CLINICAL AND EXTERNSHIP FACULTY RECEIVE OFFER TO PUBLISH ARTICLE ON VIRTUAL EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
December 2020 — Lucy Johnston-Walsh, Clinical Professor and Director of the Children’s Advocacy Clinic and Alison Lintal, Director of Career Services and Internship Programs co-authored an article entitled, “Tele-Lawyering and The Virtual Learning Experience: Finding the Silver Lining for Remote Hybrid Externships & Law Clinics after the Pandemic” which has been accepted for publication in the Akron Law Review. They have also been invited to participate in a virtual Law and Technology Symposium on March 12, 2021 at The University of Akron School of Law.
Johnston-Walsh and Lintal worked to adapt the clinical legal education and externship curriculum models to be responsive to the needs of a virtual setting as a result of the pandemic. As a result of this shift to a virtual platform, they learned best practices for virtual and hybrid experiential legal education which they share in their article.
Lucy Johnston-Walsh directs the Children’s Advocacy Clinic, supervising students in the legal representation of children involved in the child welfare system. The Children’s Advocacy Clinic is interdisciplinary office as law students are partnered with graduate level social work students to address the complex needs of their child clients. In March of 2020, the court proceedings switched from in-person to virtual court. Prof. Johnston-Walsh worked with students to navigate these changes while still obtaining a quality experiential learning opportunity. Prof. Johnston-Walsh also teaches doctrinal courses in the area of juvenile law.
Alison F. Lintal is the Director of Career Services and Internship Programs at Penn State Dickinson Law, as well as the faculty supervisor who oversees the academic course component for the general internship program. Utilizing a holistic approach, Lintal teaches students to cultivate insight on their professional path and facilitates reflective learning through experiential education. Lintal received her J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Miami School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts from Lafayette College where she majored in Spanish and International Affairs. Before joining Dickinson Law, she served as an Attorney-Advisor for the Office of General Counsel for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development for five years in Chicago where she focused her practice on multifamily housing transactions. During law school, she served for two years as a Health Rights Clinic Fellow. Lintal has internship experience working in various sectors including legal services, city government, private practice, and with the Illinois judiciary. A certified Iyengar yoga teacher, Lintal uses mindfulness techniques to help law students engage in meaningful work, develop their professional identity, and facilitate better connections with their colleagues, peers, other professionals, and clients.