Purple scissors in hand, Paul M. Hebert Law Center Chancellor Jack Weiss and Clinical Education Director Robert Lancaster, along with clinical faculty members, cut the ribbon that officially opened the new LSU Law Center Clinical Legal Education Space on Friday.Renovations began last spring to transform largely unused office space in the basement of the Old Law Building, built in 1936, into a functional space for the clinical program, Weiss said. The new space is designed to mimic a small law office, complete with interview and conference rooms, a reception area, student work space and faculty offices.”When you’re in a more professional space, it helps you to get in the right mindset,” said third-year law student Nichole Schulte, who will be participating in the immigration clinic.Construction was completed in July and for less than the projected budget of $320,000, Weiss said.”I hope that this new space will provide a visible sign post of progress we’ve made in this     program.” Weiss said.Judge James Dennis, U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, swore in the 20 students that would be participating in the program’s third semester.Students can become certified to practice law after four semesters of law school, Lancaster said.Dennis stressed the advantage of being able to practice law while still in school. Upon entering law school, Dennis said his goal was “to become a rich lawyer,” but he realized he had no idea how to be a lawyer when he graduated.The clinical program is critical for self-confidence, professor Lucy McGough said.”That’s hard to teach in a book,” she said.Judge Frank Neuner, chairman of the Louisiana Public Defender Board, said plans to create a clinical program had been talked about since before 1976, when he graduated from LSU Law School.Weiss was instrumental in implementing the clinical program, Neuner said.LSU Law was one of the last law schools in the nation to develop its clinical program, McGough said.The program is essential to the success of the school because clinical programs are beginning to be considered necessary to be an accredited and top-tier school, McGough said.Weiss said instating a clinical program at the law school was his top priority since becoming chancellor in 2007.The clinic functions not only to train law students but also to provide a service to the community, Weiss said.People in the community see the clinic as a source of high quality, low cost legal representation for people who are under-represented, Weiss said.”And they’re right,” he added.Weiss said his hope is the new space will be able to attract additional support for the clinical program.Although he would like to expand the program, Weiss said in the current budgetary environment, it would be impossible to do so without outside aid.McGough said the next step to expanding would be to create a civil clinic that would deal with areas in real estate and wills.Expansion will occur cautiously and logically, McGough said.Juvenile representation was offered in 2003 as the first clinical class at the Law School, McGough said.The Clinical Education program now consists of the Domestic Violence Clinic, the Juvenile Representation Clinic, the Family Mediation Clinic and various externships where students work for local judges and lawyers.The Immigration Clinic is the newest addition to the law school. The clinic focuses on deportation and removal defense and on immigrant victims of domestic violence, especially women, said Ken Mayeaux, adjunct clinical professor. The clinics work to                      allow the victims to testify against their offenders, Mayeaux said.Mayeaux said he’s already received phone calls seeking legal assistance from the immigration clinic, including a call from the domestic violence shelter.Paige Ellison, 2009 LSU Law graduate, participated in the immigration clinic last year. Ellison said students worked mostly with immigration defense and relief and that going to the federal courts and being able to see the conditions at the immigration detention center were the most memorable parts of the program.- – – -Contact Olga Kourilova at [email protected]