Our goal is to serve the community as well as provide good experience for law students. The manslaughter case, which is still pending, is staffed by 3 students in the Law School, and professional staff. It is an example of the myriad cases taken on by the students and faculty at the Law School through the Mandel Legal Aid Clinic and other programs. The building will be an addition to the current building at 1111 E. 60th St. and will help continue the work of the clinic, said Douglas Baird, Dean of the Law School. This past year, the University of Chicago Law School was named Public Interest Law School of the Year by the American Bar Association because of its long-standing commitment to the community.
Clinic programs are so popular that students typically are selected through a lottery system.
The Neighbors program , in which more than 90 students each year participate in community outreach. Students are involved in projects such as Big Brothers and Little Sisters as well as tutoring programs and assistance at day-care centers and centers for the elderly. The Clemency Project , a council consisting of lawyers, activists, law students and formerly incarcerated women that files clemency petitions on behalf of battered women throughout the state. In 1994, Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar released four women whose petitions for clemency were filed by this group. Current applications for eight women this year are still pending with Edgar.