{"id":67489,"date":"2020-05-04T09:29:36","date_gmt":"2020-05-04T13:29:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/?p=67489"},"modified":"2022-02-07T12:41:55","modified_gmt":"2022-02-07T17:41:55","slug":"when-representation-goes-remote","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2020\/when-representation-goes-remote\/","title":{"rendered":"When Representation Goes Remote"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin record-block-editorial-leadin is-style-default-alt has-media has-media-focus-center-middle has-quinary-theme\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"700\" height=\"500\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2020\/05\/stay-home-road-sign-logan-weaver-unsplash.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"Road sign with the message &quot;stay home&quot; on it\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/05\/stay-home-road-sign-logan-weaver-unsplash.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/05\/stay-home-road-sign-logan-weaver-unsplash-636x454.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/05\/stay-home-road-sign-logan-weaver-unsplash-482x344.jpg 482w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Photo by Logan Weaver via Unsplash<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">Experiential Education<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhen Representation Goes Remote\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">Students in BU Law\u2019s clinics and externship programs have maintained a high standard of work, conducted remotely.<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar record-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">May 4, 2020<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/authors\/lauren-eckenroth\/\">Lauren Eckenroth<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph record-block-editorial-introparagraph\"><div class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph-content\"><p>Brandi Patierno (\u201920) and Lexi Weyrick (\u201921), students in the BU Law&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/experiential-learning\/clinics\/civil-litigation-program\/\">Access to Justice Clinic<\/a>, had been representing a client in housing court at the start of the spring semester. But when an emergency issue arose with the client after the stay-at-home order was put in place in Massachusetts, they had to scramble to prepare for a hearing via teleconference.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe judge had to walk us through the hearing, which was really complicated, because you can\u2019t communicate the same way as in a courtroom,\u201d Weyrick&nbsp; says. \u201cIt was harder to get across what we needed to, and when our client tried to speak to us during the hearing the only available remedy was to ask them to text us. It was very difficult to try to figure out a quick solution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Patierno and Weyrick have continued to represent their client even after Boston University President Robert Brown announced in mid-March that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/articles\/2020\/remote-classes-through-spring-semester\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">classes would be conducted remotely<\/a> until the end of the spring 2020 semester. In response, departments across the university quickly developed processes and policies for administering coursework. Students in BU Law\u2019s experiential learning programs faced the additional challenges of how to continue working and representing clients when they could no longer meet in person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Associate Dean for Experiential Learning <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/profile\/karen-pita-loor\/\">Karen Pita Loor<\/a> worked with directors of the clinics, practicums, and externship programs to solidify expectations for students and supervising attorneys so students could fulfill the requirements of their coursework and continue to serve their clients and gain the valuable experience and lawyering skills conferred by hands-on practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With more than 60 students completing externships in courts, hospitals, state and federal government agencies, law firms, nonprofits, and legal services organizations, program directors and supervising attorneys have had to adjust and provide meaningful learning opportunities while accommodating the confidentiality concerns of, for example, legal services organizations. To their credit, every organization managed to figure it out. \u201cFor example, one federal district court judge is holding hearings over Zoom,\u201d says Director of Externship Programs <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/profile\/kathleen-devlin-joyce\/\">Kate Devlin Joyce<\/a>. \u201cSo the student placed with him is observing and participating in that way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The externship directors, meanwhile, spent class time early in the transition helping students adjust to working from home. From setting a clear schedule to making time with their supervisors at the end of every day to ask questions, go over project milestones, and receive feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe have an amazing student body, and they all met this new challenge with complete aplomb,\u201d says Devlin Joyce. \u201cMany of them have figured out how to continue on with their work projects. Some of them have gotten additional or different projects to work on. But they\u2019ve all managed this transition beautifully.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While some clinics were able to transition into fully remote coursework and representation relatively seamlessly, others have had to pivot as <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brennancenter.org\/our-work\/research-reports\/courts-responses-covid-19-crisis\" target=\"_blank\">courts closed<\/a> or moved to remote hearings. \u201cThe expectation for our students has been that they would still do everything they would have to prepare for a hearing,\u201d Loor says. \u201cWe\u2019ve tried to approximate, as best we can, what a semester would look like, but it\u2019s been a challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As part of the Civil Litigation &amp; Justice Program, the Access to Justice Clinic represents clients in civil matters including domestic relations, eviction defense, and employment law. \u201cThe challenging part for us is that while the courts are shutting down right now, our clients are becoming more and more marginalized,\u201d says Director <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/profile\/naomi-m-mann\/\">Naomi Mann<\/a>. \u201cOur clients live more on the margins, so the impact is being really deeply felt. A lot of the cases, even despite the courts shutting down, haven\u2019t slowed down. Clients are losing their jobs, are unable to pay for housing\u2026 we\u2019ve even had some hearings proceed that shouldn\u2019t have.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Patierno and Weyrick say that much of the background work they have done for the case\u2014researching, writing, and filing motions\u2014has remained the same, but that representing their client has required a big shift. They\u2019ve prioritized being more available on their phones rather than scheduling in-person meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn general, when you\u2019re talking about socioeconomically disadvantaged clients, there\u2019s a concern about things like phone minutes,\u201d Patierno says. \u201cServices aren\u2019t supposed to be shutting off phones right now, but there\u2019s still a concern that it could happen. If any client loses their phone connection to us, that\u2019s all we\u2019ve got right now. If we can communicate, there\u2019s a lot we can do to try and help with barriers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finding quick but workable solutions to new problems has become the norm during the pandemic. \u201cWe\u2019ve been putting out the little fires that have popped up because the laws have been changing so quickly,\u201d Weyrick says. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to make sure that our client is secure in their housing while all of this is going on, and then trying to research and figure out how they can still be secure after all of this is over.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-end-of-article\">\u201cI\u2019ve been so impressed, that in the midst of my students having their own personal challenges related to COVID-19, that they have really remained so committed to keep working on their cases,\u201d Mann says. \u201cThey have stepped up in a really incredible way to realize the power and importance of their legal role with their clients.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories is-style-card has-three record-block-editorial-relatedstories\">\n\t\t<h3 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-title\">Related<\/h3>\n\t\t<ul class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"700\" height=\"450\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2020\/04\/kaitlin-heinen-banner.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Kaitlin Heinen (&#039;17) is a housing attorney in Seattle, WA\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/04\/kaitlin-heinen-banner.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/04\/kaitlin-heinen-banner-636x409.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/04\/kaitlin-heinen-banner-500x321.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>Housing Law<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2020\/helping-people-keep-their-homes-in-a-pandemic\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">Helping People Keep Their Homes in a Pandemic<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">April 27, 2020<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"700\" height=\"450\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2020\/04\/covid-mask-graffiti-adam-niescioruk-unsplash.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Graffiti of a surgical mask with COVID-19 underneath\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/04\/covid-mask-graffiti-adam-niescioruk-unsplash.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/04\/covid-mask-graffiti-adam-niescioruk-unsplash-636x409.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/04\/covid-mask-graffiti-adam-niescioruk-unsplash-500x321.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>Health Law<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2020\/public-health-in-a-time-of-pandemic\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">Public Health in a Time of Pandemic<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">April 13, 2020<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Students in BU Law\u2019s clinics and externship programs have maintained a high standard of work, conducted remotely.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11260,"featured_media":67491,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"Experiential 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