School law clinics face backlash from moneyed interests

Law school students nationwide are facing growing attacks in the courts and legislatures as legal clinics at the schools increasingly take on powerful interests that few other nonprofit groups have the resources to challenge. On Friday, lawmakers debated a measure to cut money for the University of Maryland's law clinic if it does not provide details to the legislature about its clients, finances and cases. The measure, which is likely to be sent to the governor this week, comes in response to a suit filed in March by students accusing one of the state's largest employers, Perdue, of environmental violations–the first effort in the state to hold a poultry company accountable for the environmental impact of its chicken suppliers. Law clinics at other universities–from New Jersey to Michigan to Louisiana–are facing similar challenges. And legal experts say the attacks jeopardize the work of the clinics, which not only train students with hands-on courtroom experience at more than 200 law schools but also have taken on more cases against companies and government agencies in recent years.