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This month, the Neighborhood Law Clinic received honorable mention for 'Excellence in a Public Interest Case or Project' from the Clinical Legal Education Association. The honor recognizes the clinic's successful representation of a client who hadn’t been paid for construction work.

Law students took primary responsibility for the case, with guidance from Neighborhood Law Clinic director, Professor Mitch. Students carried out extensive investigation and negotiation to resolve the matter, filed a complaint in state court when the plaintiff continued to deny wages, gathered depositions and other evidence, and responded to multiple motions. The resulting five-day jury trial was handled almost entirely by two clinic students.



In the end, the jury awarded the client the full amount of the damages, as well as treble exemplary damages—the maximum amount allowed by law. From the initial intake meeting to the trial, the case spanned four years and involved four different teams of students.

Hundreds of low-wage workers are assisted each year by the clinic, which is a project of University of Wisconsin Law School.

Submitted by Law School News on May 31, 2018

This article appears in the categories: Articles, Students

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