Clinics have always grappled with tough circumstances while still pushing forward with optimism and hope. Creative and resilient, they epitomize law in action at the forefront of shifting issues facing clients in crisis. These include migrant bans, anti-LGBTQ+ policies, and tough-on-crime legislation -- nested in systemic challenges created by politics, the economy, and rising inequality. As a result, clinicians are first responders, mentors for the next generation, and community leaders.

This plenary will offer the perspectives of two leading clinicians and a community advocate about how clinic-community partnerships respond to upheavals over time. We will celebrate our long clinical tradition of leading the way with productive action as a fitting start to our time together in this conference, on the heels of the 2024 presidential election.  

• Speakers:
  • Sheila A. Bedi, Northwestern Law School, Clinical Professor of Law, Director of the Community Justice and Civil Rights Clinic, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
  • Dant’e Cottingham, Reentry/Outreach Specialist, Frank J. Remington Center, University of Wisconsin Law School
  • Hemanth Gundavaram, Northeastern University School of Law, Associate Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs; Director of the Immigrant Justice Clinic; Director of Clinical Programs
• Moderator:
  • Kate Finley, Clinical Associate Professor, Director of the Second Look Clinic, University of Wisconsin Law School

We will discuss what it means to teach and practice law in an unsettled legal space. The session will provide an overview of the evolving field of Name, Image & Likeness law and explore the professional skills students need for navigating the unknown. 

• Speakers:
  • Emily Buchholz, University of Wisconsin Law School
  • Tami Patel, University of Wisconsin Law School
  • Paige Wilson, Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University

The University of Virginia First Amendment Clinic has sued on behalf of journalists and news organizations investigating Virginia Department of Corrections practices. We will discuss how student collaborations are holding this agency accountable. 

• Speakers:
  • Lin Weeks, University of Virginia School of Law
  • Hannah Beckler, Business Insider
  • Chiara Eisner, NPR

We will explore ways that the legal clinics at Drake, Northwestern, and Toledo are working to advance advocacy in support of LGBTQ+ rights. Join us in sharing ideas for creating an inclusive clinic learning space for students and clients. 

• Speakers:
  • Kara Ingelhart, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
  • Nickole Miller, Drake University Law School
  • Rob Salem, University of Toledo College of Law

A law school clinic’s first class in is crucial for creating culture for the semester. In this session, we will discuss how to transform the first clinic class from a prosaic procedural checklist into a powerful launching pad into the practice of law. 

• Speakers:
  • Bryan Adamson, Case Western Reserve University School of Law
  • Bradford Colbert, Mitchell Hamline School of Law
  • Catherine Klein, Catholic University Columbus School of Law
  • Laurie Kohn, George Washington University Law School
  • David Santacroce, University of Michigan Law School

This session will examine student-recruitment and registration processes for clinical education programs at different law schools. Our focus will be on strategies to lessen the administrative burden on clinical faculty, while maximizing student selection preferences 

• Speakers:
  • Sarah Adkins, University of Cincinnati College of Law
  • Emily Buchholz, University of Wisconsin Law School
  • Annie Haugen, University of Wisconsin Law School
  • Brett Stohs, University of Nebraska College of Law

We will bring together legal clinicians working with LGBTQ+ communities to discuss successes, initiatives, and strategies in LGBTQ+ legal advocacy. Panelists will offer insights into navigating legal challenges and advancing LGBTQ+ rights. 

• Speakers:
  • Sachin Gupte, University of Wisconsin Law School
  • D’lorah Hughes, University of Kentucky Rosenberg College of Law
  • Lily Katz, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Len Sandler, University of Iowa College of Law

We will discuss community engagement and learning in the Cooley Innocence Project’s collaboration with conviction integrity units (CIUs) in prosecutor’s offices. Students work with CIU directors, staff, and exonerated persons through class sessions and casework. 

• Speakers:
  • Tracey Brame, Cooley Law School
  • Niquole Caringi, Cooley Law School
  • Ann Garant, Cooley Law School
  • Jessa Webber, Cooley Law School

Creating or sourcing assignments for experiential learning courses can be time-consuming. “Collaborating” with AI to complete some tedious tasks can give us more time to engage with students and collaborate more deeply with colleagues. 

• Speaker:
  • Phuong-Uyen Campbell, University of St. Thomas School of Law

This session will explore how incorporating human rights assessments into clinical practice enhances students' ability to evaluate cases, design tailored legal remedies, and strengthen advocacy for victims of international human rights violations. 

• Speakers:
  • Jean Marc Brissau, University of Notre Dame Law School
  • Irene Pamblanco, University of Notre Dame Law School
  • Josemaria Rodriguez, University of Notre Dame Law School
  • Faisal Yamil, University of Notre Dame Law School

Lawyers must take care of themselves to effectively advocate for others. In this incubator session, we will present ideas for a seminar course on creating sustainable work practices in a notoriously stressed profession. Join us to share ideas and feedback. 

• Speakers:
  • Cary Bloodworth, University of Wisconsin Law School
  • Raffi Friedman, University of Wisconsin Law School

As litigation gets more sophisticated, judges have become more receptive to data analysis and evidence-based research in resolving cases. Join us in exploring how clinics can be the perfect laboratory to teach students the potential and perils of data-driven advocacy.   

• Speaker:
  • JaneAnne Murray, University of Minnesota Law School

  • Ana Pottratz Accosta, Mitchell-Hamline School of Law

Working across clinics can present challenges in teaching and client representation. This incubator session will provide an opportunity to discuss how to organize and optimize cross-clinic collaboration to best meet the needs of students and clients. 

• Speakers:
  • Anika Lillegard-Bouton, University of Wisconsin Law School
  • Jennifer Binkley, University of Wisconsin Law School
  • Valeria Martinez, University of Wisconsin Law School

Understanding your own place in the legal structure and being able to respond to others differently situated is part of teaching about racism, bias, and cross-cultural competency. This incubator session will explore the value of teaching structural competency. 

• Speakers:
  • Sarah Davis, University of Wisconsin Law School
  • Sarah Orr, University of Wisconsin Law School

This session will detail two clinical legal education models of restorative justice and restorative practices facilitation. We highlight community collaboration and show how clinics’ community partnerships deeply impact students’ experiential learning.  

• Speakers:
  • Annie Buth, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
  • Jonathan Scharrer, University of Wisconsin Law School
  • Shana Toor, University of Wisconsin Law School

We will explore different aspects of academic leadership roles for clinical law professors, including increased influence, the ability to shape focus, and career advancement. We will also address challenges such as workload, reduced teaching, and institutional politics. 

• Speaker:
  • Hemanth Gundavaram, Northeastern University School of Law

We will explore how definitions of “community” and “belonging” vary across generations. This session will examine how to foster the rebuilding of our professional communities in ways that serve clinicians of all ages and stages of their professional careers. 

• Speakers:
  • Brett Stohs, University of Nebraska College of Law
  • Tia Matt, Oklahoma City University School of Law

This session will focus on three clinical models for fostering community relationships and building student and client community leaders. The session will be interactive, and we hope participants will share their own experiences with collaborative-engagement models. 

• Speakers:
  • Maara Fink, University of Toledo College of Law
  • Eugenio Mollo, Jr., University of Toledo College of Law
  • Rob Salem, University of Toledo College of Law

We direct a pediatric medical-legal partnership clinic in a city ranked as one of the most violent in America. This session will explore strategies for trauma-informed lawyering in a civil clinic, including representing clients and ensuring personal safety for our students. 

• Speakers:
  • Lainey Goodwill, University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law
  • Abigail Weiss, University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law
  • Katy Ramsey Mason, University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law

Relationships between traditional adversaries are a necessary and often fruitful aspect of a lawyer’s work. This session will explore the pedagogical implications of collaborations between adversaries - such as defense clinics and prosecutors - towards a common goal.  

• Speakers:
  • Rachel Burg, University of Wisconsin Law School
  • Zoe Engberg, University of Wisconsin Law School
  • Meredith Esser, University of Wyoming College of Law
  • Liz Cole, University of Nebraska College of Law

We will consider how the culture of a law school can affect professional formation, ethical advocacy, and just communities. We explore practices that can create and model constructive engagement, civility, and a community of integrity and inclusion. 

• Speaker:
  • Tanya Asim Cooper, Pepperdine Caruso School of Law

We will discuss how to harness student excitement and curiosity about generative AI and integrate ethical AI usage into clinic curricula. The focus will be on balancing the practical usage of AI in clinics and the current limitations of the most popular AI technology. 

• Speakers:
  • Bonnie Shucha, University of Wisconsin Law School
  • Kris Turner, University of Wisconsin Law School

This session will examine the value of active discussion in the clinic classroom. We will frame the importance of discussion in clinics, cover distinct types of discussion activities that can engage clinic students, and provide takeaways for facilitating discussion. 

• Speakers:
  • Cary Bloodworth, University of Wisconsin Law School
  • Grace Kube, University of Wisconsin Law School

This session will feature UW Law clinicians with media experience: Jonathan Scharrer (60 Minutes, CNN); Steven Wright (NYTimes, Today Show), and John Gross (USA Today, the Hill). We will discuss how to build media contacts to further a clinic's clients and mission. 

• Speakers:
  • John Gross, University of Wisconsin Law School
  • Jonathan Scharrer, University of Wisconsin Law School
  • Steve Wright, University of Wisconsin Law School

Clinics are often tasked with creating innovative, virtual community resources, like Wisconsin's Legal Tune Up. Some legal technology projects fit neatly into a semester or year; others have longer timelines, so that multiple students will come and go over the project's lifetime. Join us to discuss tools for managing complex, ambitious, ongoing projects in a clinical setting. 

• Speakers:
  • Emily Buchholz, University of Wisconsin Law School
  • Sarah Davis, University of Wisconsin Law School
  • Charles von Simson, University of Wisconsin Law School

We will examine the importance of interdisciplinary education in addressing, remedying, and avoiding wrongful convictions. We will discuss how law and forensic science students in the Oklahoma Innocence Clinic and Forensic Science Institute learn from each other. 

• Speakers:
  • Andrea Miller, Oklahoma City University School of Law
  • Cait Porterfield, Forensic Science Institute, University of Central Oklahoma