The two principles behind the development of the Thomas M. Cooley Law School’s pro bono law clinics are that everyone should have access to justice, even if they can’t afford a lawyer, and that every law student should get hands-on practice in court with real cases before they graduate.
There are 10 of these legal clinics spread out among campuses in Grand Rapids, Lansing, Auburn Hills and Ann Arbor.
In Grand Rapids, the Access to Justice Clinic handles civil cases that focus on family and consumer law. Upper class law students have the chance to process actual cases and try them in court. This practice not only gives them an edge on starting their careers, but it helps those who otherwise could not afford a lawyer have their case handled professionally.
Now before you contact all of your friends who are considering a divorce, know that the Access to Justice Clinic’s cases are only referred by the Legal Assistance Center at the Kent County Courthouse. You can’t contact the Cooley Clinic directly.
The Legal Assistance Center acts as a first step screening agency. Once they determine a person financially qualifies and is in need of the services provided by the Access to Justice Clinic, they refer them and the clients then meet with the students.
Michael Dunn, the Clinic’s director, and Misty Davis, a staff attorney, closely supervise all cases and one of them is present in court whenever a law student appears before a judge. Third year law students may enter the two-term program as part of their legal degree curriculum.
“These are students who are very motivated to get practice before they get out of law school,” says Dunn.
Dunn also says the judges who hear the student’s cases are nurturing and want to see them succeed. Once a term, one of the courtrooms is closed to the public so the students can practice in front of a judge.
“We have a very giving bench,” Dunn says of the judges in our community.
For each case the Access to Justice Clinic handles, a team is created consisting of a senior level student, a junior level student and a paralegal from the Davenport University paralegal program. Cooley law students work regularly with the Davenport paralegal students in order to form complete legal teams.
Currently, there are 13 law students enrolled in the program working with seven paralegal students. During the 14-week term, the group will handle approximately 40 cases involving family and consumer law issues. The Clinic operates exactly like an actual law firm and the same ethical rules apply.
Dunn, who has 25 years of law experience, teaches criminal practice classes and child abuse and neglect classes in addition to serving as the Access to Justice Clinic’s director. He says he and Davis work well as a team in guiding the students toward gaining professional legal experience that will help them after they graduate. Many law firms expect new hires to already have the skills that the Clinic teaches when they start.
“What we’re graduating is lawyers, not law students,” says Dunn. “When they go to their first job, they hit the ground running with confidence.”
The Access to Justice Clinic has existed for five years. The other clinics operating out of Cooley’s Grand Rapids location are a Public Sector Legal Clinic, which handles transactional work for public sector clients, and the Kent County Public Defender Clinic, where students work on public defender cases.
None of the clinics receive any funding so expenses such as transcripts and mediation costs usually have to be absorbed by the client or the Clinic. The fee waivers the Clinic files on behalf of the clients don’t cover these expenses. The Access to Justice Clinic is currently considering becoming a nonprofit organization so they have the ability to raise funds.
In the meantime, their nonprofit partner, the Legal Assistance Center, is always looking for volunteers and donations. Here’s how to get involved:
- Visit the
Thomas M. Cooley Law Clinics page to find out more.
- Visit the
Legal Assistance Center online to find out more.
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Donate to the Legal Assistance Center.
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Volunteer at the Legal Assistance Center.
Source: Michael J. Dunn, Associate Professor at the Thomas M. Cooley Law School and Director of the Access to Justice Clinic
Writer: Heidi Stukkie, Do Good Editor
Photos provided by the Thomas M. Cooley Law School.
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