CJI Student Will Dreher Wins Dismissal for Client

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By Rob Proctor, CJI Clinical Instructor

Will Dreher

This past spring, Criminal Justice Institute student Will Dreher successfully argued in Roxbury Division Court for the suppression of physical evidence and statements seized from his client, an elderly and severely disabled man who was unlawfully seized by the police, searched, and arrested when he was observed standing outside of his sister’s home with another family member hours after his nephew passed away. Will’s oral argument and memorandum of law were so convincing and thorough that the judge asked Will if he was willing to waive additional arguments cited in his brief (which was over thirty pages long). After the judge’s ruling, the Commonwealth moved for immediate trial and answered not ready for trial, effectively hastening the dismissal of the case.

Michael Dukakis Visits Negotiation Workshop

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L to R: Michael Dukakis, Robert Bordone, Teresa Napoli ’13 – Photo Credit: Martha Stewart

This past spring, Clinical Professor Bob Bordone‘s students were treated to a visit by former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, who was also the Democratic nominee for President in 1988. Governor Dukakis’ visit came at the end of the semester-long Negotiation Workshop, in which students explored negotiation theory and practice, working intensively on skill-building to improve their effectiveness as negotiators. Dukakis spoke to students in detail about the negotiation dynamics of the Park Plaza case – a contentious 1970s Boston urban renewal project – as well as about the way negotiation tools and concepts came into play during his two terms as Governor. In addition to sharing personal stories of a life of public service, Gov. Dukakis also echoed many themes of the Negotiation Workshop – the importance of preparation, of relationships, and of collaboration.

To learn more about the Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program, visit their website.

Governor Dukakis – Photo credit: Martha Stewart

Governor Dukakis – Photo credit: Martha Stewart

L to R: Governor Dukakis, Professor Bordone, and Assistant Dean Lisa Dealy – Photo credit: Martha Stewart

HLAB Student David Barber Receives Law Student Ethics Award

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David Barber (center) with Ethics Chair Jim Peck and Chapter President Kathleen Burke

Congratulations to Harvard Legal Aid Bureau student David Barber, who received the 2013 Law Student Ethics Award from the Northeast Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel! Elizabeth Nesson, Dave’s Clinical Instructor at Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, nominated him for the award, highlighting his dedication to his clients:

Throughout Dave’s four semesters of intense clinical work he has impressed me as a dedicated and thoughtful student who makes the extra effort to be both effective and ethically sound in representing his clients. He has demonstrated superb legal abilities, personal qualities and an understanding and sensitivity to ethical issues as they arise in his cases and in the office. He has taken on challenging cases and worked extremely hard and passionately on behalf of his clients. Dave works very hard not only to be effective in his work, but also to be thoughtful and compassionate. He accomplishes this by trying to consider honestly and explicitly the many competing concerns and interests involved with each client, with himself, and with the community involved.”

According to The Chapter, the award was created “to recognize and encourage the ethical practice of law at the earliest stages of a young lawyer’s professional career, and at the same time to shine a spotlight on ethics more generally, demonstrating that the legal community values lawyers who are guided by ethical principles. The award, which includes a $1,000 scholarship, is given to twelve students, one from each of the participating local law schools, who have demonstrated an early commitment to ethics through work in clinical programs representing their first real clients.”

The Northeast Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel held the ninth annual Law Student Ethics Awards dinner on April 12, 2013 at the Union Club in Boston. Former U.S. Congressman Barney Frank gave the keynote address.

LSC’s Isabel Lima Receives Richardson Staff Award

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Isabel Lima

The Class of 2013 selected the Clinical Programs’ very own Isabel Lima for the Suzanne Richardson Staff Appreciation Award, which is given each year to a member of the staff who demonstrates commitment to the student experience and concern for students’ lives and work at the Law School.

From Dean Martha Minow:

“Isabel has worked at the WilmerHale Legal Services Center since 1980, and currently serves as Office Manager. One student explained, ‘Isabel is the heart and soul of the legal services center. From making sure each student is prepared from the day they set foot in the clinic, to translating for Spanish-speaking clients, and keeping our cases organized, there is no one who demonstrates more commitment to clinical education and our many needy clients than Isabel.’ Congratulations and deep thanks to all named here and to all students, faculty, and staff who make this school such a stimulating, rewarding, and meaningful community.”

Congratulations, Isabel!

CJI Says Goodbye to Gloria Tan

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CJI Staff. Back from left: Kristin Muniz, Ron Sullivan, Chris Pierce, Rob Proctor. Front from left: Amy Soto, Gloria Tan, Dehlia Umunna, Anna Pierce.

Former CJI Deputy Director Gloria Tan was recently sworn in as an Associate Justice of the Juvenile Court in Middlesex County. Ms. Tan was a clinical instructor at the Criminal Justice Institute since 2003.  Prior to joining HLS, Ms. Tan worked representing juveniles and adults for the Committee For Public Counsel Services, the Massachusetts state wide public defender agency. As a judge Ms. Tan will continue her lifelong commitment to public service.  The CJI family will miss her greatly!

Opportunities: Negotiators Board and Committee; Summer RA for Environmental Law Research

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Via HLS Administrative Updates

Call for Harvard Negotiators Board and Committee Applications
You do not need to be a current member to apply for a position. Applications due by Sunday, May 5, at 5pm. Email  negotiators at law.harvard.edu with any questions. Harvard Negotiators have opportunity to: – Advise clients about negotiations – Represent HLS in competitions – Participate in simulations – Join reading group and blog – Attend speaker series See link for positions and application!

Part-Time Summer RA Sought for Environmental Law Research
Shaun Goho, Clinical Instructor and Lecturer on Law, seeks a part-time research assistant for the summer. Hours are flexible, and most of the work can be done remotely if necessary. The work will involve revising and updating the course materials for a class on public-interest environmental litigation and research into various environmental and administrative law topics. If interested, please send a cover letter and CV to sgoho at law.harvard.edu.

 

Former TLC clinical student launches start-up

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Former HLS clinical student John Bennett recently launched a Kickstarter project to fund Zen of 180, an LSAT preparation product that provides free explanations to LSAT questions. The project comes out of Zen Way Inc, Bennett’s  education technology startup committed to democratizing access to higher education. Zen Way is a 2013 Harvard University President’s Challenge finalist at the Harvard Innovation Lab.

Bennett, who worked at the Transactional Law Clinics while a student at HLS, found his clinical experience to be an asset when he began Zen Way.

My work with TLC has proven surprisingly helpful in running my business, especially in how to interface with our legal counsel and business consultants.

TLC helped me know which legal resources to use at Harvard, and the various services those groups could offer us. We used HLEP (Harvard Law Entrepreneurship Project) to do some initial patent research for us, and have been at the i-lab since it opened to student teams.

Mainly, though, TLC helped me the most in thinking through the intellectual property issues that my business has; the clients I worked with presented challenging questions on patent ownership, creative commons licensing for online content, and even how to market a product that is not protectable under any IP regime.

Watch as Bennett explains Zen of 180 in the Kickstarter video above, or visit the campaign page to learn more about the project.