Blog | Clinical Programs

Statement from Faculty and Staff at the University of North Carolina: Centers housed at UNC Law

A Statement from UNC System Faculty and Staff in response to the recommendation by a working group of the UNC Board of Governors to close the UNC Center on Poverty, Work, and Opportunity, and narrow the activities of the Center for Civil Rights.

We, the undersigned members of the Faculty and Staff of the University of North Carolina, write in opposition to the recent recommendation of a working group of the UNC Board of Governors (BOG) to close the Center on Poverty, Work, and Opportunity, and we stand in support of the advocacy work of the Center for Civil Rights in the face of a pending suggestion that it narrow its activities. Both of these centers are housed at the UNC School of Law. The recommendation to close the Poverty Center, if implemented, will deprive North Carolinians of critical research and education on poverty; chill academic freedom and inquiry; and hurt our law students who desperately need and greatly benefit from the real-world experience that interning there provides. Moreover, the proposal by some members of the BOG working group that the Center for Civil Rights be prohibited from suing the state or its political subdivisions – the usual defendants in civil rights suits – would fundamentally curtail its important work on behalf of marginalized groups. We urge the Board of Governors not to accept the working group’s recommendations regarding these Centers.

Fall Semester All-Clinic Rounds Session

Will Alley presents his case from the Youth Justice Clinic

On November 12, 2014, UNC Clinical Programs held its second All-Clinic Rounds session, during which students and faculty from each of the five clinics gathered to discuss their current cases.

New Bilingual Program Assistants Join the Staff

UNC Clinical Programs has the good fortune to welcome two new bilingual program assistants this semester, Katie Bucrek and Joan Huertas.

Kellie Mannette Joins Youth Justice Clinic for Fall 2014

Kellie Mannette is a 2009 graduate of UNC Law School who is spending this semester as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Youth Justice Clinic. Kellie spent her first two years out of law school as an Osborn Fellow with the Fair Trial Initiative. In this role, she assisted trial teams handling cases in which clients were facing the death penalty. After completing this fellowship, Kellie started a solo practice in Chapel Hill.

USPTO Selects UNC to Join Trademark Law School Pilot Program

This semester UNC School of Law students have a new hands-on learning opportunity: providing trademark counsel to entrepreneurs in conjunction with a program of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

UNC was among 19 schools the USPTO selected this past summer to participate in the Law School Clinic Certification Pilot Program. Twenty-eight other law schools currently are involved. North Carolina Central University School of Law is the only other North Carolina school represented.

“Carolina Law students now have the invaluable opportunity to gain real-world experience in the complex area of intellectual property law,” says associate professor of law and director of Clinical Programs Tamar Birckhead. “We are preparing them to serve as the next generation of lawyers to protect American ideas and support innovation, while providing pro bono legal representation to more communities. Our participation in the program will help ensure that these small businesses will have the resources to grow, create jobs and compete in the global marketplace.”

NC Law Review Symposium Highlights Clinical Programs Faculty

The 2014 North Carolina Law Review Symposium on "Vulnerable Defendants and the Criminal Justice System" highlighted the faculty in UNC's Clinical Programs.

Clinic Alum Update

We recently heard from Chris Heaney, who graduated in 2013, having participated in the Civil Legal Assistance Clinic. He writes:

Participating in the UNC Civil Legal Assistance Clinic was one of the most challenging and rewarding parts of law school, and the best preparation I had for working at the Southern Coalition for Social Justice and then finding a position with NC Prisoner Legal Services, where I started in August 2014.

Jason Tuell, Student Social Worker, Joins UNC Clinical Programs

Jason Tuell is a student social worker in his second year of the MSW program at NC State University and the inaugural fieldwork intern at UNC Clinical Programs. After graduating from UNC-Asheville in 2008 with honors, Jason spent five years working with Easter Seals UCP in their crisis intervention program, NC START, serving adults who are dually diagnosed with developmental disability and mental illness. It is within this program that Jason developed a passion for strength-based assessment and trauma-informed care.

Prof. Beth Posner Teaches at ABA Training Institute

On September 9 & 10, 2014, Prof. Beth Posner served as faculty for the ABA Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence's training institute, Representing Victims of Intimate Partner Sexual Violence in Civil Litigation, in Washington DC. The Institute was designed to provide attorneys from across the country with the opportunity to enhance their skills and knowledge about providing more effective representation to victims of intimate partner sexual violence through civil litigation.

Prof. Judith Wegner's New Article on Legal Education Reform

Prof. Judith Wegner, who teaches in the Community Development Law Clinic, has a new article published in the Journal of Dispute Resolution entitled, "Cornerstones, Curb Cuts and Legal Education Reform," which is available for free download.