Date: March 14, 2008
Subject: Letter to Law School Community

As you go off for Spring Break, let me share more widely the good news that I shared at recent Dean’s Forums. The bar passage rates of Whittier Law School graduates satisfy the new, recently-adopted rule of the ABA!

As you may remember from past Forums and letters, in 2005 and since, we said to the ABA and to the Department of Education that the ABA was holding the Law School to a rule that was never made known to us and to the public and that was never approved by the pertinent ABA committees and its House of Delegates. As a result of our position, in early 2007, the Secretary of Education ordered the ABA to formulate a rule, adopt it through its committees, and submit it to the House of Delegates. The ABA finished that process on February 11, 2008.

Because our bar passage rates in 2003-07, the pertinent five-year period under the new rule, are well in compliance, we have requested to be removed from probation. The ABA Accreditation Committee will consider that request on April 17-19, and the ABA Council will review the Accreditation Committee’s recommendation on June 6-8. I expect that after those meetings, the ABA will remove the Law School’s probationary status.

During this whole period, we have been a fully-accredited school. During this whole period, in the view of the 2006 ABA Site Inspection report, our educational offerings – doctrinal classroom, legal skills, academic support, clinics, and externships -- met and exceeded the Standards of the ABA. Had the ABA promulgated its current rule years ago, when we asked to be informed of the rule, we would have been in compliance with the bar passage standard at that time and during the whole period!

We are enthused about losing the asterisk we never deserved. Our Law School Community Planning Group is ready to begin its work next week. We are all ready to move on, strengthen the Law School further, and achieve the goals and recognition that our students and graduates deserve.

Best wishes,

Neil H. Cogan

Date: March 13, 2008
Subject: International Law & Animal Welfare

On March 13th The Center for International and Comparative Law will be hosting a lunchtime colloquia, on the topic "International Law & Animal Welfare" with guest speaker Professor Thomas Kelch.  Please join us at 12:00 pm, in the Large Faculty Conference Room, 2A; lunch will be provided.

Date: March 12, 2008
Subject: Mothers Who Kill Their Children

Whittier Law School’s Center for Children’s Rights is pleased to announce the John FitzRandolph Memorial Lecture and luncheon on Wednesday, March 12, 2008, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Space is limited, but we will accommodate as many as possible on a first-come-first-served basis. If you want to attend, sign up with Mary James in the Children's Rights Clinic in Building #3 or by call her at 714.444.4141 ext. 303 by noon March 10.

Professor Michelle Oberman will speak on “Mothers Who Kill Their Children”

Professor Oberman is co-author of When Mothers kill: Interviews from Prison (2008) and
Mothers Who Kill Their Children (2001), which was featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show
on “Postpartum Psychosis.”

Michelle Oberman, Professor at Santa Clara University School of Law, received her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School, her M.P.H. from the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and her B.A. from Cornell University.  More information about her publications may be found in her bibliography at http://www.scu.edu/law/faculty/profile/oberman-michelle.cfm

Date: November 7, 2007

Opportunities currently exist to enroll in the Whittier Special Education Legal Clinic for this spring, summer and fall semesters. Please feel free to stop by the Clinic office any time to visit and ask questions or you may contact me via e-mail: mgoetz@law.whittier.edu or by calling to schedule an appointment at 714.444.4141 extension 309. We would love to see you this semester!

The Special Education Legal Clinic benefits law students by presenting a unique educational opportunity to develop advocacy, negotiation, communication and research skills to work on behalf of children with disabilities and their families. Student-advocates provide short-term assistance and represent clients involved in the special education system in Los Angeles and Orange County school districts. Law students have the opportunity to become involved with children, families, social workers, teachers, therapists and administrators-real people with real needs.

Students learn the law on an individual level, as it interfaces with a whole system of services: social, educational, and medical. Participation in the Special Education Legal Clinic increases students’ substantive analysis skills; students learn how to interpret the law, learn about the process and institutions of the legal justice system as it relates to children with disabilities, and develop an understanding of the policies and procedures which affect legal representation of children with disabilities in the education system. Legislation and case law in the field of special education is analyzed, and awareness of the concerns of persons with disabilities is raised.

The goal of the clinic is very focused: to empower parents of children with disabilities by assisting them in advocating to obtain appropriate educational services for their children as mandated by law. Research indicates that the role and impact of parents on the resolution of special education disputes in ethnically and economically diverse school districts is significant. Parent participation in educational planning meetings is strongly related to higher quality educational programs for educational programs for children. The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) respects parents as equal members of a team of experts who create an educational program for their child. The Clinic gives parents the tools to bring the protections of the statute to life and supports them in their role as important members of the educational team.

Through the Clinic, law students provide parents with information about special education rights and answer families’ questions about specific related services and educational programs. They attend Individual Educational Plan (IEP) meetings and mediations to ensure that children’s rights are protected and intervene with school districts to resolve problems children are experiencing in obtaining appropriate education and services.

Since the Clinic’s inception at Whittier in 2001, over 600 families with children ages 2-24, diagnosed with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, spina bifida, and other challenges have found assistance through the efforts of Whittier law students. Due to the Clinic’s advocacy efforts, children have received assessments, appropriate educational placements and related services such as speech therapy, occupational therapy, behavior modification and counseling through their schools. Law students’ representation has created positive, concrete improvement in clients’ education programs over the years. Clinical students’ work has a broad impact and creates system change. Many of the students who have participated in the clinic have gone on to become disability and/or special education attorneys upon graduation.

Participation in the Special Education Clinic was the most rewarding experience that I have had in law school. The Clinic provides each student the unique opportunity to work in a real world environment with clients. In addition, the practice of Special Education law is rapidly growing and the need for lawyers in the field is overwhelming. Bryan Winn, 2006 Special Education Clinic Student

For me, the Special Education Clinic offered the ultimate hands on experience equipped with information about the children's developments and learning styles, along with federal and state law, I was able to advocate for the appropriate placements and services for the kids assigned to my caseload. I was able to do this even though the school districts produced experts with every imaginable background and with years of experience in their fields. But, most importantly, the Special Education Clinic experience has been a very rewarding one as I was able to make a difference in the lives of children and their parents.
Henry Tsai, 2006 Special Education Clinic Student

Working in the Special Education Clinic put the law, learned in the classroom, into perspective for me. Instead of analyzing cases, we were creating cases. The opportunity to interact face-to-face with our young clients, to research different legal strategies to solve their problems, and to advocate for their just education was priceless. My time in the Special Education Clinic validated my decision to pursue law as well as my choice to attend Whittier Law School, that emphasizes a hands-on experience over mere theory.
Deb Cromer, 2005 Special Education Clinic Student

One of my fondest legal education memories is working at the Special Ed Clinic. It was a training that not only completed my law school experience but also validated it. I put my heart into advocating the children's (and their families) rights and I got back a sense of enrichment and satisfaction by ten fold.
Jen Le 2004 Special Education Legal Clinic Student

My experience working at the clinic was the best part of attending Whittier! I was given an opportunity to utilize what I was learning in law school with a hands-on approach. I was able to talk to clients directly and assist them in resolving their issues. I was given the opportunity to directly advocate for clients. I received guidance and experience of what it is like to work in a law office. I was treated with respect by all Directors and staff members. I did legal research and writing and filed a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights on behalf of one of our clients. The experience I received at the clinic helped me to prepare for other external clerk positions. My experience at the clinic assisted me with being prepared for the Bar exam and increased my self-confidence to take the Bar. Ultimately, my experience at the Clinic lead me to my current position as the Orange County Client Rights Advocate for Protection and Advocacy, Inc. The Clinic helped me to keep my sanity in law school.
Jacqueline Miller 2003 Special Education Legal Clinic Student

It is a pleasure to share my very positive experience while at the Clinic. I firmly believe that the time I spent at the clinic and going to IEP meetings enhanced my skills as an advocate. It was also particularly rewarding to see instant results from my efforts to ensure that these very special persons would get the services to which they were entitled. Further, it was very satisfying to realize how a few supporting words made such a big difference in the lives of the parents of these children. Though they were at times fighting an uphill battle to get an extra thirty minutes of desperately needed physical therapy or occupational therapy, being by their side empowered them to face the pressure without fear. I can also tell you that I get a very positive response when sharing this experience with potential employers. Though I strongly believe that any student who has been accepted to this program must put the interest of the client first, the rewards from such efforts will come unsolicited.
Hector Benjumea 2002 Special Education Legal Clinic Student

Date: February 22, 2007
Subject: Early Bar Prep

Dear July Bar Takers,

This Sunday as part of the Early Bar Prep program I will be conducting the Performance Exam workshop.

Generally the format for this weekend will be as follows: From 9:00-12:00 we will talk about some general tips and strategies, then spend the bulk of our time discussing issues specific to persuasive tasks--a recent favorite of the bar examiners. We will break for lunch and then reconvene to take a simulated exam from 1:00-4:00. Following that exam we will discuss it in detail while it is fresh in your mind--focusing on common mistakes and problems. I realize that it will
be a long day for many of us but I believe that you will find it very valuable.

I look forward to meeting those of you I do not yet know and to seeing many of you (my legal analysis workshop students) for the second time this week.

Paula Manning
Acting Director, Institute for Student and Graduate Academic Support