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March 2022

UDC Law is No. 5 for Clinical Training!

UDC Law is No. 5 for clinical training in the 2023 U.S. News & World Report graduate school rankings! Our clinical program provides comprehensive legal training to our day and evening students. All UDC Law students are required to participate in legal clinics where they work on ongoing cases with clients under the supervision of an attorney-professor. Students attending the day program must participate in a minimum of two clinics while evening students engage in an intensive clinic designed to accommodate their schedules. One vital purpose of the UDC Law Clinical Program is to provide legal services to citizens of the District of Columbia who could not otherwise afford representation.    “I am tremendously proud of the terrific work being done by our clinics to address the justice gap in the country,” Dean Renée McDonald Hutchins said. “Our students graduate as better lawyers and unmet legal needs in the District and beyond are addressed through the incredible hard work and high-quality representation being provided by our clinical faculty and student attorneys.”  Congratulations to our entire Clinical Program faculty and staff from the 2020-2021 school year! Community Development Law Clinic Jerome Hughes, Director and Assistant Professor of Law General Practice Clinic Tianna Gibbs, Co-Director and Associate Professor of Law Andrew Budzinski, Co-Director and Assistant Professor of Law LaShanda Taylor Adams, Professor of Law, Director Family Defense Section Immigration and Human Rights Clinic Lindsay M. Harris, Director and Professor of Law Youth Justice Clinic Mae C. Quinn, Director and Professor of Law Legislation and Civil Rights Clinic Marcy Karin, Director and Jack and Lovell Olender Professor of Law Tax Clinic Jacqueline Lainez Flanagan, Director and Associate Professor of Law Whistleblower Protection Clinic Tom Devine, Director (Clinic) & Legal Director (Government Accountability Project) Renée McDonald Hutchins, Dean Lindsay M. Harris, Associate Dean, Clinical and Experiential Programs Heather Molina, Managing Attorney (former) Miguel Aguero, Staff Assistant, Clinical Support Tamara McGuire, Staff Assistant, Clinical Support Take a look at some of the stories from the past year that helped us achieve this milestone. Read more about the clinical program.

50 for 50 pledge update!

Thanks to your generosity, we are more than halfway to the 50 for 50 pledge $10,000 goal! We've raised $6,025 since launching the 50 for 50 pledge earlier this month! If you haven't taken the 50 for 50 pledge yet, you can do it now at supportudclaw.com. Make your gift of $50+ and pledge 50 minutes of service to the District to help us support our Top 5 ranked Clinical Program!

ALUMNI NEWS

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Three 2021 alumnae start nonprofit to increase access for students pursuing careers in law Tonée Earle ’21, Pejumae Guscott ’21 and Nancy Thach ’21 have founded The Social Justice Movement, Ltd. (SJM), a nonprofit aimed at bridging the gap between minority persons and professional spaces (e.g., legal field, medical field, elected office, home ownership).  Read more about the organization.

Maria Suarez ’19 creates book scholarship to assist Latinx students Maria Suarez ’19 has created a book scholarship to support Latinx students in pursuit of their dreams and legal education. Read more about the scholarship and how you can help.

SCHOOL NEWS

Immigration and Human Rights Clinic obtains asylum for voting rights activist from Nigeria

Students in the Immigration and Human Rights Clinic (IHRC) worked to obtain asylum for a voting rights activist from Nigeria. This case prompted the Clinic to develop a resource to assist asylees in understanding their rights.  Read more about the case and the resource.

UDC Law Moot Court teams keep the awards coming!  Nija Bastfield, left, and Darby Hickey First, Nija Bastfield 3L and Darby Hickey 3L won the 2022 D.C. Cup Moot Court Competition hosted by the D.C. Bar. Just two weeks later, Sarah Blazucki 3LE, Keria Hicks 2L, and Tatyana Safronova 3LE won the award for third best brief in the National Moot Court Competition in Child Welfare and Adoption Law. Read more on Bastfield and Hickey's win. Read D.C. Bar Writer in Residence and UDC Law 4L Akeem Earle's feature in Washington Lawyer Akeem Earle 4L, D.C. Bar Writer in Residence, wrote "Black prosecutors: Changing the system from within" for the March/April 2022 issue of Washington Lawyer. Earle is the second UDC Law student to hold the position; Tonée Earle (Jones) was the first last year. Read the original announcement of Earle's appointment.

Remembering Edgar Cahn; D.C. Council declares March 24, 2022, "Edgar Cahn Day in D.C.

The Council of the District of Columbia has declared March 24, 2022, Edgar Cahn Day in D.C., which would have been Dr. Cahn's 87th birthday.

UDC Law turns 50; celebrate our golden anniversary all through 2022

2022 marks 50 years of UDC Law. We’re celebrating all year with special events, programming and other opportunities to celebrate the pioneering legacy of UDC Law. Through these efforts, we’re rededicating ourselves to our mission of diversifying the legal profession and serving the residents of the District of Columbia. Join us throughout the year as we commemorate key moments from our 50-year history and invite our extended community to share in our efforts to achieve our mission. We will highlight our integral role in the early days of clinical legal education and how our clinical program remains an innovative and powerful tool for serving D.C. residents who could not otherwise afford legal services. We’ll hear from some of the transformative voices that have shaped our history and those that will shape our future. We’ll honor figures with whom our story could not have been told, and we’ll tell the stories that will shape our next 50 years. We invite you to celebrate alongside us by sharing your UDC Law memories on social media using #UDCLaw50.

UDC Law in the Media

Who: Prof. John Brittain What: Connecticut Public Radio (WNPR) When: March 7 Why: Sheff v. O'Neill; school desegregation Who: Dean Renee Hutchins What: Roland Martin: Unfiltered When: March 23 Why: SCOTUS hearings 

Who: Prof. Shelley Broderick What: The Washington Post When: March 3 Why: D.C. Department of Corrections Who: Prof. Masai McDougall What: Capital B News When: March 29 Why: Police reform Who: Prof. David Wolitz What: Capital B News When: March 10 Why: BLM; police convictions Who: Prof. David Wolitz What: ABC7 When: March 4 Why: SCOTUS hearings

Who: Susan Fortney '77 What: The Washington Post When: March 10 Why: SCOTUS hearings Who: Renee Mims '18 What: Washington Lawyer When: March/April Why: Gender bias in the law

Interested in volunteering with UDC Law?

Check out these upcoming opportunities to help UDC Law. Ceremonies to mark the conclusion of our graduates’ time in law school will begin with the David A. Clarke School of Law Hooding Ceremony on Friday, May 13th at 2:00 pm, and will conclude with the conferral of degrees by President Mason at the University Commencement on Saturday, May 14th at 10:00 am. Alumni volunteers are needed to assist with the Hooding Ceremony which will be held in the Theater of the Arts.  Admitted Student Day Dinner Reception, Wednesday, June 8, 2022, 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. (up to 10 alumni). This event will be in-person. Alumni volunteers will participate in a meet and greet and will be among the first to give admitted students a warm Firebird welcome.  If you are interested in volunteering for any of these opportunities, please email lawalumni@udc.edu. The University of the District of Columbia requires wearing masks indoors at all facilities and strongly encourages social distancing. All attendees are required to provide proof of vaccination and negative COVID-19 test results before entering the event.

For more Alumni News Stories, check out Class Notes

Keep up with your fellow alumni by joining the Official UDC Law Facebook Group

MEMORIALS

The University extends deepest condolences to the families, colleagues and friends of our alumni.

George Eng '80  Michelle Louise Hankey '88

COMING UP AT UDC LAW

March 31 Racial Equity in Education: Honoring the Achievements of John Brittain UConn Law April 2 Activism & The Law: A UDC Law Review Symposium on Critical Race Theory UDC Law Review

April 9 Barristers' Ball UDC Law SBA April 19 Law & Leadership presents Will Snowden, Founder, The Juror Project and New Orleans Director, Vera Institute of Justice UDC Law

April 22 Conversations with Clinicians: Prof. Tianna Gibbs chats with Rutgers Law's Prof. Norrinda Hayat UDC Law Clinical Program Save the Date! June 17, 2022 Cheers to You: Juneteenth Kickoff Celebration and Donor Appreciation Reception UDC Law

UDC LAW HOODIES NOW AVAILABLE

Career Opportunities

If you, your organization or your company are hiring, we are happy to share with our alumni network. Please email lawalumni@udc.edu.

Adjunct Professor

Financial Analyst

Assistant Registrar

Assistant/Associate Professor of Law

Associate Dean of Law Library and IT Services (Director)

Instructors of Law - Academic Success

SUPPORT UDC LAW

Support our top-ranked clinical program today!   Take the 50 for 50 pledge by giving $50 or more to support UDC Law's Clinical Program and pledging 50 minutes of service to the District.   How to take the Pledge: 1. Make a gift at supportudclaw.com 2. Tell us you're taking the pledge by using #UDCLaw50 on Instagram or Facebook. The first 50 people to take the pledge will receive UDC gear!

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