- Taking on Law Clinics
A number of law school clinics around the nation are facing challenges to their work by corporations and state legislators, in response to clinic legal work perceived to be against business or state interests. According to the Times story, Maryland lawmakers are debating whether to cut money for a clinic at the University of Maryland School of Law after it sued Perdue for alleged environmental violations related to its chicken production. One of the themes linking many of the clinic attacks is that the clinics are generally not accountable enough. Maryland Republican Michael Smigiel said: “I’m pretty sure that there are a lot of taxpayers who would be uncomfortable funding the legal clinic if it was solely interested in just promoting the death penalty or pro-life issues.”
Robert Adley, a Republican in Louisiana, said clinics shouldn't use the public money they receive to act like state regulators. There, the legislature is considering a law that would prevent clinics that receive public money from suing public agencies. The law is in response to a suit by a Tulane Law School clinic seeking better air quality standards. A developer in New Jersey filed suit against a Rutgers School of Law clinic after it sued to stop a strip mall development. Defenders say that the clinics are merely representing people or groups that can’t represent themselves, and that this often will involve clients opposite powerful interests.
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| 06:04 AM Apr 5, 2010 | Email the Daily Dragon | Email this Article | Post Comments |
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