BC Law’s new Amicus Brief Clinic filed its first brief on March 28, responding to a request from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court for additional information on the proper standards for a judicially mandated dissolution of a corporation. The brief was drafted by students Niloufar Abae ’18 and Alex Pena ’18, with assistance from Professors Brian Quinn and Thomas Carey ’65.
“Our hope is that the result of Alex and Niloufar’s work will be helpful to the SJC as it decides this case and thinks about the law here,” said Quinn. “They worked very hard over a short period to think through the issues and to draft a top-notch brief.”
The clinic is one of a very few such clinics in the US. It provides students and faculty an opportunity to weigh in on, and attempt to influence, the development of the law and public policy in the courts. “The clinic is a unique opportunity for students to jump head first into a real-life legal research project and become expert in that area quickly,” Quinn explained.
The Amicus Brief Clinic is a “pop-up” or temporary clinic that runs for a very short period of time and for a specific purpose. Faculty identify an important legal issue being considered or soon to be considered by a court, then guide a small student team in the process of researching, writing, editing, and submitting an amicus brief to the court for consideration.
The Amicus Brief Clinic is a two-credit, one-semester clinical opportunity at BC Law.
Pictured, from left, Niloufar Abae, Brian Quinn, Alex Pena, and Thomas Carey