Clinics making profound difference in law school education

When Charleston School of Law 3L Anna Gregory began working at 180Place she confessed her work felt small, but she quickly realized the profound — often life-changing — impact it was having on a client’s life.

“When anyone from the community came into 180Place, you could tell they were troubled — you felt their stress,” said Gregory. “It might be as simple as finding someone their birth certificate or their social security card, but that can withhold someone from getting a house or a lease. That’s someone’s livelihood. That taught me that you can take small strides to really make a difference in someone’s life.”

“As an Ackerman Fellow at Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services, I was able to get my hands into landlord-tenant law and family law, and I loved it,” added Charleston School of Law alum Elizabeth Sutton (’24). “That was a cool experience to see how the law is practiced beyond the classroom. It’s amazing to be able to see people who are so willing to help others.”

In addition, Sutton had the opportunity to work with Tri County Speaks rape crisis hotline as a victim’s advocate. “Seeing them in action and how they interact with clients and their willingness to help, you can’t watch people do that and not feel like, I need to do something.”

“I love that students get such a practical experience when participating in a clinic; it’s no longer a hypothetical problem, it’s the real thing,” said Professor Jessica Moeller. “They get to have this hands-on learning experience and getting timely feedback.”

The Charleston School of Law and its community partners will host its annual Clinics Information Session this Tuesday. Students are encouraged to attend, explore the opportunities and network with those serving the greater good in the Charleston community. The event will be held in Room 333 at 12:00 p.m.

“President Ed Bell says his expertise is ‘solving problems,’” said Clinics Director and Professor Law Miller Shealy. “That’s what a lawyer does. We solve people’s problems and try to give people a better life. You will meet people face-to-face with real problems and real needs. It’s impossible in those situations not to have empathy and not to want to help those people because all they want to have a better life.”

Charleston Law offers six clinics: Parole clinic, Mediation clinic, Family Law clinic, Housing clinic (Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services), Domestic Violence clinic (Charleston Legal Services), the Street Law clinic, and the Criminal Prosecution clinic (in conjunction with the Ninth Circuit Solicitor’s Office).

“The entire Tri-County is involved with our law students to serve the community,” said Dean Ralph Prioleau. “Students get to make a direct impact in the community because you are helping people who would not be able to afford legal services. When students participate in a clinic and they help people and begin seeing the value of small things, it changes the student’s mindset.”

Morgan Dickinson, a 3L at Charleston School of Law, was named the Kat Westbrook fellow at Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services.

“I was working with their human trafficking victim rights attorney,” she said. “I got to be the law clerk for the Ninth Circuit Solicitor’s Office and that is where I found that I truly enjoyed working in criminal law. I had the opportunity to do a variety of different jobs. I also had the amazing opportunity to sit with different attorneys as they were prepping for trial.”

Dickinson’s experience describes exactly the vision President Ed Bell, Clinics Director Miller Shealy, and Dean Larry Cunningham envisioned for the program.

“President Bell and I traveled to Florida to look at one of the best clinical programs in the country,” said Professor Shealy. “You see how they do it, you talk to experienced people, and we set it up. Then Dean Larry Cunningham – he is a clinician — he’s taught them. Working with him has been a great experience.”

Dean Prioleau said the Charleston Law clinics are conducted under the student practice rule, which means you are telling the Supreme Court that I am going out there to help a licensed attorney practice.

“We are unique in that sense that we are getting our students into environments where they can practice the rule of law and implement what they do in the classroom in the legal world,” said Prioleau. “Dean Cunningham and Professor Shealy want to make sure students can practice the law. We’ve had several students go out there in the housing court and help low-income families stay in their home.”

“We went to low-income communities and served at a Wills clinic,” said Sutton. “Being able to learn on your feet, even if you haven’t had it in the classroom and then bringing that experience back into the classroom is super cool. I think that the school really does a good job of promoting those types of experiences.”

Since that initial trip to Florida, the clinical programs at Charleston School of Law have evolved into a burgeoning opportunity for law students to learn through hands-on experience while serving the greater good in the Charleston community.

“Deep down as attorneys we want to serve the community in need,” said Moeller. “Our students get to participate with individuals that are facing homelessness or domestic violence situations, or are involved in the criminal justice system. In a clinical setting they see people that are facing these problems.”