Summer 2003
Taking a Clinical Approach to the Community
By Brian
Krause
The office is buzzing with lawyers busily drafting documents, preparing
memos to file, and negotiating settlement agreements. Counselors are
meeting with their clients in the basement interview rooms, while upstairs,
attorneys are practicing their oral arguments in the moot courtroom.
Not a practice on K Street, this law firm is made up of students at
The George Washington University Law School.
At the Jacob Burns Community Legal Clinics, the students provide vital
legal assistance to those who cannot afford representation. With nine
different clinics ranging from assisting victims of domestic violence
to those facing criminal charges, these law students are helping to
make a positive impact on the DC community while receiving academic
credit.
“It’s very important to the community because it offers an
important resource to low-income individuals who would have a difficult
time being served without clinics like ours,” says Carol Izumi,
professor of clinical law and associate dean for clinical affairs.
Under the close supervision of faculty, students work on every aspect
of their cases — from filing documents to arguing in court. A very
competitive program, it accepts little more than 100 students per semester
and is only open to second- and third-year students.
“Clinical legal education is regarded now as a very important component
of a law student’s education where they hone their skills and apply
the knowledge from class,” says Izumi.
Instruction and supervision in the clinics are intensive and also includes
classes, readings, and exercises in addition to case work. It provides
an important setting to learn to identify, grapple, and solve ethical
problems such as conflict of interest and confidentiality.
“Many students see the clinic as a way to make the law come to
life for them. It becomes real for the first time and makes sense to
them,” says Izumi. “They learn to become a practitioner and
not just a student of the law.”
Dedicated to assisting start up entrepreneurs and non-profit organizations,
the Small Business Clinic is the oldest in the nation and the only one
of its type among all the Washington-area law schools — making
its services in high demand. Started in 1978, the clinic has an incredible
range of clients from the city including barbers, beauty shops, day
care centers, educational consultants, musicians, restaurants, and community
art schools.
“Everywhere I walk in town I can literally see a business that
we have impacted,” says Susan Jones, professor of clinical law
and director of the Small Business Clinic. “Our impact has been
great, especially since legal services are so incredibly expensive.”
Instead of focusing on litigation, the Small Business Clinic teaches
law students to become trusted business advisers, counselors, and negotiators.
With a substantial docket of an average 30 to 50 cases per semester
students immediately have the opportunity to experience a wide variety
of cases.
The clinic focuses on educating its clients and teaching them to navigate
the complex regulatory, tax, and contract systems. Currently, GW Law
students are helping clients understand DC’s new master business
license requirements and making sure they are in compliance.
“Most people don’t think that small businesses need help,
but it’s so essential,” says Jones. “One of our clients,
a restaurant on Georgia Avenue, would have been out of business if it
wasn’t for our help.”
As co-student director of the Small Business Clinic, third-year law
student Patrick Lespinasse is responsible for assisting Jones with case
management, peer supervision, and community relations.
“We rarely have to advertise because the word is out in the DC
community that those who cannot afford a lawyer can come to us,”
says Lespinasse.
With Capitol Hill experience as a law clerk for the House Ways and Means
Committee, he applied to the clinic out of his interest in business
law and because it was so highly recommended by other students.
“It really has been one of the best experiences I have ever had,”
says Lespinasse. “It is where theory meets practice. We are using
our legal skills to help people make their lives easier.”
Lespinasse says the diversity of the cases he has worked on has gone
far beyond his classroom experiences. He has helped an aspiring music
group negotiate record industry contracts and assisted a community development
group in the Shaw neighborhood.
“There are very few things that I have not encountered in the clinic,”
says Lespinasse. The diversity of the cases and issues in the clinic
eclipse the classroom. I think that the benefit of the clinic is that
no matter what type of law you’re interested in, the clinic will
make you better at it.”
Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu
