April 7, 2020

Announcing Southwestern Law School's Children's Rights Clinic and Panish Shea & Boyle Student Advocacy Initiative

The Children's Rights Clinic at Southwestern Law School (CRC) is excited to collaborate with Panish Shea & Boyle (PSB) to provide legal representation to low-income children in the areas of school discipline, special education, and personal injury. Under the supervision of Dean Julie Waterstone and Professor Jenny Rodriguez-Fee, law students participating in the Children’s Rights Clinic will represent clients in the areas of special education and school discipline.  Under the direction of PSB attorney Robert Glassman, clients will be represented by Panish Shea & Boyle in the area of personal injury. 

"We are excited to work with Panish, Shea & Boyle to ensure that children with special needs are safe in school and getting the services and support needed to access their education.  In collaboration with Robert Glassman and his team, we are able to fight together to protect all children."

- Dean Julie Waterstone, Director of the Children's Rights Clinic

Robert Glassman is a graduate of Southwestern Law School, class of 2009.  In his final year of law school, Mr. Glassman participated in the Children’s Rights Clinic.  Through that clinical experience, he had the opportunity to hone his trial advocacy skills while helping students with disabilities.  After graduation, he began working as a trial attorney at PSB.  He brought his clinical knowledge and expertise to PSB and began representing students with disabilities who have been injured at school. 

He says, "I am thrilled to collaborate with Southwestern Law School and the Children’s Rights Clinic to help kids who have been wronged, neglected, or injured at school.  Many times these kids and their families have nowhere to turn and don’t have the resources to hire a lawyer to help them in times of need.  We are proud to take on the responsibility of helping them when no else will and are committed to ensuring that justice is served for them."  

"Our schools are supposed to be a safe and nourishing environment for kids.  We are doing this program to make sure it stays that way."

- Robert Glassman '09

 

 

 

 

In forming this program, law students will have the opportunity to experience the intersectionality of law – torts and education law.  For any CRC clients who may have a personal injury case, they may be referred to Robert Glassman.  For any PSB clients who may have a special education case, they may be referred to the CRC.  Neither entity is obligated to take referred clients, but if the organization is unable to provide service, they agree to help that client find another organization that may be able to provide the needed legal assistance.

The law students in CRC have the opportunity in a real-life context to hone their lawyering skills such as interviewing, negotiating, counseling, pre-trial litigation, litigation, and oral advocacy. In addition to their CRC experience, they may have the opportunity to observe depositions and trials of PSB attorneys.  PSB attorneys will have the opportunity to attend IEP meetings, hearing, and mediations with the CRC students.

This will be a wonderful collaboration wherein the CRC students will have the opportunity to see how interconnected the fields of law can be!