Binford: Reconstructing a Clinic

W. Warren H. Binford (Willamette) has posted Reconstructing a Clinic, Clinical Law Review, Forthcoming. Here is the abstract:

Over the last 40 years, clinical legal education has undergone considerable expansion. More clinics are being offered, more students are enrolling in clinical courses, and more clinical professors are receiving tenure than ever before. However, simultaneous with these successes, some schools continue to wrestle with underperforming clinical law programs. While much has been written about how to start a law school clinic, little has been written to advise law schools on how to turn around a clinic that is struggling. This article tells the story of one such clinic. It describes the financial commitment, facilities acquisitions, programmatic improvements, and personnel changes that were necessary to reconstruct one of the oldest law school clinics in the country. The lessons told remind readers that there are no "quick fixes" to reconstructing a clinical law program. However, with commitment, collaboration, and the support of the entire law school community, it can be done. -jl