University of Chicago Law School's Immigrant Children's Advocacy Project

02/13/07

University of Chicago Law School's Immigrant Children's Advocacy Project

Children's-rights lawyer Maria Woltjen, in collaboration with University of Chicago Law School, has expanded the school's Immigrant Children's Advocacy Project. Advocates involved in this project protect unaccompanied and undocumented immigrant children who are apprehended by immigration authorities and kept in federal custody. Currently a lecturer at University of Chicago Law School, Woltjen, who is also the founder-director of the program, started the project in 2003. The clinical project is aimed at helping student lawyers hone their litigation skills as advocates for immigrant children in the United States. Mark Heyrman, Clinical Professor of Law and Faculty Director of Clinical Programs, stated that besides providing help to vulnerable clients and offering practical hands-on experience, the clinic will help students understand U.S. immigration laws and policies, which often adversely affect such children.

University at Buffalo law students provide legal aid with taxes
University at Buffalo Law School students at 15 local sites are helping low-income residents in the area with completing their taxes and applications for tax credits in an attempt to improve the financial situations of families whose annual incomes fall below $39,000. University at Buffalo's law students, together with the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County, have formed a coalition as part of the university's outreach program. Composed of 50 local organizations, the coalition offers free service and financial guidance. It also offers an alternative to costly national tax-preparation franchises. The students, along with the United Way, also assist local banks that help such families set up checking and savings accounts. The program, led by Lauren Breen, Director of University at Buffalo Law School's Community Economic Development Clinic, helps law students become IRS-certified tax preparers. In addition, students provide service related to other matters, such as affordable housing, elders' health-related legal concerns, and family violence.

New appellate clinic at Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School has introduced a new clinical program, the Supreme Court and Appellate Litigation Clinic, to ensure that students gain firsthand experience with litigation work. This year-long clinic, which will begin in the fall of 2007, will assign teams of students to work under the supervision of experienced appellate attorneys. Students will learn to prepare strategies, draft briefs, and research and prepare strong oral arguments for cases related to the Supreme Court, federal courts of appeal, and state supreme courts. Walter Dellinger, ex-acting solicitor general, will head the clinic with the assistance of two senior attorneys, Pam Harris and Jon Hacker, from law firm O'Melveny & Myers. Dellinger, who leads the appellate practice group at O'Melveny, is also a professor at Duke University. Stressing the importance of the new clinic, the administrative director of clinical and pro bono programs at Harvard Law, Lisa Dealy, stated that it will offer ample opportunities for students to experience the inner workings of the U.S. Supreme Court. She said that the new clinic will also help existing clinics with Supreme Court briefs for their respective practice areas. The new clinic will, like all other Harvard Law clinics, focus on pro bono casework.

UH Manoa law school receives grants to fund public service programs
The Hawaii Justice Foundation has awarded William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii at Manoa grants totaling $18,500 for two of its public service programs: the Hawaii Innocence Project and the Advocates for Public Interest Law (APIL) program. The Innocence Project, which offers pro bono legal services to incarcerated defendants during their appeals, was established in 2005 with the help of California Western School of Law. $3,500 of the funding the school has received will be used to conduct DNA testing for incarcerated defendants. A $15,000 grant was awarded to APIL, the school's student public interest group. The grant will fund the program's 2007 summer public interest fellowships.

Roberts proposes Supreme Court reform at Northwestern speaking engagement
Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., speaking at Northwestern Law School in Chicago, voiced his opinions regarding the formation of a more unified Supreme Court. He has been publicly campaigning for a more private and organized court for some time. Roberts, who assumed the position of Chief Justice in September 2005, was visiting the Chicago area for the first time after taking office and stated that the Supreme Court's functioning as a judicial body will be effective only if it can deliver "one clear and focused opinion." He also said that justices should not openly reveal their differing opinions through separate dissents or concurrences. He emphasized that he does not advocate superficial agreement for the sake of agreement but that he believes in "deciding cases on narrow grounds, when that allows broader agreement." Roberts argued that the Supreme Court can only reach a unanimous decision when it meets in conference to decide a case. Of late, although justices may initially agree on a case outcome, later concurrent statements are often issued; thus, major cases are being decided by five-to-four opinions, with conservatives winning few decisions.

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