Paul Hammel
LINCOLN — Journalists and the members of the public facing violations of they First Amendment rights will soon have somewhere else to turn.
The University of Nebraska College of Law announced Monday that it was establishing a law clinic, staffed by law students and supervised by practicing attorneys, to take on cases involving free speech, public records and public meetings.
Law school officials unveiled the project before a roomful of journalists at the law college.
$1 million grant
“We will defend the First Amendment rights of our clients while at the same time educating students on the intricacies of First Amendment law,” said Daniel Gutman, an Omaha-based attorney who will direct the clinic.
Sydney Hayes, a former associate with Husch Blackwell in Omaha, will be assistant director. Both are graduates of the NU law school and now teach there.
The clinic, which will involve eight third-year law students taking perhaps four cases at a time, is already seeking cases, Gutman said.
“We’re looking for a wide range of cases and clients,” said Gutman.
Its launch was made possible by a three-year, $1 million grant from the Stanton Foundation, created by Frank Stanton, a longtime president of CBS News.
The NU clinic will focus on local and regional cases involving freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and freedom of petition, according to a press release from the law college. It will also serve to increase law students’ understanding of First Amendment rights and will be a resource for organizations, students, journalists and citizens.
One of several law clinics
“Our clinical programs help students develop skills as they work on real cases and are a highlight in many students’ law school careers,” said Richard Moberly, dean of the College of Law.
The law school currently has several similar law clinics, including ones focused on justice for children, immigrants and debtors, and a housing justice clinic.
The stated goal of the Stanton Foundation is to “advance First Amendment and democratic values through an informed citizenry.”
During his career, Stanton organized the first televised presidential debate in 1960 between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy. He also presided over CBS’s defense of a libel action brought by Gen. William Westmoreland, who sued over a broadcast report that U.S. military had deliberately misrepresented the military strength of the North Vietnamese during the Vietnam War.
Stanton died in 2006 at age 98.