by Mark Stuckey
Members of the GSU Tax Clinic
On Wednesday, October 16th, the Low Income Tax Payer, Investor Advocacy, Health Law Partnership (HeLP) Legal Services, and Faculty of Fundamentals of Law Practice/Domestic Violence Clinics will be hosting open houses from noon to 1. While clinics may not initially come to mind when you think about the traditional law school experience, there are multiple reasons you should take at least one semester of a practicum.
First, in the clinics offered at GSU Law, law students interact with clients one on one. For example right now I work in the tax clinic, and I am responsible for six client’s cases before the IRS. Communication with clients in clinic environments helps develop interpersonal communication skills that the trepidation instilled by the Socratic Method in traditional courses frankly cannot.
Next, working in a clinic looks good on a resume, and can help you produce a proper writing sample. Don’t have any actual legal working experience? Bolster your resume with some non-profit legal work on actual cases while earning course credit. Additionally, in GSU Law’s clinics, (Tax Clinic especially) students produce memos on behalf of their clients. Let’s face it, a well-crafted memo for a real client (redacted of course) under the supervision of experts in the field (shout out to Professor Blasi) is better than Harvey Woodley any day.
Also, clinics are great if you have no idea which area of law you want to practice in. You, the directionless law student, can sample a broad scope of fields, and who knows you might fall in love with the delicate nuances of the I.R.C.
Finally, the fringe benefits. I haven’t paid valuable consideration for a cup of coffee for well over 2 months. And as a law student, I drink a liquid ton of the stuff. How have I pulled off this wallet-friendly feat? Well, there’s always a hot pot of coffee in the Tax Clinic! And don’t get me started on the random acts of pizza and chicken biscuits.
So do yourself a favor and go check out all the clinics! Click here for the info!
Be sure to check out the websites for more details about the particular clinics.
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