{ prima facie } the Temple Law newspaper

Three Temple Law 3L students explain different clinical experiences available at the law school.

Lesbian Gay and Bisexual Transgender Clinic
By Eugena Oh (3L)

In the Fall of 2007 I worked for the LGBT clinic, the only civil rights clinic offered last year. The clinic supports Equality Advocates Pennsylvania (“EA”), whose mission is to "achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Pennsylvanians through direct legal services, education, and policy reform." EA is the only Pennsylvania organization – and one of only four in the nation – that provides direct legal services for individuals facing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

The clinic itself is structured to have a one-hour classroom component per week, led by EA's legal director, Lenore Carpenter (Temple, Beasley School of Law, Class of 2000) covering topics related to legal issues that the LGBT community faces such as employment discrimination, anti-sodomy laws, issues facing the transgender community and the rise in popularity of "defense of marriage acts". The other 9 or so clinic hours are spent staffing the clinic hotline - a direct service provided to Pennsylvanians who are facing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. As legal advocates, we conduct intake for hundreds of phone calls and ensure that callers receive the information, resources, or direction that she or he seeks. For many, we will be the only option for free legal services. For others, EA will offer the only expert assistance in the state as they navigate complex legal issues with which other attorneys are unfamiliar.

An unexpected, but terrific bonus to this clinic was the fact that I got to meet wonderful, civil rights-minded attorneys who were doing real civil rights work, many of whom were Temple Law graduates! I keep in touch with the inspirational and supportive staff and attorneys that I have met at EA.

Representing Charitable Organizations
Alyssa Williams (3L)

I am currently working in the Representing Charitable Organizations Clinical. This is one of the few transactional clinicals offered and is run out of the law school through the Center for Community Nonprofit Organizations. The clinical gives students the opportunity to assist nonprofit organizations in incorporating, getting tax exempt status as well as aiding organizations with other legal needs.
The clinical is structured so that the first few weeks of the semester you have a one-day a week classroom component on Wednesdays. As the semester progresses, you work five hours a week of established office hours. Your additional five hours are spent with some continuing classroom components, meeting with clients and doing further client work.
The Representing Charitable Organizations clinical provides exposure to both tax and business law issues, and provides students with the opportunity work with a variety of different organizations doing work in the community.

Philadelphia Housing Clinic
Sharon Brown (3L)

When landlords and tenants have disputes, they can file complaints with the Philadelphia Housing Court. The court gives the parties the option to participate in mediation before resorting to a court hearing. For the clinic we are trained to be mediators. We interview the parties, facilitate negotiations and if the parties come to an agreement, we write up the terms of a “Judgment Agreement.” Judgment Agreements are binding and are not appealable.

Mediation seems to yield better solutions for both parties than hearings. Mediators have the time to hear both sides out in a less formal setting. In hearings, parties tend to be unrepresented and unnerved in front of a judge. I have only completed two mediations so far, but I think all of my parties left feeling they each had their say and participated in a reasonably satisfactory process. It is really gratifying to feel like you are part of a process generating practical solutions.

Whereas in other settings we are taught to advocate zealously or to sympathize with our clients, I was surprised how difficult it is to shift into a “neutral” mediator role. To treat both sides fairly and equally, you have to be careful of your body language, of giving the parties equal opportunities and time to speak, and of framing questions and comments with neutral wording. I am also surprised at how polite all the parties tend to be towards each other – which I am told is typical of most mediations. However, there is occasional drama, and while those situations can be stressful, they are opportunities for me to build a yet another skill that will be helpful in my future transactional work.