Clinical Law Prof Blog

Pepperdine Launches a New Clinic for Mediating Religious Divorces

This fall, Pepperdine is launching the Jewish Divorce Mediation Clinic. The name is a work in progress (considering variations on theme, like Religious Family Mediation Clinic, etc.), but the work is innovative and important. In partnership with the Jewish Divorce Assistance Center of Los Angeles, and with generous funding from Ms. Chavi Hertz, the Clinic will mediate cases with Jewish families progressing through civil and religious courts.

For divorcing Jewish couples, parties often must receive a religious divorce in addition to a civil divorce. Students of all faiths or of none will work and learn in the clinic under supervision of Prof. Sarah Nissel who has deep roots and expertise in this work. 

The Clinic’s work lies at the intersection of two of our strongest commitments: conflict resolution and interfaith practice. It also fills an important curricular need for family law practice. Students will engage practice in California family law and divorce mediation, and students will study divorce practices from multiple religions, including Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Sikh traditions.   

We are excited to enter this complex and fascinating practice. Our aim is for students to learn family law and family mediation, religious competence, cultural sensibility, and engagement across traditions and communities. We hope to serve our community and neighbors in profound ways that can promote families’ peace and healing during some of life’s most stressful and traumatic moments. 

The new clinic joins nine other clinics at Pepperdine for 2018-2019. The other general JD clinics include the Community Justice Clinic, Legal Aid Clinic, Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, Ninth Circuit Appellate Advocacy Clinic, and Restoration & Justice Clinic. The Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution offers the Investor Advocacy Clinic, Mediation Clinic, and Fair Employment and Housing Mediation Clinic. The Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship and the Law continues offering its new Entrepreneurship Clinic. 

UDC Law Searching for New Dean

The University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law (UDC Law) is searching for a new Dean. I post this here because UDC Law has a special commitment to clinical legal education and readers of this blog may be interested in serving as the next leader of our special law school.

In 1972, civil rights lawyers Edgar S. and Jean Camper Cahn brought to life a powerful idea – law school modeled on a “neighborhood law firm,” in which students from groups underrepresented at the bar learn to practice law while providing critical legal services to the underserved. Founded as the Antioch School of Law, the institution eventuallybecame the District’s only public law school in 1988 and merged with the nation’s only exclusively urban land-grant institution, the University of the District of Columbia, in 1996.

Through its nine legal clinics, the 1L community service requirement, funded public interest summer fellowships, and credit-bearing externships,each year UDC Law provides more than 100,000 hours of legal services to D.C. residents. Each of these experiential learning opportunities builds experience in both direct representation and effective community activism and policy advocacy. This commitment – and the excellence with which it is pursued – has led to a No. 2 ranking by the National Law Journa (2018) for government and public interest job placement and No. 8 for Best Clinical Training Program by U.S. News & World Report (2019). As former Attorney General Eric Holder said at the first UDC Law Gala in 2017, “We need lawyers trained in the UDC Law clinical model now more than ever.”

Please see this link to learn more about UDC Law and our Dean Search: https://www.agbsearch.com/sites/default/files/position-profiles/udc_law_dean_search_booklet.pdf 

Our school has a very unique place in the past and present and provides a unique learning environment -- as an urban land-grant institution, an HBCU, an access school dedicated to educating those previously underrepresented at the bar, and a leader in clinical legal education. 

Please do share individuals who may be qualified to lead this vibrant and promising institution. 

Thank you!

 

JOBS: University of Utah Director of Clinical Programs

Via Prof. Clifford Rosky:

 

University of Utah: Professor and Director of Clinical Programs

The University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law is seeking a visionary leader to serve as Professor and Director of Clinical Programs beginning in the academic year 2019-2020. This individual will join the College as a full-time tenure-line or career-line faculty member. Rank and compensation will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. Tenure-line candidates would be expected to satisfy the same standards for research, teaching, and service as other tenure-line faculty members. Relevant qualifications may include a record of success or potential as a clinical director, clinical instructor, or law professor, excellence in academics or practice, or strong scholarly distinction or promise in any relevant field.

In addition to fulfilling the responsibilities of a faculty member, the Director of Clinical Programs will be responsible for supervising and developing the structure and support for our clinical programs. In recent years, the College has been ranked second nationally in offering clinical opportunities per student (2014), sixth in public service (2016), and fifteenth in practical training (2018). By drawing on in-house clinics, clinical courses, and an extensive program of field placements, we offer clinical opportunities in an exceptionally wide range of practice areas. Over 90% of our students participate in our clinical programs, and we significantly exceed the national averages of clinical and pro bono service hours per student. The Director will lead our Clinical Programs into the next era of legal education and training. The Director will engage with the administration and faculty in strategic planning, including the pursuit of innovations in the structure and content of our clinical programs.  The Director will be responsible for teaching experiential courses, mentoring other faculty assigned to teach experiential courses, overseeing staff, advising students, and promoting the College’s clinical and pro bono service programs on a local, national, and international level.

The University of Utah is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and educator. Minorities, women, veterans, and those with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. Veterans’ preference is extended to qualified veterans. Reasonable disability accommodations will be provided with adequate notice. For additional information about the University’s commitment to equal opportunity and access see: http://www.utah.edu/nondiscrimination/. Applications must be submitted to: http://utah.peopleadmin.com/postings/79919.