Dec 2, 2013 3 min read

If it weren’t for their baby faces, Washington County Judge Gary Gilman said he would barely be able to distinguish the law students working with Southwestern Pennsylvania Legal Aid Services from the seasoned lawyers who come through his courtroom.

The SPLAS has been grooming future lawyers studying at the University of Pittsburgh for the past 25 years by immersing them in role play situations before having them work with low-income clients and make arguments in a courtroom.

Gilman, a county judge for the past two years specializing in family matters, noted that the students in the clinic are as well prepared – and, just as importantly, comfortable – as licensed lawyers.

“I was surprised because they really knew their way around the courtroom,” Gilman said. “They’re relaxed, comfortable, prepared.”

That’s exactly what Rob Brenner, an adjunct law professor at Pitt and director of SPLAS, was hoping for when he started the clinic, now located on Cherry Avenue across from the courthouse, in 1988. He watched for years as recent graduates came into law offices with an understanding of the law, but weren’t as confident about how to apply it in the courtroom. Since then, he usually brings in about eight students per semester to learn while also offering free legal services to low-income residents in Washington, Greene, Fayette and Somerset counties.

The clinic has taught hundreds of former students, including notable names such as incoming judge Valarie Costanzo, among others. It’s also helped more than 13,000 clients through the years, Brenner said.

The program gives the students an opportunity to learn how to interact with real people with family issues that often include divorce, child custody and protection from abuse cases.

“It’s intimidating the first time you go before a judge,” Brenner said. “It’s intimidating the time you first talk to a client. (The students) go from being worried and anxious to being very self-confident.”

Gilman noted that the family law cases are especially important and sometimes more difficult than trial or civil cases because they are “very personal and sensitive.” He pointed to child custody cases that can have long-term consequences for families.

“The hearings are somewhat simple because there is a narrow focus, but they’re weighty,” Gilman said. “I think it’s a good arena for the kids to get involved in because it’s limited and narrow in focus. They can look straight ahead and don’t have to worry about tying different legal notices together, but what they’re doing is very important.”

Over the past three years, the clinic has been giving out the “Molly Award for Excellence” for students who show exemplary work and dedication to their clients.

Brenner is confident that the hands-on experience makes each student a better lawyer.

“They learn how to develop a rapport,” he said. “They learn to tease out the process and learn how to look at the pros and cons of a situation for each client. It’s a fundamentally different process.”

Brenner said they’re planning a 25th anniversary celebration with former and current students next year, although the event’s details are still being discussed.