Loyola New Orleans Recipient for the CLEA Outstanding Clinic Team Award

Via Prof. Davida Finger: 

Loyola University New Orleans College of Law and the Stuart H. Smith Law Clinic and Center for Social Justice named Elizabeth K. Fox and Sarah J. Flettrich as the CLEA Outstanding Clinic Team. They were supervised by Professor Ramona Fernandez. 

Elizabeth (Beth) K. Fox and Sara J. Flettrich (Team Kinnett) are deserving of this award because of their outstanding clinic work in the Children’s Rights section of the clinic, supervised by Professor Ramona G. Fernandez.

Both, Beth and Sarah are student practitioners who possess the professionalism, work ethic, intellect, and skills to be a great, ethical and compassionate attorney. In the pursuit of social justice, they have truly done an outstanding job in representing indigent clients in paternity, custody, continuing tutorship, child support, divorce, succession cases and drafting Wills and Power of Attorneys for elderly people in the community. Both of these women represented their clients in status conferences, pre-trials, hearings, and trials. Beth is the lead attorney in a case challenging the constitutionality of La. C.C. Art. 198. This case will have significant impact in future Louisiana cases. They wrote the appellate brief and presented oral argument before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeal where we had a favorable decision. The case was remanded. The case is now before the Louisiana State Supreme Court and Beth and Sarah, have written an original brief and two reply briefs. The case was set for oral argument before the Louisiana Supreme Court on May 11, 2021 and the students argued on behalf of the minor child.

Team Kinnet, has worked tirelessly not only on the appellate case, but also on several other individual cases. These two ladies found a ways to effectively work together and collaborate to get positive results for their clients. During the academic year, Team Kinnett logged in over one thousand two (1,200) hundred hours, while Beth was caring for her young son and recently a newborn and Sarah held a clerkship in a family law firm.