David Nowak, '08: I am the principal and founder of the Law Office of David D. Nowak, LLC. We primarily practice family law and other arears of law that arise from family law cases. I participated in the Family Law Clinic for three semesters....By graduation, I had represented clients as a student attorney in the District Court, Circuit Court and Court of Special Appeals. When I began working as a full-time attorney, I was already familiar with court, the litigation process and had the experience to take on cases immediately as first chair. If you are interested in litigation you must take advantage of UBalt’s clinical programs. If you are interested in family law, you will receive excellent, practical training, to represent clients after graduation.
Itta Englander, '09: Why should you be a student attorney in the FLC? Because you will never have another experience like this in law school. Because no matter how many treatises you read, no matter how many mock trials you do, you will not know the heartbreak of listening to a client's story. You will not feel the determination to get her story told. You will not know the mixed panic and serenity of standing before a judge knowing that you understand this case and that you can help your client meet his goals. These are experiences that most lawyers have for the first time on the job. The Bronfein Family Law Clinic can give you that experience while you are in law school, preparing you for practice in a way that no other class can, and teaching you the skills to continue learning to be the best lawyer you can be throughout your career. Additionally, you will be giving your time and legal expertise to clients who would not otherwise be represented. You will be making a difference in the community, whether you are helping a woman experiencing domestic violence get a protective order from an abusive partner, representing a parent or relative seeking custody of a child, preparing and delivering testimony before Maryland's General Assembly on improving the legal system's response to domestic violence, or helping a foster parent or stepparent officially adopt a child.
Julianne Kelly Tarver, '15: As a domestic law staff attorney I work with low income clients or victims of domestic violence in their family law cases. I work in the areas of divorce and custody. Maryland Legal Aid is a private public interest law firm that provides pro bono assistance to clients in need. I am in court often, I perform intakes, and I provide family law advice at clinics throughout the state of Maryland. As the Pro Bono Coordinator at Maryland Legal Aid, I recruit, train, and manage private attorneys that represent clients on behalf of Maryland Legal Aid. I have a sensitivity to clients that are in need of great representation. While being a student attorney, I was able to obtain the necessary skills to represent clients. I understand the rules (which surprisingly a lot of attorneys do not know), I understand how to speak to clients, and how to be a great attorney thanks to the Clinic.
Patricia Tuon Granato, '17: I represent victims of domestic violence during negotiations and litigation of Final Protective Orders. I have litigated issues pertaining to civil and criminal stay away orders, use and possession of homes and vehicles, child custody/visitation, emergency family maintenance and other family law issues. The family law clinic helped me in many ways! The first benefit is that I knew a lot of family law rules from clinic class and practicing. Secondly, being able to represent a person was an invaluable experience as a student. Clinic taught me what it really takes to be prepared to represent another person's interest in court. There is a lot of preparation as you try to build a case and try to get to know your client well enough to guide them through the legal system. I still regularly use organizational tools in my current practice that I learned from my clinic professors. Even when I do not write it down, I still process facts of my case very similarly to the techniques taught in clinic. I still use these organizational tools because they work in the real world.
Kathleen Seifert '17: I am an Associate Attorney at Ferrante and Dill and we have the Department of Social Services contract for Calvert County. This means that I represent the Department in all CINA cases. The clinic gives you a chance to practice in a safe place where it's okay to make mistakes, and if you give it all you've got, it can open doors for you in your career.