School of Law's Clinical Program Proudly Celebrates Its 40th Anniversary

"[A] lawyer without books would be like a workman without tools." Thomas Jefferson

Given the complexities of today's global society, books alone fall significantly short of converting law students into well-trained lawyers. Contemporary law students need more than written materials. They require a comprehensive education that includes practice-oriented, hands-on, skill-training opportunities.

Recognizing this necessity, the Rutgers School of Law-Newark established its first law clinic 40 years ago, growing from two to seven clinics: Constitutional Litigation (1970), Urban Legal (1970), Environmental Law (currently inactive, 1985), Federal Tax Law (1995), Special Education (1995), Community Law (1997), and Child Advocacy (2000). Through it all, Professor Frank Askin, founding director of the Constitutional Litigation Clinic, has been there from the start.

Taking pride in the evolution of the program, particularly the development of the Constitutional Litigation Clinic, Askin notes, "Unequivocally, clinics are an integral part of the law school curriculum. They provide invaluable experiential education not otherwise available in the classroom."

In a law school clinic, students are immersed in the actual representation of real clients with real legal problems. Under the close supervision of experienced attorneys and faculty members, students begin to acquire essential lawyering skills and develop a sense of legal ethics and professional responsibility.

Clinics also offer students an opportunity to serve their community. For example, in a ruling recently issued in a lawsuit commenced by Clinical Professor Penny Venetis, co-director of the Constitutional Litigation Clinic, the judge sided with Venetis' clients and determined that computerized voting machines must be reevaluated to ascertain their accuracy and reliability. In that case, Rutgers law students conducted research, helped write portions of the brief, and assisted with preparing expert witnesses, among many other tasks.

What Askin finds most rewarding about his involvement with the clinical program? "It's been an honor to train a new generation of lawyers who are helping to change the world."