The Upper Peninsula needs lawyers, and Michigan State University’s Law Clinic is working to address that shortage by exposing students to rural communities through active casework.
The clinic recently visited the region as part of students’ work on active cases. Interim Director Brad Hall says the experience expands where students may choose to practice after graduating from law school.
“We’re working with local systems all over the state and in cities and in rural areas. We’re exposing students who may not be from Michigan or may have never been to the upper peninsula to the legal cultures and in communities they wouldn’t been exposed to or considered,” Hall said. “We’re exposing them to the natural beauty of our state, and the wonderful things of someplace outside of a city.”
The term “legal tundra” or “desert” refers to the large need in rural communities for highly trained attorneys. Hall says students have enjoyed learning about the Upper Peninsula’s communities and working with public defenders in the region.
In the public defense program, part of the clinic, students have argued cases in the Michigan Court of Appeals. Those interested in learning more about the MSU Law Clinic’s work in the Upper Peninsula can find details online.
