UofL News: You’ve been involved with the clinic since it began. What keeps you coming back?

LaRosa:Ěý I am drawn back by the work we are doing and all of the clients I have gotten to meet. The creation of this clinic felt serendipitous; it was exactly what I was looking for. I came into law school knowing I had an interest in estate planning and working with elderly populations. I had resigned myself to the fact that I was probably going to end up working in a general law school clinic that, while a great learning opportunity and benefit to the community, would not be in an area of the law that I had an interest in practicing. Then the Trager-Brandeis Elder Law Clinic was announced as an option for students’ required experiential learning.

Elder law can be such a rewarding field. The documents we are drafting – durable power of attorney, health care surrogate designation, living will directive and last will and testament – are important documents that can ease the burden on the client and their family and friends when it comes to end-of-life care. They are crucial in preserving the wishes of the client for a time when they may not be able to fully communicate those wishes anymore. The clients that come to see us trust us with the task of making sure their wishes are clearly stated and protected in legal documents. Many clients have expressed their gratitude for the services we are offering, and I am just as grateful that they have trusted me with their estate planning needs and the opportunity to learn and grow as a student. My experience in the clinic has been the highlight of my law school education.

UofL News: How has your role in the clinic evolved?

LaRosa: My role has evolved with the growth of the clinic and the growth of my experience in elder law. In January 2022, when we were preparing to open the clinic, we were a much smaller group. There were four students with three attorneys supervising us. We were learning as we went along and had the task of setting the foundation for the clinic. We had to decide everything, from what supplies we needed in the office to what language we wanted to include in our documents. My role was conducting client intake interviews, drafting documents and conducting document executions.

I thoroughly enjoyed the work I did in spring 2022 and reached out to Misty toward the end of that semester about the possibility of doing some work in the clinic over the summer on a volunteer basis. The Trager Institute and the law school approved the idea of a limited summer clinic, and in summer 2022, the clinic offered two mini clinics.

During these mini clinics I had the opportunity to take on a more supervisory and administrative role. There were about 10 law students per session that I, along with attorneys Misty, Sheldon Haden and Chris Brown, trained and supervised. I was the point of contact for all client communication and observed all client meetings. It was a whirlwind experience. Over the course of four days, we served 17 clients and prepared a total of 64 documents.

This semester I have a combined role. I am meeting with clients and drafting documents as I did in my first semester, while also providing support and advisement to the nine other students in the clinic. I am the first student to return to the clinic for a second semester, so I came in with a wealth of knowledge to share.

UofL News: Why is elder law important?

LaRosa: Elder law is a field of law that encompasses services that benefit everyone as they enter the later stages of life. Aging is a natural part of life, and with it comes new concerns and milestones. It is important to have a sector of the legal field dedicated to the complexities that come with life planning documents. Having a long-term care plan and estate planning documents can relieve some of the stress that clients and their families face when thinking about the future.

UofL News: Students participating in the elder law clinic are required to take part in the Trager Institute’s case conceptualization workshops. What have you learned or gained from these workshops that you can apply to your clinic work?Ěý

LaRosa: The case conceptualization workshops are a really cool way to view a client/patient as a whole and see the way that the various practices at the Trager Institute interact to provide comprehensive care to its clients/patients. It exemplifies the team effort to improve overall quality of life instead of simply issue spotting. When there is a team of doctors, social workers and attorneys coming together for the good of one person, you can ensure that you are addressing care options for physical health, mental health, social relationships and legal security. It provides an expansive view of who we are helping.

UofL News: What impact has this clinic had on the clients that you’ve worked with?

LaRosa: I hope this clinic has helped provide our clients with a sense of peace for the future. Estate planning can feel daunting and scary to many people. Our goal with this clinic is to provide valuable estate planning services to a population that is underserved due to financial limitations. The clients I have served have expressed their gratitude for the help they received through the clinic. I strive to make sure that each person I meet with fully understands the power of the documents we prepare, that they feel confident in the decisions they are making and that they walk away with a sense of relief that they took the initiative to seek out our help. By executing these documents, clients hopefully feel comforted that their wishes have been legally documented.

As of the end of 2022, the clinic had served 76 clients in preparing 305 legal documents.

UofL News: How do you think your experience at the law clinic will influence your future goals and plans after you graduate from Brandeis?

LaRosa: My experience at this clinic has solidified my interest in practicing as an estate planning attorney. Moreover, it has expanded my view of the field of elder law. I now plan to practice as an elder law attorney in Kentucky upon graduating and passing the Kentucky bar exam. I enjoy the work I have done at the clinic. It has provided me with hands-on, practical experience that I never would have fully acquired from a law school classroom. There is nothing more valuable than real client interaction. I want to continue serving the aging populations of Kentucky.

Q&A conducted by Samantha Adams.

But it wasn’t until he got further into his role as dean that Burnett says he truly began to understand the depth of that bond.

Burnett came to admire Brandeis’ respect for small institutions, his appreciation for federalism, his interdisciplinary insights and his vision of universities as hubs of innovation. Burnett especially admired Brandeis’ commitment to pro bono work.

“He really thought that was part of the obligation of lawyers and part of the noble calling of the law as a career,” said Burnett, who served as dean of the law school from 1990-2000.

Burnett knew that Brandeis had been a generous donor to the law school, helping the school financially as well as donating his personal library and correspondence.

In light of all this, Burnett began advocating to change the name of the law school in honor Brandeis. Many law schools are named for donors, after all, and Brandeis’ gifts helped shape the law school in more ways than one.

“His contributions were more meaningful than money alone,” Burnett said. “They were the contributions of someone who exemplified with the highest value and the greatest potential of the law.”

Working with colleagues, including then-Associate Dean Linda Ewald, Burnett began circulating the idea among faculty, alumni, the local bench and bar, university leadership and the Brandeis family itself. There was broad support for naming the law school in honor of Brandeis.

On Feb. 24, 1997, the UofL Board of Trustees made it official: the law school became the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law.

But before that change, Brandeis’ legacy took life in another way: In 1990, the law school established one of the first five mandatory pro bono requirements in the country. The first semester the program was instated, administrators saw a huge, positive student response.

“We realized we were doing something very substantial to a large number of our students,” Burnett says. “It spoke to their sense of professional responsibility —Ěýthe highest calling of the law.”

Carrying the Brandeis name has given the law school a unique advantage in the national landscape of legal education, Burnett says. Prospective students know this is a school that carries on the name and spirit of a towering figure who saw law as a noble calling.

“His legacy has its home at the University of Louisville.”

Brandeis was one of the first law schools in the country to make community service a requirement of graduation, with at least 30 hours of law-related public service mandated as part of the .

Below are theĚýstories of three 2016 graduates and the ways they made public service a core part of their law school careers.

Katherine HallĚý

For Katherine Hall, Brandeis Law did more than encourage public service — it truly supported it through paid fellowships.

Starting the summer after her first year of law school, Hall has been active in immigrant and refugee organizations, providing legal services and advocating for immigrant and refugee rights through Catholic Charities of Louisville and the Maxwell Street Legal Clinic in Lexington, Kentucky.

But while Hall is passionate about this work, it’s largely unpaid.

That’s where the support from Brandeis has been essential.

Hall has been the recipient of several fellowships, including the Greenebaum Public Service Fellowship, which allowed her to spend a summer interning at the National Immigration Law Center in Washington, D.C.

“I wouldn’t have been able to do that without the support of the school and the Greenebaum fellowship,” Hall said.

Hall is also an inaugural fellow of the , a new program that in its first year conducted an assessment of the services available to immigrants and refugees in the Louisville area and collected them in one reference guide.

Because the services needed by immigrants and refugees often cover several areas — such as legal, medical, education and housing — it made sense for service providers to have a listing of all services their clients could need in one place.

“The program has been an amazing experience and a great way to connect with service providers and the community itself,” Hall said. “It really has been a great way to keep perspective while in law school.”

“It was probably the defining experience of my time at Brandeis.”

Emily MeadorĚý

Emily Meador has always been interested in criminal and family law, and thanks to several public service opportunities during law school, she now has practical experience in those fields.

“I pretty much worked my entire law school career to help indigent clients — and I’ve done it in a courtroom. Doing all this has solidified that this is what I want to do,” Meador said.

“I made sure that I went to a school that had some sort of hands-on experience,” she said. “Brandeis, with the fellowships that they have and the public service opportunities, has really offered that experience.”

In addition to a stint in the legal department at the Louisville Metro Human Relations Commission, Meador spent two summers with the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy, first as a legal intern and then as a law clerk.

As an intern, she shadowed an attorney who handled juvenile cases in the Bullitt County trial office, going to court with him four days a week and helping write motions, conduct research, gather discovery and prepare witnesses.

“I got to see all the inner workings of the courtroom, which was really interesting,” Meador said.

In her second summer, she was a law clerk in the same office and got a limited practice license. She worked with attorneys on the circuit and district court docket, helping clients enter pleas in front of the judge and serving as second chair for two trials.

Meador’s limited license is good until she sits for the bar exam in July, and she’s working on two cases right now. She hopes to pursue a career helping clients who can’t help themselves.

“Knowing that you’re making a difference and you’re helping someone through the worst parts in their lives is great,” Meador said. “I don’t think I would’ve gotten that anywhere other than Brandeis.”

Keesha StacyĚý

When Keesha Stacy was deciding which law school to attend, something about Brandeis Law made it stand out.

“I really enjoyed the commitment to public service,” she said. “It’s something I care about and something the school cares about.

Stacy, a Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, native, has spent her law school career serving various organizations, such as Catholic Charities of Louisville’s Migration and Refugee Services, Wayside Christian Mission and the .

In those positions, she filled a variety of roles, from making sure refugees know their legal rights to helping members of Louisville’s homeless population navigate divorce or eviction proceedings.

After graduation, she’ll take the bar exam in July and then head to Asbury Theological Seminary, where she’ll continue learning about ways to serve her community.

“Ultimately, I hope to work with orphaned kids,” she said, adding that she might like to open an orphanage someday.

“I think compassion is really important. If we’re not compassionate to one another, then what are we?” Stacy said, adding that it’s especially important for people in positions of influence to be involved in community service.

Photo .Ěý