Legal Center Dedicated

Harvard Law School officials yesterday dedicated a new building to house the school's legal services center in the Jamaica Plain section of Boston.

The center already provides low-income persons with legal aid on matters ranging from evictions and family law to Social Security and AIDS-related concerns.

The Hale & Dorr Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School, which began operation this spring, is now located in a new four-story, state-of-the-art legal facility.

Each year, approximately 150 Harvard law students and 50 Northeastern University law students spend 10 to 20 hours a week working on the center's 2,000 cases.

The students work with the center's professional staff and associates from the Boston law firm of Hale & Dorr to provide legal services to residents of the Roxbury, Dorchester and Jamaica Plain neighborhoods, according to Hale & Dorr Managing Partner John D. Hamilton Jr.

Law School Dean Robert C. Clark praised the new building. "Today is a time to celebrate the work of the center," he said. "The connection between theory and practice the students receive here is great."

The center opened in 1978 in a house and then moved to a somewhat rundown warehouse in 1980, before moving to its present location. The move was made possible by a two million dollar donation by Hale & Dorr.

M. Jeanne Charn, director of the center, said the new building is a dramatic step forward for the program.

"Being in a new, modern building is important to our clients. Not only does it make them comfortable, but it assures them we are here to stay," Charn said. "It would be great if there weren't any problems, but there are and we try to help some of them here."

While providing many crucial services to thecommunity, the center also provides law studentswith valuable hands on study, according toBrandeis Professor of Law Gary Bellow.

"The center is like a teaching hospital forlaw, and just like a teaching hospital it providesstudents vital clinical experience," said Bellow,who is director of clinical programs for theHarvard Law School.

D. Andrew Dunn, a Harvard Law School studentwho works at the center, represents indigentclients in Social Security and disabilityhearings.

"Many of the clients are quite poor and manydon't speak English. If we weren't here, most ofthe things we help them with would just beunattainable to them," Dunn said.

Other students such as Anders C. Yang work inthe estate planning for AIDS patients. He dealswith issues such as living wills, power ofattorney and health care proxies for AIDSpatients.

"I think it's really beneficial to go from thetextbook to actual cases," Anders said, addingthat he hopes to continue doing pro bono workafter graduating from law school

While providing many crucial services to thecommunity, the center also provides law studentswith valuable hands on study, according toBrandeis Professor of Law Gary Bellow.

"The center is like a teaching hospital forlaw, and just like a teaching hospital it providesstudents vital clinical experience," said Bellow,who is director of clinical programs for theHarvard Law School.

D. Andrew Dunn, a Harvard Law School studentwho works at the center, represents indigentclients in Social Security and disabilityhearings.

"Many of the clients are quite poor and manydon't speak English. If we weren't here, most ofthe things we help them with would just beunattainable to them," Dunn said.

Other students such as Anders C. Yang work inthe estate planning for AIDS patients. He dealswith issues such as living wills, power ofattorney and health care proxies for AIDSpatients.

"I think it's really beneficial to go from thetextbook to actual cases," Anders said, addingthat he hopes to continue doing pro bono workafter graduating from law school