campus inventory listing<\/a> on the National Register of Historic Places.<\/p>\n\u201cThe building is a natural fit for academic use, as it\u2019s strategically positioned on the campus and aesthetically resembles the five buildings currently occupied by the law school,\u201d Jeffrey Geoghegan, UConn\u2019s executive vice president for finance and chief financial officer, wrote in the University\u2019s proposal to the state Office of Policy & Management.<\/p>\n
\u201cTransferring (it) to UConn would represent an opportunity to reuse a surplus state-owned building while at the same time achieving the highest and best use for the property as an educational facility,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
MacKenzie Hall will become the new home of UConn Law\u2019s seven in-house legal clinics and seven partnership legal clinics, which provide experience for hundreds of law students yearly and offer pro bono legal counsel and services to members of the local community, including children, individuals with disabilities, entrepreneurs, veterans, elderly individuals, and organizations.<\/p>\n
UConn Law\u2019s in-house programs include clinics in animal law, asylum and human rights, criminal defense at the trial level, housing and eviction defense, intellectual property and entrepreneurship, tax law, and transactional law.<\/p>\n
In the past year, 114 students enrolled in the in-house clinics and 370 clients were represented, with one clinic having also served as a court-appointed advocate in 30 additional cases. Thirteen UConn Law faculty members taught in the in-house programs.<\/p>\n
UConn Law\u2019s partnership clinics include programs in children\u2019s advocacy, criminal defense at the appellate level, disability rights, elder law, environmental law, and veterans\u2019 benefits, as well as work with the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office. In the past year, 37 students enrolled in the partnership clinics and nine faculty members taught.<\/p>\n
The Law School also hosts the Connecticut Community Law Center, which trains attorneys and students to provide legal services for low and moderate-income clients who do not qualify for legal aid, but cannot afford standard legal fees.<\/p>\n
Due to space constraints on the campus, the on-campus and partnership law clinics work in several different locations. They will be housed together in MacKenzie Hall after the property transfer, providing a single location for those seeking legal services and advice to engage with the UConn legal clinics.<\/p>\n
The centralized location will increase opportunities for collaboration among the clinics and make it easier for clinics to cross-refer clients who need representation in multiple areas.<\/p>\n
Law school leaders say the building will be set up to be accessible, vibrant, and community-facing with a welcoming reception area, offices and work rooms, conference rooms, small and midsized classrooms, an event and lecture room on the ground floor, lounge areas, and centralized office suites for the specific programs.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving a central, visible, and robust space will likely increase UConn Law\u2019s community outreach through additional referrals and walk-in clients, as well as provide \u2026 a better educated and prepared workforce for the State of Connecticut,\u201d UConn officials wrote in the proposal to the state to take ownership of the building, noting the location is ideal because it is in Hartford\u2019s West End and accessible on the CT Transit bus line.<\/p>\n
\u201cMacKenzie Hall provides the perfect opportunity for UConn\u2019s Experiential Programs to flourish and expand their service to members of the public,\u201d the proposal says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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