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12 Clinical L. Rev. 243 (2005-2006)
Nourishing Justice and the Continuum: Implementing a Blended Model in an Immigration Law Clinic

handle is hein.journals/clinic12 and id is 249 raw text is: NOURISHING JUSTICE AND THE CONTINUUM: IMPLEMENTING A BLENDED MODEL IN AN IMMIGRATION LAW CLINIC IRENE SCHARF* The purpose of this Article is to describe how the new Immigration Law Clinic at the Southern New England School of Law has com- bined attention to the School's mission of educating students and ex- panding justice by serving the community with the broader goal of addressing the continuing educational needs of recent law school graduates. The Clinic not only offers direct legal services to clients but also trains and mentors recently graduated local attorneys, who offer both pro bono client representation as well as student supervi- sion. Through the Immigration Law Clinic, these attorneys are trained in both immigration law and clinical supervision. This dual training has enhanced the Clinic as well as provided the South Coast area of Massachusetts with attorneys trained in the types of legal is- sues that plague lower-income immigrants. In addition, these attor- neys, now acting as clinical supervisors, allow the Clinic to admit more students, thereby providing both clinical experience to greater numbers of students and legal assistance to greater numbers of immi- grants. Part I of the the Article discusses the concept of mission in law schools, especially as it has been affected by the MacCrate Re- port, which urged schools to address both the problem of achieving justice in our society and the need for continuing education for attor- neys. Part II draws the connection between the justice mission and learning continuum with the Law School's new Immigration Law Clinic, describing how the Clinic's structure addresses the Law School's mission of providing community service by blending the work of newer attorneys who are not clinicians with that of the Clinic. By building attention to the learning continuum into the Clinic's structure in a so-called Blended Model, we have not only been able to educate two groups, law students and community lawyers, but we have also enhanced the Clinic's ability to improve the justice system by increasing access to it. Finally, Part II identifies some issues faced in working with the Model during the past two years and describes * Professor and Director, Clinical Programs, Southern New England School of Law. I would like to thank Crystal Desirey, paralegal extraordinaire, for her invaluable research and conceptualizing assistance. Thanks are also owed to Justine Dunlap for her comments on a later draft, and to the administration of Southern New England School of Law for supporting this project with a Summer Stipend.