CLEA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN A PUBLIC INTEREST CASE OR PROJECT

This award honors a case or project that truly contributes to the public good.  An award may be given to law students in a clinical program or a clinical program.  The criteria for the award are:

1.  A case or project that either:

(A) effectively calls attention to and/or significantly redresses a high priority need of low income residents or communities; or

(B) makes a notable or meaningful contribution to the advancement of civil rights, civil liberties, legal services for the under-represented, environmental protection, or consumer protection; and

2.  The case or project has been carried out in conformity with the highest standards of professional conduct and competence; and 

3.  The case or project serves as an inspiring model for engaging in legal work under challenging conditions in furtherance of the common good.

Recent prior award recipients are:

2010 University of Miami School of Law, Health and Elder Law Clinic, Haitian Temporary Protected Status (TPS) Project

2009 University of Washington School of Law, Berman Environmental Law Clinic, work on the Exxon Valdez Reopener Clause, culminating in the film The Third Trustee

2008 Rutgers School of Law, Constitutional Litigation Clinic, Jama et al. v. Correctional Services Corp. et al.

The award is presented each year at the AALS Clinical Section meeting.

To nominate a case or project, please send a statement explaining why the project meets the award criteria to Kele Stewart at University of Miami School of Law, 1311 Miller Drive, Suite F305, Coral Gables FL 33146 or by email to kstewart@law.miami.edu.  Nominations for the 2011 award are due by Friday May 27, 2011.

CLEA AWARD TO AN OUTSTANDING ADVOCATE FOR CLINICAL TEACHER

This award recognizes those who have served as a voice for clinical teachers and contributed to the advancement of clinical legal education, particularly in the political arena.  

The criteria for the award are:

• commitment to the field of clinical legal education;

• advancement of the field (e.g., work within organizations that affect the contours of legal education, or by writing and speaking about the field, or by serving as a spokesperson for the field in the litigation, legislative, administrative or other arenas); and 

• fostering a spirit of community (by, e.g., planning or leading conferences or sponsoring initiatives).

2002 Mark Heyrmann (Chicago) and Liz Ryan Cole (Vermont)

2003 Nancy Cook and Robert Seibel (then at Cornell)

2004 Paul Tremblay (Boston College)

2005 Jay Pottenger (Yale)

2006 Margaret Martin Barry (Catholic)

2007 Roy Stuckey (So. Carolina)

2008 Karen Tokarz (Washington U. in St. Louis)

2009 Ann Shalleck (American)

2010 Jane Barrett (Maryland)

The award is presented each year at the AALS Clinical Section meeting.

To nominate an outstanding advocate, please send a statement explaining why the person meets the award criteria to Kele Stewart at University of Miami School of Law, 1311 Miller Drive, Suite F305, Coral Gables FL 33146 or by email to kstewart@law.miami.edu.  Nominations for the 2011 award are due by Friday May 27, 2011.

CLEA AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING STUDENT

This award recognizes law students who have excelled in a clinical course in law school.  Every CLEA member law school can receive an award for its student(s).   The criteria for the award are:

1.  excellence in the field work component of the clinical course determined by the quality of the student’s performance in assisting or representing individual clients or in undertaking group advocacy or policy reform projects;

2.  excellence in the seminar component of the clinical course determined by the quality of the student’s thoughtfulness and self  reflectiveness in exploring the legal, ethical, strategic and other pertinent issues raised by the particular clinic; and

3.  the nature and extent of the student’s contribution to the clinical community at that school, if relevant.

An award may be presented to more than one student, but only where the students have worked together as part of a team so that it would be unfair to single out only one team member for recognition.

The full-time clinical faculty at each law school with CLEA members (“clinical faculty”) will choose the nominee at their law school to receive the award.  If the clinical faculty agrees upon one person to receive the award, the name of that person along with a statement of the reasons why that person/team meets the criteria for the award should be submitted to the CLEA committee.  In unusual circumstances where a school’s clinical faculty cannot agree on a single person/team to receive the award, the names of all candidates, along with a statement of the reason why each person meets the criteria for the award should be submitted to the CLEA committee.  The CLEA committee shall then decide which student should receive the award from that school.

To nominate an outstanding student, please send a statement explaining why the person meets the award criteria to Kele Stewart at kstewart@law.miami.edu.  Nominations for the 2011 award are due by May 30, 2011.  Certificates are sent out every Friday until the deadline and you should receive the student certificate within 2 weeks of sending your nomination.

The award may be presented at the school’s graduation or clinic year-end ceremonies.  Please submit pictures of your awards to the CLEA website committee chair, Laura McNally at laura.mcnally@case.edu.