Law school curriculum is typically made up of two parts: theoretical instruction and experience. At the MSU College of Law, students are now getting a lot more opportunities on the experiential end. Over the past year and a half the school’s clinical programs have doubled, and they are expected to continue to grow with additional programs this fall.
“Clinical programs are very import our dean,” says MSU College of Law Director of Marketing & Communications Kristen Flory. “They’re supervised, but they’re doing this with real clients and going into court rooms. The clinical programs make our students very marketable.”
With the growth in clinical programs came the need for a growth in the physical space of the clinic. The
MSU College of Law Legal Clinic celebrated their move to a nearly 15,000 square foot facility on Abbot Road with an open house on Tuesday.
“Being off the campus is important because they are meeting with community members,” says Flory. “Parking was a problem, and the program was spread across different floors.”
Now the 15 staff members and 78 students are able to fit on the ground floor of their new, much larger building. While the upper floor remains efficiency apartments, the school has the option of converting the housing units to additional office space should the program continue to grow.
In addition to the expansion in
East Lansing-based clinical programs, the school has purchased a used Bookmobile to convert into a mobile clinic throughout the region.
Source: Kristen Flory, MSU College of Law
Writer: Natalie Burg, News Editor
Courtesy photo
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