by Monica Chamness
Staff Writer
Medical interns with no previous experience don’t waltz into an operating room, scalpel in hand, ready to slice open a patient. The same is true for attorneys. Practice makes perfect, which is why the legal profession provides clinics where law students can test their skills without doing damage to a client.
Started in 1998, the civil practice clinic at Florida Coastal School of Law is designed to provide the experience law students need while serving the community. Clients represented by FCSL students are exclusively low-income individuals.
“We target the indigent,” said Mike Jorgensen, associate professor of law and the director of the civil practice clinic. “We do guardianship and uncontested divorces. The program provides a significant service to an under represented group.”
There are two types of guardianship cases. In a guardianship, a person is appointed by the court to handle the affairs of someone who becomes incapacitated. Guardian advocates are persons appointed by the court to assist with decisions for someone who has been developmentally disabled throughout his or her lifetime.
The rationale behind handling these specific types of cases is that they can be concluded within a few months. Regardless of the type of case, students can see the whole process from conception to resolution.
“I like to have the student be able to interview the client and witnesses, prepare and file pleadings, work with opposing counsel and have a hearing or trail before court within one semester,” said Jorgensen.
In addition to operating the clinic, he also teaches courses in elder law, Florida constitutional law, individual income taxation, estate and gift taxation and business entity taxation.
Only students in their third year are eligible to participate and must be supervised by an attorney licensed to practice in the state. The students in the program are considered to be certified legal interns. Each semester, the program director sends the Supreme Court a list of students that are part of the clinical program for a preliminary background check ensues. Essentially, these law students are practicing under Jorgensen’s license. There are 13 students participating this semester.
“Most of my pupils tell me it was the best experience they had throughout law school,” said Jorgensen. “I haven’t had any bad apples yet; they are carefully screened.”
According to Jorgensen, cases are referred from Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, Urban Jacksonville, Department of Children and Families, judges, other attorneys and word-of-mouth.
“They are referred because an individual needs legal assistance but they don’t have any assets or money,” explained Jorgensen. “They are not cases Legal Aid would handle for whatever reason. They have parameters on cases they can take. Legal Aid knows the cases we can assist with and send them to us under the pro bono program.”
Prior to his tenure at FCSL, Jorgensen was in private practice for 10 years. He worked for the Internal Revenue Service for four years as a tax attorney and was a partner in a small firm that represented American National Bank (now SouthTrust). To employ his real world experience in the classroom, Jorgensen established the program under the direction of the school’s founding supporters.
“It’s important to give the opportunity to apply academics,” he said. “We’re also offering a service to the community where there’s a need but no presence. There are a lot of indigent people with needs but without representation. Our clients are so appreciative because they have nowhere to go and we are able to help them.”
Students can also participate programs in the State Attorney’s Office, Public Defender’s Office, the Department of Children and Families or the General Counsel’s Office where they can learn to practice public service law under the supervision of experienced attorneys.