As published by CNBC
The John Marshall Law School in Chicago hosted an open house featuring the law school’s nine Community Legal Clinics on October 20. The clinics provide more than $9.4 million each year in legal services to underserved communities in the Chicago area.
Each year the students, staff and volunteers at John Marshall’s Community Legal Clinics donate 74,480 hours of services to the citizens of Chicago. The clinics provide services across a wide variety of legal issues in nine fields of practice: community and business development; conflict resolution; domestic violence; fair housing; international human rights; civil rights; patent; trademark; and veterans services.
The law school’s clinical opportunities offer students a chance to develop real legal experience while still in school. All clinics are designed to develop the practice-ready skills that employers seek in career applicants.
The law school’s clinics also give John Marshall alums and local attorneys an opportunity to give back to the Chicago community and beyond.
“One of our goals of the event was to show alums and other area partners the opportunities available to give back and volunteer,” said Steven D. Schwinn, director of the Community Legal Clinics. “We’re always looking to connect with area attorneys, whatever their practice areas. For example, we currently have an alum who is a tax attorney and has been volunteering in our Domestic Violence Clinic. His experience has been extremely valuable to the clinic, and we are so grateful to have him.”
Schwinn opened the event with welcoming remarks. David Hiller, president of the McCormick Foundation, which is one of the sponsors of the showcase, also made remarks discussing the relationship the foundation has had with John Marshall’s Veterans Clinic. Finally, John Marshall alum Antonio Romanucci (’85) discussed the importance of giving back. Romanucci recently pledged $100,000 to the law school’s Pro Bono Program & Clinic.
The event took place on the third floor of John Marshall’s 19 W. Jackson space. The Jackson location is the result of a large-scale campus expansion that began in 2011. The renovation included the creation of the clinical and classroom space for John Marshall’s Veterans Legal Support Center & Clinic. After meticulous research, that space was designed specifically to meet the needs of veterans who might be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
John Marshall since broadened the scope of the space to now house the Community Legal Clinics. The space provides a single, convenient entrance for all people working with John Marshall clinics and students on pro bono cases. John Marshall hopes to convert the second and third floor unfinished space into more clinical and classroom space in the near future.
