Jim block
Combining international and domestic work, the clinic (with the Human Rights Center) examined U.S. policy in a two-year study of Guantánamo detainees. Based on interviews with 62 former detainees, Guantánamo and Its Aftermath documented the long shadow Gitmo casts on their lives. The study also sparked a book and a policy report, which recommended reintegration programs to restore former detainees to society. A current on-campus project offers undocumented students at UC Berkeley pivotal legal advice on a range of human-rights issues. “We work locally, nationally, and internationally,” Fletcher notes. “Human rights are universal, so we assign students a broad range of issues at home and abroad.” The clinic enjoys strong, enduring support from Boalt and its extended family. “Patty Blum was there at the inception, and she’s been working with us all along,” says Fletcher. “We’ve also had generous support for years from Werner (’53) and Mimi Wolfen.” They helped fund the hiring in 2005 of Roxanna Altholz ’99—one of the clinic’s first students, now its associate director—and of instructor Allison Davenport ’04 in 2011. The Wolfens’ support has deeply personal roots. “I’m Jewish,” Werner Wolfen explains. “My family and I narrowly escaped Nazi Germany with our lives. This clinic is addressing urgent human-rights problems.” He adds, “Laurel is terrific; she gives it her all, and her staff is great, too.” More alumni support is on the way. Last year, Kathleen Kelly Janus ’03—another clinic alum—launched a campaign to fund summer placements for IHRLC students. She and her husband, Ted Janus, made a $10,000 anchor gift; she’s also exploring other ways to involve alumni—networking, hosting events, mentoring students. “Engaging alumni strengthens the school’s human-rights work,” she notes. “It also allows alumni to maintain their connection to social justice. If you engage people, the money will follow.” Other law schools have human-rights clinics, but Boalt’s is unique, Fletcher believes. “We have deep subject-matter expertise and a strong track record in our areas of focus. So we’re able to develop cutting-edge projects and put our students at the forefront of advancing human rights in real time. I feel incredibly lucky.” —Jon Jefferson
A Sensible State of Collaboration CLEE’s California connections vital to battling climate change
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rojections indicate a rise of 2 degrees Celsius worldwide by 2100, even with drastic action to tackle greenhouse gas emissions. If emissions continue at current levels, temperatures could even rise up to 6 degrees—disrupting agriculture, making wide areas of the planet uninhabitable, and contributing to the spread of disease. California leads the nation in facing down the challenge, and Boalt Hall’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment (CLEE) is proving a powerful partner for the state. “At CLEE, we’re focused on collaborations with California business communities and industries to reduce emissions and waste, create jobs, and give consumers more energy options,” says Ethan Elkind, director of the climate change and business program, with a joint appointment at Boalt and UCLA School of Law. One such collaboration involves the Sacramento-based nonprofit Council of Infill Builders, formed after CLEE convened leading real-estate developers for a policy discussion.
EMISSION MISSION:
California could lead the nation in developing lowcost electric cars, says Ethan Elkind.
s p r i n g 2014 | T r a n s c r i p t |
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