MSU Law offers something

With more than 80 percent of the 12 million people who pass through the criminal justice system unable to afford lawyers, MSU Law is looking for alumni and donors to support the Gideon's Promise Law School Partnership Program. The Partnership recruits 3L students interested in public service and places them in positions at underserved public defender offices. Students receive a commitment of a permanent job within one year from offices where they are placed. The program gives MSU Law students excellent career opportunities and helps to ensure individuals in the criminal justice system receive quality legal representation as required by the Gideon V. Wainwright Supreme Court decision. More than 20 law colleges across the country participated in the 2015 program, including Georgetown University Law, Harvard Law, and the University of Michigan Law School. Each participant will learn skills essential to novice public defenders, including strategies to resist pressures to adapt to the status quo of processing clients through the system quickly. "Fifty-one years after the landmark case Gideon v. Wainwright, the Supreme Court made it clear that equal justice depends on poor people having access to quality representation," said Jonathan Rapping, founder and president of Gideon's Promise. "The LSPP gives law schools a vehicle to finally help their graduates work to make this ideal a reality. This model is a critical piece of any effort to reform criminal justice in this country, ensuring 'justice for all' is not an empty promise, but a commitment that rings true for every single American." To learn more or to sponsor a student, contact Tina Kashat Casoli at 517-432-6842. Published: Mon, Jul 06, 2015