January 4, 2010

Sarah McBroom ’09 receives 2010-12 Skadden Fellowship in public interest law

Taking on two entire communities as clients is a tough job for any lawyer, but Sarah McBroom ’09, William Mitchell’s first Skadden Fellowship recipient, is looking forward to the challenge.

McBroom is one of just 25 recent law school graduates from across the country to receive the prestigious two-year, fully-paid fellowship in public interest law from the firm’s foundation. She was selected from hundreds of applicants who plan to devote their professional lives to providing legal services to the poor. Skadden Fellows design their own service project with a sponsoring organization of their choice.

fall 2010, McBroom, a former Teach for America instructor who helped establish William Mitchell’s pro se clinic for clients representing themselves in court, will begin working with the Legal Aid Service of Northeastern Minnesota to provide legal services to indigent members of the Leech Lake Reservation community and manufactured-home communities in Itasca and Koochiching counties.

McBroom, a Mora, Minn., native, is returning to her rural roots to practice “community law,” a concept she learned in a critical theory seminar co-taught by William Mitchell Professors Carolyn Grose and Peter Knapp.

“Attorneys have an obligation to serve those that can’t afford to pay for legal services, either through pro bono volunteering or working in legal services,” said McBroom, who is currently clerking for Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Paul Anderson and worked as a summer associate at Lindquist and Vennum and a law clerk for the 3rd Judicial District Public Defenders’ Office while in law school. “I am from a small town and I know the needs are great in rural areas.

“A community lawyer represents a community. You listen to your client’s problems, utilize your client’s knowledge, consider the community’s culture, and use holistic solutions to meet the client’s/community’s needs. Because community lawyers listen, draw connections, and respond holistically to problems, they are effective.”

Professor Grose, a 1996 Skadden Fellow who guided McBroom through the application process, said the talented young lawyer will be successful because she understands that community lawyers must adapt to communities’ changing definitions and needs. The communities McBroom will serve currently face high levels of unemployment and child poverty and land owner-tenant issues

“Community lawyering gives Sarah a label for something she’s been doing her whole life—listening to the community and responding to their needs,” Grose said. “Her commitment to public service is unmatched.”

McBroom received the 2009 Bernard P. Becker Award from the Minnesota State Bar Association for creating the Mitchell pro se clinic and was co-chair of William Mitchell’s student chapter of the Minnesota Justice Foundation (MJF) for two years. She volunteered at Washington County Legal Assistance, the Youthlink legal advice clinic, and Project Homeless Connect events in Minneapolis.

William Mitchell is ranked 12th among the nation’s best public interest law schools by The National Jurist magazine. More than 50 percent of Mitchell students participate voluntarily in pro bono work through MJF. Students have real-world service learning opportunities in Mitchell’s 12 clinics and gain a better understanding of representing clients in courses like the Critical Theory Seminar.