<p>Recent Widener Law Commonwealth graduate Peter Kay thinks his experience representing clients in the school&rsquo;s civil law clinic helped him answers several questions on the essay portion of the bar exam.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Some students might question the value of the clinic beyond giving them a slight resume advantage,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Things I learned in the clinic and nowhere else likely gave me an extra 10 points on the essays that I wouldn't have scored if I was relying solely on the courses I took in law school and my Barbri class, and I can't place a point value on having the confidence to quickly answer those questions&nbsp;knowing that I was correct.&rdquo;</p>
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<p>Started in 1992 for the first class of third-year law students at Widener Law Commonwealth, the <a href="ipl://263//W10=">Harrisburg Civil Law Clinic</a> has helped approximately 4,600 clients with the assistance of over 690 Widener Law students and three fulltime faculty members.</p>
<p>Clients are referred to the clinic from <a href="http://www.midpenn.org/">Mid-Penn Legal Services</a>, the <a href="http://www.dauphincounty.org/government/Human-Services/area-agency-on-aging/Pages/default.aspx">Dauphin County Area Agency on Aging</a>, the <a href="http://www.ywcahbg.org/programs/domestic-violence-legal-center#.VP3lM-FRJss">YWCA Domestic Violence Legal Center</a> and the <a href="http://www.puc.state.pa.us/">Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission</a>. Under Pennsylvania Supreme Court student practice rules, the clinic can only represent low income clients, who typically seek help on issues such as divorce, bankruptcy, criminal defense, and veterans assistance benefits.</p>
<p>Headed by Widener Law Commonwealth <a href="ipl://35//WyIyMCJd">Associate Professor and Clinic Director J. Palmer Lockard, II</a>, the Civil Clinic was founded with an emphasis on general practice to best serve the needs of both the students and the legal community.</p>
<p>Professor Lockard is proud of the legal work his students do and the difference they make in the community. He says the hallmark of the clinic is that it allows students to do more than &ldquo;carry briefcases.&rdquo; &ldquo;They act like real lawyers,&rdquo; he said.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The supervising faculty is always there for our clinical students,&rdquo; said Professor Lockard. &ldquo;But our program is unique because it allows Widener Law students a great deal of latitude. It also imposes a great deal of responsibility.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Professor Lockard recounts the clinic&rsquo;s highest profile cases, matters resulting from riots in 1989 at the Pennsylvania State Correctional Institution, Camp Hill.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Judge Sylvia Rambo [of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania] called us and asked the Clinic to take three cases brought by prisoners who were not implicated in the riots themselves but who claimed injuries from the riot suppression by prison guards.&rdquo;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Two of these cases went all the way up to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and our students actually made those appellate arguments,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The judges and court personnel told us that we were the only law school to have had students making appearances up until that time.&rdquo;</p>
<p>After one of the arguments, said Professor Lockard, the panel of judges thanked and commended the student lawyer, <a href="http://www.elliottgreenleaf.com/index.php/our-attorneys/melissa-murphy-weber/">Melissa Murphy Weber</a>, Class of 1995. &ldquo;We won one and lost one, and that was pretty good.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Other Widener graduates of note who participated in the Civil Law Clinic include former <a href="http://www.foxrothschild.com/attorneys/patrick-murphy.html">Congressman Patrick J. Murphy</a>, Class of 1999, and current Widener Law Adjunct Professor Ann Fruth.</p>
<p>Click here for more information on the Widener Law <a href="ipl://263//W10=">Harrisburg Civil Law Clinic</a>.</p>