Christine O’Rourke (’15) Wins Clinical Legal Education Award

Criminal Law Clinic student attorney recognized for zealous and holistic representation for her adult and juvenile clients.

Boston University School of Law has awarded Christine O’Rourke (’15) the Clinical Legal Education Award (CLEA) for the Outstanding Clinical Student. The honor is bestowed annually upon one student who demonstrates excellence in both the fieldwork and seminar component of a clinical course, and who makes an outstanding contribution to the clinical community at the School of Law.

O’Rourke, who will join the Defender Association of Philadelphia in September, was nominated by Professor Wendy Kaplan for her work in the Criminal Law Clinic’s Defender Program. “Her representation was punctuated by thorough investigation, complete legal research of the issues presented, comprehensive trial preparation, establishment of strong attorney-client relationships, and a sensitivity to the potential dispositional aspects of each case,” wrote Kaplan in her nomination.

Managing a number of complex adult criminal and juvenile delinquency matters, O’Rourke says she “honestly could not have enjoyed the clinic more,” and that she truly learned how to be a criminal defense attorney through this real-world experience. “I was able to represent criminal defendants and to dedicate the time and effort to the cases that these clients often do not get,” she says.

In one particular success story, O’Rourke secured the pretrial release of a juvenile client, who was deemed incompetent to stand trial, and was able to secure community-based programming to assist him with education issues as well as family and social needs.

“This client was particularly special to me because I felt like I truly became a resource for him and his family,” recalls O’Rourke. “I worked tirelessly to get him necessary services, to get him back into school, to get him into programs, to get him out of custody, that I often felt like more a social worker than a lawyer. However, I felt so fulfilled when I was able to make even a small difference in his situation.”

O’Rourke knew she wanted to be a criminal defense attorney since completing a senior honors thesis on the Innocence Project as an undergraduate at Loyola Marymount University. Experiences in law school, she says, only increased her desire to follow this professional track.

At BU Law, O’Rourke completed summer internships with the Committee for Public Counsel Services in Dedham, MA, and the Public Defender Service in Washington, DC. She participated in a pro bono spring break trip to Kansas City, MO, with the Death Penalty Litigation Clinic. And she competed in numerous competitions with the mock trial team, which she cites as “the best decision I made in law school.”

And in addition to the clinic, “All criminal attorneys will say that Professor Tracey Maclin’s Criminal Procedure class is the most important and impactful course at BU Law,” says O’Rourke. “It was challenging and scary, but it taught me how to think and analyze like a lawyer and how not to crack under pressure. I gained an incredible amount of knowledge that I will use everyday at a public defender.”

O’Rourke is honored by the recognition and looks forward to beginning her career as a criminal defense attorney with the Defender Association of Philadelphia in the fall.