July 12, 2010

Spring Clinic Class Makes a Difference for Victims

Writing a technical assistance memo for a US Attorney’s Office, helping on an amicus curiae brief for the Alaska Supreme Court, presenting with a former federal judge at the Crime Victim Law Conference - Brendan O’Hanlon, Shara Jones, Alvin Morgan, David Susens, and Leslie Baze provided vital technical assistance in real cases this spring while practicing legal research and writing skills in the Crime Victim Litigation Clinic. 

Law students provided vital technical assistance in real cases while practicing real-world legal research and writing skills in the spring 2010 Crime Victim Litigation Clinic.  Some of the highlights of their work include:

Leslie Baze prepared a legal memorandum on whether, based on Idaho’s victims’ legal rights to read the PSR and to protection, Idaho courts should allow crime victims to read a defendant’s domestic violence evaluation which was contained in the presentence report (PSR). 

Alvin Morgan prepared a legal memorandum at the request of the United States Attorney’s Office in the District of Arizona addressing the various issues raised when a child-victim requests closure of a courtroom during a victim impact statement at an offender’s sentencing hearing.

David Susens helped NCVLI prepare an amicus curiae brief filed in the Alaska Supreme Court arguing that a crime victim’s state constitutional right to fairness is violated by application of the abatement ab initio doctrine in cases where a petitioner dies during post-conviction proceedings.  

Brendan O’Hanlon began and is completing over the summer a comprehensive chart analyzing the breadth of compensable losses under the fifty states’ restitution statutes and case law.  Brendan co-presented with former federal judge Paul Cassell on this issue at NCVLI’s Crime Victim Law Conference in June.

Shara Jones conducted research on what protections are available for child-witnesses in Maine when they are compelled, and afraid, to testify against their offenders.