11 Mar 2024
Each month, we give an inside look at the work happening behind the scenes at the College of Law. Clinic staff work closely with students and faculty to assist clients. As the number of clinical opportunities has grown, the clinic team continues to use their knowledge and expertise to facilitate experiential learning and support work that impacts the local community.
Clinic Staff:
Amy Derowitsch, Assistant Paralegal
Terra Garay, Children’s Justice Program Coordinator
Deanna Lubken, Office Supervisor/Paralegal
Sydnee Schuyler, Assistant Paralegal
Kelsey Van Patten, Assistant Paralegal
Q: What does your role at the college entail? What is the most fulfilling part?
AD: I’m an assistant paralegal with the Clinical Programs at the College of Law. I work primarily with the First Amendment Clinic but help support all the programs when needed. The most fulfilling part of my job is knowing that the “behind the scenes” work I do helps students and faculty make a difference in our clients’ lives.
TG: I am the Program Coordinator for the Children’s Justice Clinic and Children’s Justice Attorney Education Program.
DL: I am currently the Office Supervisor/Paralegal in the Clinical Law Programs (CLP). I have worked in the CLP since 1998. In addition to my administrative duties, I currently provide legal assistance in the Debtor Defense Clinic, Estate Planning Clinic, and Housing Justice Clinic. However, at one time or another, I have also provided support in all of the clinics within the CLP, with the exception of the Criminal Clinic. I love working with the various students, faculty, my colleagues, and being a part of the teaching team. For many students, the CLP gives them their first opportunity to be lead counsel. I enjoy watching the students grow as attorneys and gain confidence in themselves.
SS: I’m primary staff support for the Immigration Clinic and secondary support for other clinics when needed.
KVP: I provide support to Clinical Faculty, mainly Professor Brett Stohs with the Entrepreneurship Clinic, and to student attorneys who are signed up to take the clinic. I am typically the first human that most people interact with when they reach out for services of the E-Clinic, and I help determine whether we are a good fit for entrepreneurs to work with us on their legal needs.
Q: How does your work support clinical programs and/or faculty?
AD: While the students and faculty do the substantive part of the job, my role is more administrative. My work includes filing pleadings, preparing materials for court, and keeping track of the many moving pieces with all the cases we’re working on.
DL: I have always tried to provide as much assistance to the faculty as possible so they can dedicate their valuable time to teaching the students the practice of law. The paralegals in the CLP teach the students how to work in a law office setting. We review documents prepared by students and faculty for accuracy and ensure they are formatted according to court rules. We file legal documents with the court, when necessary. We review and finalize estate planning documents that students have prepared for their clients. Sometimes we are a sounding board for the students when they are trying to work out a legal issue.
SS: I assist the Clinic director and students with daily operations, document review and preparation, navigating immigration agencies and court filing procedures, case management, file integrity, and logistics.
KVP: I like to think of us as nurses to doctors, while each have their individual skill and knowledge set, they both rely on each other for different things and work together for the best outcomes for their patients. Instead of patients, our clients and students are who we are caring for and we help guide them through the messiness of legal practice. I like to think that my work helps give clinic faculty the ability to do some of their important work which is supervising our students and helping our clients achieve their goals.
Q: Where do you see the work of the clinics making the most impact? How is it reflected in the lives of clients?
AD: The impact of the Clinical Programs has been huge for Lincoln and surrounding communities. Each day students and faculty work to prevent people from being evicted, finalizing estate planning documents, start small businesses, and more.
TG: Ensuring we provide the highest quality of representation to our child clients as Guardians ad Litem and that child clients have a voice in court.
DL: CLP students provide legal representation to clients in a variety of legal matters. Whether it is ensuring that a client is allowed to stay in their home or allowed to maintain their income, the legal work of our students greatly impacts the lives of their clients. Many of our students have been involved in legislative advocacy and have played an integral part in changing legislation to improve our clients’ lives. Many low-income individuals would not receive any legal assistance if not for the CLP. With the guidance of the CLP faculty and paralegals, our students learn how to provide quality and ethical legal representation. Some students have had opportunities to argue cases before the Nebraska Court of Appeals, Nebraska Supreme Court, and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.
SS: The clinics are a way for people who can’t afford an attorney to have access to quality legal representation while giving students the opportunity to learn first-hand and see how meaningful their assistance is to those who would otherwise be unable to afford legal assistance.
KVP: We’ve seen clients who are taking major risks such as leaving their full time jobs to pursue a side hustle idea. We are just a small step on their journey of owning and running a business, but they come to us because they want to make sure they are doing things the right way. To check in with a former client to hear that their business is growing and they are doing well is a good feeling. To see a former nonprofit client land a big grant so they can continue providing their charitable work is rewarding, and knowing that we helped them get what they needed to further their own mission has been impactful.
Q: What has been the most meaningful experience you’ve had while working with our clinical programs?
AD: The most meaningful experiences I’ve had so far is seeing the look on clients’ faces when they’re able to get help from the Clinic; many people are relieved and I’m thankful our community has this resource.
TG: Through the success of the CJC, we had the opportunity to launch the Children’s Justice Attorney Education Program. This has allowed us to move beyond Lancaster county and impact Juvenile Court representation in greater Nebraska.
DL: It is always heartening to observe the gratitude of a client who has had an opportunity to have his or her voice heard. Knowing that our students and faculty are providing the best legal representation possible is very meaningful to me. Listening to a student after his or her first court appearance and seeing the glow on their faces afterward brings me so much joy. Just knowing that you have been a part of their teaching experience is such an honor.
SS: When students share that they’ve been struggling with the pressures of law school or are otherwise uncertain about the future and the clinics helped them focus in on what it’s all for and why they want to help others.
Q: Describe the value of offering real-world educational opportunities like this to our students. How does it prepare them for the legal field?
AD: There’s a huge difference between learning about something and doing something. For example, in the First Amendment Clinic, this is the first time students have written their own brief or interacted with clients. I think this experience gives students a chance to actually work in the profession before they even start their careers.
TG: Students are assigned cases, partnered with experts and get hands-on experience meeting with families and appearing in court for an academic year, graduating practice-ready.
DL: The clinics prepare their students to be inclusive leaders. Some of the CLP’s students have gone on to be judges, legislators, successful litigators, sole practitioners, and leaders in their fields. The clinics give the students the confidence they need to do anything they strive to do. It is so enjoyable knowing that I have had just a small part in their education and success.
SS: The clinics are often the first time students are experiencing being primarily responsible for real clients with real legal issues. From their first client interview to their first trial appearance, having the opportunity to learn in an environment that supports and guides them through the many “firsts” they’ll experience as a new attorney is invaluable.
KVP: I think giving students the opportunity to see what it is like to be a practicing attorney is so beneficial to their law school careers. Not only do they get to experiment and be intentional with their time and apply some of the things they have learned in their law school classes, they also get the benefit to tell employers, “Hey look I’ve actually done this stuff and this is what I did.” I think for most clinic students it reaffirms their decision to go to law school and be an attorney. Having a supportive environment with the goal of learning and managing all the things clients and cases brings is truly what makes the experience worthwhile.