The New Frontier at OU College of Law
Law Students Make a Difference in the Community
By Paola Alvarez and Sarah Weldon

In April 2004 the OU College of Law held the official kickoff of its Pro Bono Referral Program in order to promote a spirit of service within the law school. Nearly a year and half later the Pro Bono Referral Program, now known as Students for Access to Justice (SATJ), has connected more than 90 law students with area organizations, professors, government agencies and the courts at all levels to assist with pro bono projects.1 Since then, these law student volunteers have learned the art of balancing school along with providing an average of 50 volunteer hours to answer the legal needs of the community. SATJ law students have volunteered in excess of 3,500 total hours since the program’s inception.

William J. Alley Professor of Law Judith Maute is the founding faculty sponsor for SATJ. Setting forth SATJ’s strong foundation, Professor Maute envisioned using law students as a way to meet the legal needs of the community. Accordingly, she appointed law students to serve as the immediate facilitators of the program. SATJ is run by a third-year law student who serves as the primary coordinator (Paola Alvarez), along with a second-year law student (Sarah Weldon) who assists with the program’s functions.

This setup ensures that a knowledgeable student remains in charge and is always familiar with the matching process between law students and the pro bono projects. As a result, the program has been able to connect law students with various pro bono projects that have made an impact on the community.

An example of this impact is Ashley Martzen, a second-year law student, who wrote a paper for the OBA Access to Justice Committee on the topic of unbundled legal services (also known as discrete task of limiting representation to pro se litigants). Ms. Martzen’s paper was an invaluable resource on this subject for the legal community. Her paper was subsequently adopted by the committee and will help influence legislative decision making.

Another notable example of the impact that SATJ volunteers have in the community is 10 law students who are currently serving as CASA volunteers in Cleveland County.2 These law students completed 30 hours of training before being appointed by the Juvenile Court to act as an advocate for an abused or neglected child. The CASA volunteer devotes time to ensure that the individual child is not lost within the judicial
system.

Mark Houts, a third-year law student, has made a great impact on the life of an 11-year-old boy. Mr. Houts worked in conjunction with DHS to ensure that his child found a safe and secure place to live. Sarah Weldon, SATJ junior coordinator and a second-year law student, is another student who completed CASA training her first year of law school in fall 2004. She was appointed to a case soon after. When a CASA staff position opened in September 2005, CASA hired Ms. Weldon as its volunteer coordinator. Without her involvement in SATJ, she would likely have never come across this great career opportunity.

In addition to the good work that SATJ law students are doing, the program was recognized nationally as an innovative law school pro bono program at this year’s Equal Justice Works Conference held in Washington, D.C. At the request of the ABA Center for Pro Bono, Paola Alvarez served as a conference speaker and shared materials with law schools interested in implementing similar law school pro bono programs. This conference invitation and national recognition confirms that SATJ is heading in the right direction and is making an impact on the legal community with the help of its law student volunteers.

Though placements are completed for the fall and winter of 2005, Students for Access to Justice is busy with other events. On Feb. 1, 2006, SATJ will host its 2nd Annual Pro Bono Fair at the OU College of Law, where law students will have the opportunity to meet and mingle with participating entity representatives to learn more about possible pro bono volunteer opportunities.3 Also, SATJ will hold its first awards reception in late March 2006 honoring law students who have volunteered their time during law school to do pro bono work. Lastly, SATJ is in the process of extending opportunities for law students to do pro bono work outside Oklahoma by connecting with non-profit and governmental entities nationwide. SATJ law students have barely scratched the frontier of pro bono work — a frontier where the possibilities to serve the community through legal means are endless.

1. Participating entities include Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, Oklahoma CASA Program, OBA Access to Justice Committee, Oklahoma Lawyers for Children, Oklahoma County Public Defender’s Office, Catholic Charities Immigration Service, Grady County District Attorney’s Office, Oklahoma Appleseed Foundation, ACLU of Oklahoma, Cleveland County Courts and more.
2. SATJ has had 25 law students volunteer as CASAs since the program’s inception. 3. To participate in this fair, e-mail inquiries to Paola Alvarez at alvarezpm@ou.edu