DePaul Law News

Volunteers coach Legal Prep students to victory at mock trial competition

DePaul College of Law Dean Mark serves as Legal Prep Charter School mock trial judge.

This past year, a team of DePaul College of Law volunteers worked with Legal Prep Charter Academy ninth graders to prepare them for their end of the year mock trial competition, which took place on Tuesday, May 13, 2013 at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse Building. 

DePaul worked with two groups of Legal Prep students and both groups won their competitions. The case was a civil matter involving an allegation that a police officer used excessive force when arresting a teenage boy, who was the plaintiff. The DePaul teams represented the defense.

Several DePaul volunteers also served as judges for other teams, including College of Law Dean Greg Mark, alumna Linda Bryceland (JD '86), and Pro Bono Director Cheryl Price. Professor Mark Moller, alumna Jessica Schneider (JD '10), College of Law staff member Elizabeth Boe, and law student Beckee Birger coached the DePaul teams during the competition. Dean Mark was the only law school dean who volunteered to assist at the competition.     

For many of the students, the mock trial program was their first in-depth study of our legal system and the components of a trial. The Legal Prep students prepared and delivered both opening and closing statements and called witnesses for direct and cross examination. DePaul volunteers, who have been working with Legal Prep students since September 2012, first taught lessons on these topics and then helped students prepare their parts for the mock trial.

CPIL's Adrienne Packard contributes to ABA Equal Justice Conference

Earlier this month, the Center for Public Interest Law (CPIL) and Pro Bono and Community Service Initiative (PBCSI) staff participated in the Equal Justice Conference in St. Louis.

Adrienne Packard, assistant director of CPIL, was on the planning committee for the national gathering of law school pro bono and public service program directors.

Packard also moderated a panel discussion of New York's mandatory pro bono admission requirement and the national implications of the rule. She was joined by David Udell from the National Center for Access to Justice and Cordozo Law School, Thomas Maligno from Touro Law School, David Johnson from George Washington University Law School and Holly Eaton, formerly of Georgetown Law School.

Panelists discussed the implication of this rule for the law school community and the potential effects on law school curriculum and pro bono programs. The panel agreed that there are still many details of the rule that are unclear and much anticipation about evidence of a measurable impact from the rule. Several states, including New Jersey and California, are currently in the process of creating their own pro bono requirements for admission to the bar.  

CPIL and PBCSI staff also participated in sessions concerning law student pro bono ethics, effective lawyering for law students, creating and improving law school pro bono programs, pro bono tracking and outcome measures, law school access to justice commission partnerships and fostering relationships with legal aid providers to create meaningful partnerships. CPIL and PBCSI staff met and networked with law school professionals in their field from across the country, sharing ideas and gaining support for future endeavors.

Alumni selected for inaugural class of the Chicago Bar Foundation Justice Entrepreneurs Project

DePaul law alumni Eleanor Endzel ('12), Neil Kelley ('11) and Trevor Clarke ('11) were accepted to the Chicago Bar Foundation's recently launched Justice Entrepreneurs Project.  

The Justice Entrepreneurs Project (JEP) supports recent law graduates who are building their law practices with the goal of serving clients of modest means. The project also addresses two trends in the legal community: a surplus of law graduates and an increase in need for legal aid. This model is designed to serve the legal needs of populations who may not meet the criteria for traditional legal aid organizations, but also may not be able to afford private legal services.

The JEP will not only teach participants new skills to run a successful law practice, but also will provide a physical workspace, opportunities for peer collaboration, mentoring and business coaching. By participating in the JEP, DePaul alumni will continue to be at the forefront of effectuating change for underserved communities.

 

Journal for Social Justice hosts affordable housing-focused symposium

The DePaul Journal for Social Justice hosted its annual symposium on April 17, 2013, which focused on housing issues as they affect low-income populations in Chicago. The symposium was co-sponsored by the Center for Public Interest Law and supported by the Vincentian Endowment Fund. Take Shelter: Keep Shelter, the theme of the event, provided information and discussion on the mortgage foreclosure crisis, the creation of affordable housing, and the Chicago Housing Authority’s one-strike eviction policy to more than 70 attorneys, law students and community members.

During the first panel, speakers discussed the mortgage foreclosure crisis, including its history, lasting effects and proposed solutions for working with clients who have been hardest hit by the crisis. Daniel Lindsey, supervisory attorney for the consumer practice group at Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago, started the panel with an apt comparison of the mortgage bubble to the creation and ultimate demise of the infamous Titanic.

DePaul celebrates launch of the Chicago Public Interest Staycation

By Adrienne Packard, Assistant Director, CPIL

Most agree that the time we spend in law school provides an opportunity to learn the letter of the law, make lifelong friends, and gain invaluable experiences in our field of interest. It is also important to take advantage of the opportunity to learn the practice of law and to experience the full benefit of providing service to those in need.

Several law students learned this firsthand during the inaugural Pro Bono Staycation held over spring break in Chicago. Rather than spend their spring break relaxing or traveling, Kevin O’Donnell (’13), Brooke Tucker (’14), Jennifer Thomas (’15) and Sylvia Zarski (’15) decided to work with the Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan Family Services and The Center for Disability and Elder Law (CDEL). The students started off the week at the Legal Aid Society where they assisted the family law practice group in wrapping up their open files and shadowing attorneys in court. By having the students close cases, attorneys were able to focus more of their energy on the advocacy aspect of their work, rather than the administrative. They also provided the students opportunities to see firsthand the daily work of legal aid family law attorneys.

Restorative justice: a path to resolution through rounded discussion

For the past five years, Elizabeth Vastine and Peter Newman have invited College of Law students to sit in a circle and talk.

Vastine and Newman teach a course at the College of Law in restorative practices, a process that has been gaining ground in the legal community as an effective alternative dispute resolution possibility.

It’s a process that encourages both communicating and listening in a safe, responsible and effective manner. The process works whether the participants are merely discussing ideas or options, or are resolving conflicts. “Restorative practices are about helping to create safe space for whatever the dialogue might be,” said Vastine.

The philosophy has roots in many ancient and indigenous cultures. The process first gained currency in Illinois in connection with criminal and juvenile matters, and is often spoken of in terms of victims and offenders and, occasionally, forgiveness. Yet, as Vastine and Newman contend, the process is much, much more.

DePaul alumnae named to Crain's 20 in Their 20s

DePaul alumnae Katie Kizer and Amanda Graham recently made the list of Crain's Chicago Business' 20 in Their 20s. After graduating from the College of Law in 2012, the two started their own criminal defense firm, Kizer & Graham LLP. Watch the interview and read the complete profile on Crain's.

Video: Underestimate us at your own risk

   

 

DePaul law students honored for reporting a record total 18,500 hours of service

The Pro Bono & Community Service Initiative (PBCSI) held its annual service awards reception on April 25, 2013, and recognized students who completed at least 50 hours of pro bono and community service work while at DePaul. Students received awards for reporting 50, 100 and 200 hours of service. Graduating students who reported 200 hours of service received the Benjamin Hooks Distinguished Public Service Award. The award’s namesake, Benjamin Hooks, graduated from DePaul in 1948 and was the first African-American criminal court judge in Tennessee, the first African-American appointed to the FCC and led the NAACP from 1976 to 1991. He received the Medal of Freedom in 2007.  

This year, students reported a record 18,500 service hours, with 120 students receiving an award. Students volunteered at a wide range of sites, including DePaul’s Domestic Violence Courthouse Project and Neighborhood Legal Assistance Project, Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing, Center for Disability & Elder Law, Chicago Legal Clinic, Cabrini Green Legal Aid, and the National Immigrant Justice Center, to name just a few. Cheryl Price, PBCSI’s attorney director, notes: “We are proud that so many of our students are committed to pro bono and community service work. This year’s record number of service hours is a reflection of that commitment. We know that PBCSI will continue to attract more and more students because pro bono makes a difference while helping law students hone their legal skills.”

PBCSI also recognized alumna Colby Kingsbury (JD '00), for her pro bono work with the 2013 Pro Bono Alumni Award. Kingsbury is a partner at Faegre Baker Daniels LLP where she focuses on commercial, employment, and intellectual property litigation. Kingsbury has a remarkable pro bono record. She has dedicated countless hours to serving incarcerated individuals, immigrants and youth. She is one of the leaders of Faegre Baker Daniel’s Africa Project, which gives the firm’s attorneys a direct opportunity to participate in advancing the rule of law in African countries. Additionally, Kingsbury has successfully represented inmates of Cook County DePartment of Corrections in Section 1983 civil rights actions seeking relief from excessive force by institutional staff and inadequate protection from other inmates. For more than a decade, she has served as co-counsel with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Illinois in a federal action to represent a class of all detained youth at the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center in seeking improved confinement conditions. Her work on behalf of youth also includes serving as board president for the James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy, which provides legal and social services to youth in Evanston and the surrounding area. She also represents immigrants seeking asylum in the U.S. and serves on the National Immigrant Justice Center’s Litigation Steering Committee. According to Cheryl Price: “Ms. Kingsbury is a great example for our law students. She is committed to pro bono and has taken the time to cultivate a rich and rewarding pro bono practice as part of her very successful law career. Her work is inspiring. We are delighted to recognize her with DePaul’s 2013 Pro Bono Alumni Award.”

Pritzker sixth graders visit DePaul

On April 5, 2013, DePaul’s Pro Bono & Community Service Initiative joined forces with Phi Alpha Delta (PAD) and the Black Law Student Association (BLSA) to introduce sixth graders from A.N. Pritzker Elementary School to DePaul University College of Law. The sixth graders were able to learn about the legal profession through mock trial and classroom simulations and discussions with College of Law staff and faculty members. Dean Burns from the Office of Admissions talked to the students about attending law school and presented an intellectual property hypothetical involving logos to give the students a sense of how the law impacts everyday life.  

Professor Allison Ortlieb checks in with students as they develop their persuasive arguments.

Professor Linus Chan from the Asylum & Immigration Law Clinic talked to the students about practicing law and helping clients. Professors Allison Ortlieb and Daniel Morales taught the law classes and showed the students how to think like a lawyer and create persuasive legal arguments. The students were able to create and debate their own arguments based on the professors’ fact patterns. Members from PAD and BLSA conducted the mock trials, which were held in the mock trial classroom. The mock trial was based on a shoplifting case. During the mock trial simulations, the students watched a typical criminal case unfold and were able to act as jurors. Law student volunteers worked with the students in small groups to discuss the components of the trial and the evidence. The students were very enthusiastic about the mock trial and continued their discussions about the facts and the verdict well after the trial concluded.

CPIL works with restorative justice leaders for final skills series

The Center for Public Interest Law concluded the yearlong Public Interest Legal Skills Series with a three session restorative justice series. Adjunct Professors Elizabeth Vastine and Peter Newman taught the series this April during the lunch hour. Vastine and Newman held each session in a restoratve justice circle, to help students gain a basic understanding of the practice, as well as how it is implemented in Cook County Juvenile Justice system.  

Student participants praised the opportunity to collaborate with one another and learn more about this increasingly popular method of alternative dispute resolution, which is fast becoming a critical practice in juvenile justice system. "I was so grateful to have the chance to gain restorative justice skills," said Cindy Bedrosian ('14). "We learned about restorative justice by actually participating in a restorative justice circle each week.  It was wonderful to have this opportunity to learn about an innovative practice by experiencing it, instead of merely attending a lecture." 

 

Students engage in restorative justice by meeting in circle.