First Family Law Clinic in LA Available to Southwestern Students
In an innovative partnership, Southwestern Law School and the Harriett Buhai Center have banded together to offer SWLS students a family law clinic program incorporating both academic and real-world practice experience for school credit. The only clinical education program in LA dedicated to family law including topics pertaining to stopping domestic violence and enhancing the welfare of children, the new offering started in fall 2018 and repeated in 2019. The product of collaborative planning, the program is taught and supervised by Center Staff Attorney, Rebecca Fischer, with help from several other Center lawyers.
“Training the next generation of attorneys in family law and nurturing the value of public service are building blocks on which the Center is based,” says Betty Nordwind, Executive Director. “We are very grateful to the foresight and commitment of Dean Susan Prager and Associate Dean of Experiential Learning Julie Waterstone in strongly supporting this new program bringing so much benefit to students and low-income clients alike.”
Rena Kosnett, a graduate of the 2019 family law clinic, returned in January 2020 because she was so motivated. “The value of direct client interaction, learning the court processes, and working closely with Center attorneys were all incredibly valuable,” she says.
January 2020