UA Expands Pro Bono Law Programs

While the prospect of standing before a judge with a student lawyer might give some pause, D’lorah Hughes said those taking advantage of the University of Arkansas Law School’s pro bono clinics gain at least one big advantage.

“Students have time,” said Hughes, a UA assistant professor who also directs the law school’s juvenile justice externship program. “They’re new and young and passionate. They have as much time as they want to spend on the case, arguably.”

The 10-plus specialty clinics and programs administered by the UA have become increasingly popular among both students and clients. During the 2008-2009 academic year, for example, student attorneys worked more than 2,500 hours while handling in excess of 700 cases. All of those represented had incomes at or below 150 percent of the U.S. Department of Labor poverty standards.

Students wanting to participate, meanwhile, enter a lottery system that determines the 57 aspiring attorneys accepted into the programs each semester. The students also must meet certain prerequisites to qualify for the lottery. Those selected generally receive three credit hours for their time and work.

In Hughes’ case, she oversees three students in the juvenile justice externship program. The aim of the program, like the other pro bono clinics, is to provide practical, hands-on experience for students while offering competent legal services to clients free of charge.

Those in the juvenile justice externship program get delinquency cases from deputy public defender Suanne Jeffus, and spend about a day and a half in court each week.

The cases involve juveniles charged with offenses that if committed by an adult would be considered a crime. The student lawyers handle dozens of cases per semester.

“They’re standing there taking cases as they come up,” Hughes said. “They learn quickly, ‘This is how it works in court, this is how it works every day.’

“The idea is that they’re in court as much as possible.”

Students participating in the juvenile defense clinic gain real-life experience via 6 to 10 cases per semester.

“The students get to see most of these cases from start to finish and that’s important for both the students and the clients,” Hughes said.

Elizabeth Young’s students get a similar experience. Young is an assistant professor who directs the law school’s immigration clinic, a bonus for a region with a growing Hispanic population, but not a wealth of immigration attorneys.

Like Hughes, Young is in her second year doing such work at the UA.

“I think it’s an invaluable experience,” said Young, who is working with seven students this semester. “I did clinics when I was in school, and I think it’s probably the best thing I ever did.

“Doing this kind of work helps students get comfortable with the things they’ve learned in law school.”

Those things include analyzing the initial issues, interviewing and counseling clients, writing motions and filing pleadings, negotiating with opposing attorneys, trying cases, and of course, conducting plenty of research.

The result, ideally, are winners inside and outside the walls of the UA’s law school.

“To me, the main goal is to get students experience representing clients and experience in court,” Young said. “The second goal is to serve the community.”