CSU Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Adjunct Professor Kimberly Kendall Corral '12, a Senior Associate Attorney with Patituce & Associates, LLC., knows what it takes to translate a CSU C|M|LAW education into a successful legal practice and advocate for criminal justice. Corral is sharing her passion for justice with a class of CSU C|M|LAW students this semester in a pop-up practicum dedicated to seeking post-conviction relief for Anthony Starr.

"The students working on this case amazed me," Corral said. "They offered an elderly, indigent, long forgotten person a last shot at justice by giving him the highest quality legal representation."

In her practice, Corral has an exceptional track record of success in securing post-conviction relief. Most famously, Corral spent five years working with Ru-El Sailor to get his murder conviction overturned after 15 years. (The class held a virtual meeting with Sailor to learn more from an incarcerated client's perspective.) She also helped secure a dismissal of charges against Charles Jackson after he spent 27 years in prison for a homicide conviction. In 2018, Corral visited the Oval Office to discuss a pardon with President Donald Trump and the White House Counsel.

When Corral began reviewing the case, she immediately recognized the procedural roadblocks that Starr was facing. She identified this as a teaching opportunity for law students in post-conviction relief. Through Starr's case, students would be able to explore all of the procedural possibilities and understand why some are not realistic avenues for relief. The class discussed the pros and cons of the possible procedures and decided that an application with the Cuyahoga County Conviction Integrity Unit provided the fastest avenue for possible relief.

"Professor Kim Corral's course is a prime example of why I created Pop-Up Practicums - so that our students and faculty could respond to relevant issues in real time," explained CSU C|M|LAW Dean Lee Fisher.

CSU Cleveland Marshall College of Law students Joseph Nelson Jr. and Michael Watkins have taken similar paths during their time in law school. Nelson and Watkins are both enrolled in the CSU C|M|LAW dual degree program, seeking joint J.D./M.B.A degrees. Both are active members of CSU C|M|LAW's Black Law Students Association (BLSA). The duo's paths will now parallel even further as Watkins is succeeding Nelson as Editor-in-Chief of the Global Business Law Review (GBLR).

Nelson, a fourth-year law/business student graduating this spring, served as GBLR Editor-in-Chief in 2019-20 and learned that communication is key to leading an organization. While a member of the GBLR, he published a note, " Targeted Advertisements on Social Media: An Age-Old Practice in a New Suit," that analyzed the Facebook advertisement platform.

Watkins has been an associate on the Global Business Law Review for the past year, and wrote a note focused on renewable energy, "Ohio's Multifaceted Attack on Wind Energy." As Editor-in-Chief he intends to grow the number of members on the journal, increase alumni contact, increase the platforms for our selected publications and raise the reputation and visibility of the journal.