Campaign Priorities: Improving Law and Society

The campaign's goals include $20 million for professorships, program support, and faculty development. The School of Law's rising national reputation has made possible the recruitment of outstanding faculty. Increased funds for endowed professorships, as well as program and faculty development, are key to our ability to retain them.

Profile: Professor Michael Pinard

The School of Law's nationally ranked Clinical Law Program is distinguished by its emphasis on linking theoretical classroom study with students' real-life lawyering experiences. The program's dual mission is embodied by Professor Michael Pinard.

A nationally recognized scholar in the area of collateral consequences, the civil disabilities attached by law to criminal convictions, he is also a leader in shaping Maryland law and policy to help ex-offenders negotiate their reentry to society and avoid recidivism. Recently, Professor Pinard drove the introduction of legislation to ease obstacles ex-offenders face in finding employment. His ongoing exploration of innovative approaches resulted in the law school's hosting of A Working Conference on the Collateral Consequences of Criminal Convictions and the Reentry of Ex-offenders in Maryland, a major event that brought together law enforcement, scholars, and the community to seek solutions to the obstacles ex-offenders face.

For his efforts, Professor Pinard was recognized last year by the American Association of Law Schools as the nation's top young clinical law professor.

"By creating nontraditional alliances among prosecutors, corrections officials, public defenders, advocacy groups, and the community, the School of Law is meaningfully addressing the myriad issues related to the criminal justice system, incarceration, and the eventual return of individuals with criminal records," he says.