CORAL GABLES, Fla. (October 4, 2016) – Professor Donald Jones has recently inaugurated a Civil Rights Practicum at the University of Miami School of Law, a first at the school. The practicum, which began in August 2016, provides a unique experiential learning platform in which students are paired with elite civil rights litigators to gain hands-on experience with civil rights litigation. Jones has partnered with Rasco, Klock, Perez & Nieto, P.L., the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Rand Law, L.L.C., and the Willie Gary Law Group.
Subject matter areas in which the students work include Title VII litigation, First Amendment litigation, civil litigation challenging excessive force by police, and issues involving voting rights, particularly as it pertains to people of color.
“I want to institutionalize a commitment by the law school to train students in civil rights litigation,” Jones said. “We need to prepare a new generation of students to have the skills necessary to play a leadership role in the new civil rights movements of the 21st century.”
Students work for credit, not pay, contributing 40 to 50 hours for one credit towards graduation.
Jones, who has taught Constitutional Law for many years at the law school, has written three books about the civil and political rights of minorities and the poor. “The Externship Program is an extension of my scholarly agenda,” said Jones.
The University of Miami’s mission is to educate and nurture students, to create knowledge, and to provide service to our community and beyond. Committed to excellence and proud of the diversity of our University family, we strive to develop future leaders of our nation and the world. www.miami.edu
The University of Miami School of Law’s mission is to foster the intellectual discipline, creativity, and critical skills that will prepare its graduates for the highest standards of professional competence in the practice of law in a global environment subject to continual ― and not always predictable ― transformation; to cultivate a broad range of legal and interdisciplinary scholarship that, working at the cutting edge of its field, enhances the development of law and legal doctrine, and deepens society’s understanding of law and its role in society; and to fulfill the legal profession’s historic duty to promote the interests of justice. www.law.miami.edu
CONTACT: Catharine Skipp at 305-773-5801 or cskipp@law.miami.edu
