For UT law students, community service is not an extracurricular activity. Providing legal aid to the underprivileged Knoxville community is part of their curriculum.
As a service to the Knoxville community as well as UT students and faculty, the law school offers free legal clinics that provide guidance in matters surrounding the law.
UT law school has offered these services for 64 years.
“We are the oldest, continually operating legal clinic in the country,” Benjamin Barton, associate professor and director of the clinical programs, said.
These clinics serve as features of the core curriculum for law school students, allowing them to gain legal experience while providing valuable aid to people who might otherwise be unrepresented.
Each case is treated with extreme care, with students carrying their clients through their legal matters from the initial interview until the court appearance.
“(The clinics are designed to) teach students the practical skills they will need to be successful lawyers and the importance of public service and ethical practice,” Barton said. “(They) provide legal services of the highest possible caliber to the indigent of Knox County.”
The time UT law students have devoted to helping these members of the Knoxville community maneuver the somewhat treacherous waters of the legal system has generated quite a reputation for the clinic program.
“We’ve been around for a long time, so we’ve served a lot of folks and made a lot of friends along the way,” Barton said. “I never appear in a court or speak to a community group without being recognized and appreciated for all of the clinic’s good work.”
The work of these clinics has been far-reaching, partially attributable to the strong willingness among the students to get involved.
“We have upwards of 85 percent of the graduating class of 2010 taking a clinic or an externship this year,” Barton said. “This results in a ton of excellent, free legal work for the community.”
Students within the law school are extremely enthusiastic about the program.
“This experience has had such a significant impact on me that I now would like to continue in indigent legal work,” Kelley Brooks Simoneaux, UT law student, said. “It is such an important part of our system and the UT Legal Clinic understands this need. The lessons I have learned in the clinic will be the ones I take with me throughout my career.”
Students in the law school can choose to delve into their choice of seven clinics, each targeting specific legal areas, while under the supervision of qualified law professors. This allows students to gain perspective on their potential legal concentration.
Civil, domestic and housing issues are handled in the Advocacy Clinic. New clinics include the Wills Clinic where students assist in estate planning, as well as the Wrongful Conviction Clinic. The Business Clinic allows students to try their hand at aiding developing corporations and non-profit groups manage the legal system. The Domestic Violence Clinic offers essential aid to those suffering with related issues.
The Externship Program is a clinic that offers students the opportunity to see how the bench looks from the other side, prosecuting cases representing the state of Tennessee.
However they choose to participate in the clinic program, law students at UT are focusing on honing traits of service and compassion to go along with their degree.
