Many of our students will end up in private practice after graduation, while the unmet need for civil legal services among low- and moderate-income individuals continues to grow. However, state, and federal statutes in essential matters such as housing, civil rights, and employment include fee-shifting provisions which require the defendant to pay the prevailing plaintiff’s reasonable attorney’s fee. These provisions provide an opportunity for private attorneys to address this justice gap by representing individuals who cannot otherwise access a free attorney or afford the high prices most attorneys charge.
In 2014, Suffolk University Law School launched the Accelerator to Practice Program (“A2P”), a comprehensive multi-year course of study designed to prepare law school graduates for 21st-century small firm practice. The program combines an innovative skills curriculum with targeted experiential training, including a full year of clinical instruction in the Law School’s Accelerator Practice where students represent clients in fee-shifting landlord-tenant and housing discrimination matters.
These fee-generating claims can be used as a vehicle to teach students the business and technology skills now needed for successful 21st-century practice, while at the same time equipping them with the tools and inspiration to incorporate these types of cases in their own practice after law school thereby helping to close the justice gap. Lastly, the fees generated from these cases can also help supplement operating expenses for law school clinical programs.
In this session, panelists will explore how attendees can incorporate the teaching of law practice management and technology skills into their own curriculum through the representation of clients in fee-shifting claims, sharing classroom exercises, and assignments developed for the Accelerator Practice. Attendees will also hear from a recent A2P graduate who works at a small firm and has incorporated fee-shifting work into his own practice.