Clark Defends Move To Cut Counseling

Law School Dean Robert C. Clark yesterday stood by his controversial decision to eliminate the school's public interest career counseling office, saying that the budget-cutting move would not lessen the School's commitment to the field.

In an interview yesterday, Clark said he decided to close the two counseling positions this fall primariliy because they were an inefficient allocation of resources, and not because he was insensitive to the needs of students interested in public service, as many critics have said.

"I continue to think that move made sense," Clark said. "A significant amount of the placement budget was going for something that didn't seem to produce enough results. If we're going to support students interested in public interest law, we have to think about what's the best way to do it."

Clark characterized his move as a simple administrative reorganization, saying that the career placement and dean of students' offices could adequately handle the public interest advising for the Law School. Currently, only 6 to 8 percent of Law School students pursue public interest careers.

"It's not my view that the problem has not been a lack of knowledge of jobs or the lack of adequate access to contacts," Clark said. "I think we can and will do it through the placement office."

But Clark, now in his first year as dean, did not convince many Law School students when he made these same arguments in recent weeks.

Earlier this month, hundreds of students attended a demostration in support of public service law, and more than 1000 law students signed a petition calling on Clark to restore the counseling positions.

Many said they were concerned that the placement office's resources will be inadequate, since that office serves the entire school and cannot provide the individual attention available prior to Clark's decision.

In addition, students said Clark's decision "symbolized" his lack of commitment to promoting the public interest field--a charge many have leveled at the dean since his appointment.

But Clark dismissed these criticisms, saying that "for some students the closing of the positions has taken too much significance."

He said the dean of students' office will conduct public interest orientation workshops and meetings to discuss the "public interest way of life." He said the placement office will provide public interest directories and information on job openings.

And Clark said faculty members--led by Gary Singsen, director of the Program on the Legal Profession, and ProfessorGary Bellow, founder of the school's LegalServices Center--will take up the rest of theslack.

"The faculty has a mentor program for peopleinterested in legal services," Clark said.

He added that Daniel Greenberg, the director ofclinical programs, will be "counseling students ona one-on-one basis."

Meanwhile, Clark said he has been working tosecure financial incentives for studentsinterested in public interest law.

Earlier this fall, Clark circulated a letter tothe student body promising to establish a publicinterest advisory committee composed ofprofessors, students and alumni. Plans for thatcommittee are still in the works, but studentapplications for membership are already beingsolicited.

Clark has also said he will double the budgetfor the school's innovative loan forgiveness plan,which covers student loans for graduates who enterlow-paying jobs.

And two weeks ago, Clark announced the receiptof a $1.5 million grant for a public interestcareer endowment.

Clark said he believes the student outcry hasdied down. And although many alumni at a recentreunion signed a petition protesting the closings,Clark said he has felt little pressure from themto change his position.

"Some of the students have gotten too concernedwith it, but most don't seem that concerned withit," he said. "I don't feel I've had much pressurefrom alumni, except ones solicited by thestudents. Most of them have written letters sayingthey trust my discretion as dean. Even if they'reconcerned about public interest, they support mydecision to close those positions."

For now, Clark says he will wait to see how hisnew arrangement works.

"I'm going to let [the new arrangement] runthrough one full-year cycle and see how it goes,"Clark said. "The [public interest advisory]committee will monitor whether we're meeting theneeds of students interested in public interestcareers, and look at financial incentives."

And Clark reiterated his stance that theschool's clinical program--which emphasizeslearning through actual courtroomexperience--should make sure it is not skirtingits educational mission by providing too manylitigation services to the poor.

"We're not in the business of implementing, butassessing, the problems," Clark said. "I amphilosophically different from students who saythey know the nature of the problem and assumethey know the best way to solve it and go off likegangbusters."

"It's clearly the case that a lot ofpopulations don't have legal services and havesevere needs, but I always have to wonder what'sthe best way to solve that--with an indiscriminatesupply of legal services or with anotherapproach?" he said