During the 2021-22 school year, the Suffolk Law Innocence Clinic paired up with the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission on a cross-generational collaboration between its students and a retired corporate attorney, who serves as an Access to Justice Fellow.
As a result of the collaboration, the Suffolk Law group presented several proposals to the New England Innocence Project, including proposed new jury instructions, a model to create an independent office to oversee wrongful conviction processes, and a proposed new civil right of action for anyone convicted by tainted evidence.
The Lawyers Clearinghouse, in collaboration with the Supreme Judicial Court’s Access to Justice Commission, created the Fellowship, which enables senior lawyers and retired judges to partner with nonprofit organizations, courts, and other public service entities on A2J initiatives. Throughout the school year, retired corporate lawyer and Suffolk Law alumnus Jack Fitzgerald (JD ’72) worked with clinic students and Clinical Professor Shira Diner on solutions for systemic reform.
“It was interesting to watch the intergenerational dynamic between the students and Fitzgerald,” Diner notes. “There was a lot of learning from each other’s life experiences on both sides. The collaboration highlights the combination of direct representation and work on systemic issues that enhances student learning and the impact of their work.”
