Track 2: Social Justice Lawyering in the “New Normal” of Reduced Judicial Resources

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Session Type: AALS Programs

Session Capacity: N/A

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While law schools and clinical programs contend with reduced resources in the “new normal,” our clinical pedagogy and representation must also be responsive to budget cuts and ever-burgeoning justice issues in the legal and community systems in which we work. This session will first surface how budget cuts to legal systems impact our clients’ access to justice and our cause lawyering. As we consider the access-to-justice implications of system
budget cuts, we will encourage participants to view situations in criminal, civil, and administrative law in multi-dimensional ways. We will then consider how faculty, in our role as social justice educators and advocates, can best respond to the “new normal” in our legal systems. The session will conclude by exploring opportunities for our law clinics to employ a variety of strategies to creatively address these issues.