Public interest program honors Eric Neisser
Archived article from Oct 12, 2001
By Irene O'Brien
The School of Law-Newark has introduced the Eric Neisser Public Interest Program in honor of the late professor and dean who believed in the importance of utilizing his legal skills to help the poor and underrepresented. Marcia Levy, clinical law professor with the Urban Legal Clinic, will head the program, which will focus on developing ways to assist the community and increase opportunities for law students to use their skills in the public interest.
"Eric was a prominent legal scholar and teacher," said Dean Stuart Deutsch. "And on a personal level, he was deeply committed to actively participating in public-service activities here at the law school and in the greater community. This program was created in his spirit and will continue his work of using his legal expertise to help others."
The law school has a long tradition of public-interest programs. Its nine clinics give students an opportunity to explore different areas of the law on behalf of urban residents, women, school-children, the environment and those who are fighting for their constitutional rights.
The Neisser program is functioning as an umbrella organization, developing and coordinating public-interest efforts such as the pro bono project.
"Many of our students are interested in working in the public-interest sector during their time at the law school, and we want to make it possible for all students to experience nonprofit or public work," Levy said. "One way to accomplish this is to enable them to volunteer their skills to public-interest organizations through the pro bono project. Another is to establish additional paid internships and fellowships," such as the Public Interest Law Foundation grants, which pair students with various nonprofit organizations. Money from an annual auction, fellowships and various sponsors allows students to be paid for their work.
Currently, only a limited number of these internships are available. But Levy expects this particular program to continue expanding. "Many of our students must find paid positions during the summers," Levy said. "They could not consider an internship with public-interest organizations unless they received a salary. Now we are able to provide the financial support these students need to pursue their interests. This is a win-win situation; our students gain valuable work exper-ience and the public interest organizations are benefiting from the hard work and expertise of our students."
The Neisser program will also host ongoing events, including talks and lectures by prominent practitioners in the field.
Russian exchange program
Marcia Levy is no stranger to public interest work. She has spent much of her career using her legal expertise to help others on behalf of such organizations as the Legal Aid Society. Last year, her expertise took her halfway around the world to the former Soviet Union, where she spent a year helping to educate law school professors about clinical legal education.
"I lived in Moscow and traveled throughout the region, meeting with law school faculties," she said. "We exchanged ideas and conducted workshops to assist the academics with developing clinical programs or expanding existing ones. I also wrote a chapter on clinical legal education for a book on public interest law."
Levy's work was sponsored by the American Bar Association's Central and East Europe Law Initiative, and it has resulted in the formation of a new exchange program.
"With funding from the Newly Independent States College and University Partnership Program, we have developed an exchange program with a school in Samara, Russia. Initially, the program will include faculty exchanges, giving our students the opportunity to hear about legal education in the former Soviet Union," Levy noted.
-- Irene O'Brien
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