Equal Justice Works News Release

	news release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 16, 2009 CONTACT: James Carroll (202) 466-3686 ext. 102	jcarroll@equaljusticeworks.org www.equaljusticeworks.org
STANFORD LAW SCHOOL DEAN LARRY KRAMER JOINS EQUAL JUSTICE WORKS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Equal Justice Works announced today that Stanford Law School Dean Larry Kramer has joined its board of directors, a diverse group of national leaders from law firms, law schools, corporate legal departments, and the public interest sector. Larry Kramer has been the Richard E. Lang Professor of Law and the Dean of Stanford Law School since 2004. Under his leadership, public service has become an essential part of the law school. He spearheaded the creation of Stanford Law School’s John and Terry Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law, which has since doubled in staff size and has increased its capacity to provide career counseling, public interest programming, and pro bono opportunities for students. He also expanded the loan repayment assistance program for students pursuing public interest careers. During the past several years, more than 85 percent of Stanford Law School’s first-year students have enrolled in the Center’s voluntary pro bono program. In a bold move to increase experiential learning, Dean Kramer made clinical programs a cornerstone of the Stanford Law School curriculum, expanding tenfold the budget for clinical education. This past year, more than 70 percent of the graduating class had taken at least one of Stanford Law School’s clinics, which include specialized fields such as immigrants’ rights; community law; international human rights; environmental protection; and youth and education. He has launched a campaign to raise $30 million to help endow the clinical program. “Dean Kramer is committed to improving the quality of legal education at Stanford Law School and serves as a model to deans across the country. His dedication to increasing public service opportunities among law students and lawyers is an inspiration,” said David Stern, Chief Executive Officer for Equal Justice Works. Prior to joining Stanford Law School, Dean Kramer served as Associate Dean for Research and Academics and Russell D. Niles Professor of Law at New York University School of Law; professor of law at the University of Chicago and University of Michigan law schools; and consultant for Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP. Early in his career, Dean Kramer clerked for Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. of the U.S. Supreme Court and Judge Henry J. Friendly of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Dean Kramer received his bachelor's degree, magna cum laude, from Brown University in 1980. He earned his law degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Chicago Law School in 1984. He is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of both the American Philosophical Society and the American Law Institute. - end - Equal Justice Works, a nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization, was founded in 1986 by law students dedicated to working for equal justice on behalf of underserved communities and causes. Today, Equal Justice Works is the national leader in creating summer and postgraduate public interest opportunities for law students and lawyers as well as in advocating for more public interest programming at law schools. For more information, visit www.equaljusticeworks.org.
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