From Christine Cimini, Associate Professor, Director of the Student Law Office...

In 2004 we celebrated 100 years of clinical education at the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law. In 1904, Dean Lucius W. Hoyt had the foresight and vision to recognize that poor and underserved communities need legal help, and that students could provide that help while simultaneously learning important practice skills. Thus, the College of Law's legal-aid dispensary was born, a place where students could develop as attorneys under the watchful eye of faculty who were also experienced practitioners.

While considered unusual in 1904, 100 years later clinical legal education is a critical part of all law school curriculums. Today, DU's Student Law Office (SLO) represents clients in many areas of the law, including criminal, civil practice, and civil rights and disability law. Our students learn mediation and arbitration, as well as pre-trial and trial skills. They have the opportunity to interview and counsel clients, develop case theory, investigate and engage in discovery, negotiate with adversaries, mediate settlements and engage in the trial of disputed matters. They learn legal ethics both in theory and practice in a range of areas including issues of confidentiality and conflict of interest. The SLO also emphasizes case management skills, enabling students to handle their cases effectively and efficiently. Finally, our students develop sensitivity to and empathy for the plight of underserved clients.

The SLO gives students the opportunity to learn about lawyering skills in the real world of clients who face a variety of issues for which they might not otherwise have legal representation. At the same time, the SLO provides students the opportunity to learn and practice these skills under the supervision of clinic faculty who work to ensure that all students obtain valuable educational experiences. Working in the SLO is one of the most exhilarating and gratifying experiences of our students' law school careers, and it is spectacular to watch them grow into skilled and dedicated attorneys.

Most clinics are one semester. The civil rights clinics is one academic year.

The faculty in the SLO are:

• Associate Professor Christine Cimini, Civil Litigation
• Lecturer Kay Bond, Environmental Law
• Assistant Professor Wadine Gehrke, Criminal Representation
• Associate Professor Jeff Hartje, Arbitration & Mediation
• Assistant Professor Tamara Kuennen, Civil Litigation
• Lecturer Dan Manville, Civil Rights
• Lecturer Perry Moriearty, Civil Litigation
• Fellow Raja Raghunath, Civil Rights
• Professor Howard Rosenberg, Criminal Representation
• Associate Professor Laura Rovner, Civil Rights
• Lecturer in Law Jay Tutchton, Environmental Law

Staff:

• Laurie Saraceno, Clinic Administrator
• Selvoy Fillerup, Administrative Assistant
• Annie Seperich, Office Assistant

For more information, please visit the clinic in room 335 or call: 303-871-6140 or email us »

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