cutting teeth in law school clinics
This Christian Science Monitor story features the work of student advocates in Pace Law School’s environmental law clinic. These second and third years build vital skills and confidence facing such sizable opponents as Exxon-Mobile and representing a local environmental group fighting pesticide use. Pace’s prestigious program is part of a growing trend towards adding “real-world cases to law school classrooms.” According to the article, law schools nationwide now offer clinics “in just about every legal field, from family law to securities arbitration, in keeping with the move toward specialization in legal training.” My alma mater, Fordham Law School, was on the leading edge of this important trend. As a third year, I participated in a mediation clinic in small claims court that opened my eyes to the nature of the adversarial system and the enormous benefits of alternative dispute resolution. The insight I gained that semester about myself and my role as a conflict manager stayed with me as I launched my litigation career and informed my later decision to become a mediator.
