work collaboratively to produce appeals briefs.
The Tenants’ Rights Clinic will center on clients who are evicted from public and subsidized housing, receive Section 8 terminations, and have their housing . . . → Continue Reading
February 1, 2010
In the wake of Haiti’s devastating Jan. 12 earthquake, the White House granted Temporary Protected Status to existing Haitian immigrants, allowing them to remain and work in the United States for 18 months. Subsequently, two law schools with sizable local Haitian populations have stepped up to provide legal support for obtaining such status.
In South Florida, the University of Miami School of Law recently conducted a filing session to interview and screen applicants, and to facilitate application paperwork.
“As lawyers, none of us can administer field medicine, and we aren’t logistics experts,” said JoNel Newman, the director of the law school’s Health and Elder Law Clinic. “But this is a way we can help. It . . . → Continue Reading
December 15, 2009
With economic conditions further distressing the needy in the surrounding area, the University of Miami School of Law is attempting to alleviate such circumstances through a laudatory program.
A creation of the school’s Center for Ethics and Public Service, the Hunger Project, as detailed in a school press release, offers legal services and more basic volunteer aide for South Floridians.
Aziza Naa-Kaa Botchway, a local attorney and the project’s director, stressed the importance of such an initiative at present: “Hunger and food insecurity have long been concerns in low-income communities…. However, the work of the Hunger Project is particularly important now because with our current economic crisis more and more people may find themselves skipping meals or . . . → Continue Reading
October 27, 2009
With the nation’s current mortgage crisis resulting in unprecedented numbers of foreclosures, a weekend article in TIME suggested an affiliated “emergency” situation: a shortage of lawyers to counsel homeowners in such foreclosures.
And with the situation direst in Florida, the University of Miami School of Law has established eight fellowships so that recent graduates can address case backlogs built up at legal aid groups. Each of the foreclosure defense fellowships is worth $10,000.
According to the article, Florida currently has the country’s highest foreclosure rate, at 17%. Additionally, in South Florida alone, the number of 2009 foreclosures is expected to jump approximately 600%, in comparison to figures from 2006, to 150,000. Further, citing a recent study . . . → Continue Reading
