Elon University School of Law has opened a Clinical Law Center to support legal services provided by law school students. The center will provide a facility for students, under the supervision of law faculty and attorneys, to work with clients referred by nonprofit organizations and government agencies in the greater-Greensboro region.
The center is located at 210 West Friendly Avenue in Greensboro, N.C., adjacent to Elon Law’s downtown campus.
The Center will house the law school’s Wills Clinic and its Juvenile Justice Intervention and Mediation Clinic. The Wills Clinic provides wills drafting services to low-income clients referred by Habitat for Humanity of Greater Greensboro. The Juvenile Justice Clinic offers victim-offender mediation in juvenile cases referred by Guilford County Schools and other regional government institutions.
George R. Johnson Jr., dean of the law school, says the new facility is a significant step forward in the school’s ability to address legal needs in the community and to educate students through practical learning experiences.
“The Clinical Law Center will help law students to apply concepts they learn in the classroom to specific client circumstances and to cultivate a sense of responsibility to serve and to become leaders in addressing the needs of their communities,” Johnson says.
Elon University President Leo M. Lambert says the new facility indicates the priorities of the law school and the university.
“I am exceedingly proud that the first new facility created for the law school since its founding will serve individuals who may not otherwise have access to legal representation, and that Elon Law students and faculty are going to meet important community needs through this clinical law center,” Lambert says.
Elon University Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Steven D. House said that the Clinical Law Center would enrich Elon’s strengths in engaged learning, leadership education and civic responsibility.
“Elon University is recognized as a national leader in engaged learning and leadership development, and the Clinical Law Center builds on both of those core components of our educational mission,” House said.
The Clinical Law Center will also be used for meetings and workshops associated with the law school’s other programs providing community services, including its supervised service, street law, and public law and leadership courses, as well as its externship programs.
Last year, Elon Law students provided more than 20,000 hours of community service in the region and beyond. The Clinical Law Center will expand their opportunities to address legal needs in the region, while at the same time offering them educational opportunities in the practical application of the law.
George R. Hausen Jr., executive director of Legal Aid of North Carolina, says that Elon Law’s student contributions at Legal Aid offices across the state have been considerable.
“Elon Law students have been a tremendous resource in supporting the work of Legal Aid of North Carolina since the law school’s establishment in 2006,” Hausen says. “The attorneys at Legal Aid have taken notice of the students’ dedication and the quality of their legal work. We’re pleased to see Elon expanding its clinical programs and we look forward to a continued partnership to maximize the legal aid we provide to the people of Greensboro and across North Carolina.”
Visit law.elon.edu for more information about Elon Law’s clinics, externship programs, and faculty and student initiatives.
