U.VA. SCHOOL OF LAW OPENS PUBLIC SERVICE CENTER CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Aug 31 -- The University of Virginia School of Law recently opened a Public Service Center that will serve as the coordinating office for all of the law school's public service programs and as an information hub for students and alumni. The center, directed by Kimberly Carpenter Emery, assistant dean of public service, will focus both on public service career opportunities for students and on volunteer projects, including establishing a series of new free legal clinics. The center's main functions include: ¥ individual counseling to students interested in public service legal careers ¥ administering the law school's public service loan assistance program, which assists graduates who accept low-paying public service jobs with their law school student loan debts ¥ housing and managing the Pro Bono Students American database, a national network of law student pro bono and post-graduate public service opportunities ¥ coordinating an annual public interest job fair, a lecture series, and a variety of panels and workshops that introduce students to public service career opportunities ¥ publishing a newsletter that keeps students updated on job opportunities and the law school's community service activities. In addition, the center will develop and support new pro bono clinics in the areas of housing litigation and mediation, domestic violence, child advocacy, special education services, and wills for the low-income elderly, Emery said. These pro bono clinics will offer skills training and quality supervision to student volunteers who provide free legal services to low-income community members. Each year hundreds of Virginia law students volunteer their time in projects that serve low income members of the greater Charlottesville community, according to Emery. Activities include assistance to the homeless, the local food bank, and indigent prisoners in Virginia; a big sibling program; and international human rights projects. "Virginia has a long tradition of educating distinguished lawyers who are also dedicated public servants," Emery said. "Organizing all our public service activities under one roof allows us to more effectively introduce our students to the personal and professional advantages of public interest law." The University of Virginia School of Law, founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1826, consistently ranks among the top ten law schools in the nation. The law school houses approximately 1,200 students, 59 full-time professors, and more than 50 adjunct faculty and administrators representing private practice, federal and state government, and the judiciary. For additional information Kimberly Carpenter Emery may be reached at (804) 924-1419. ### August 30, 1996 REPORTERS, EDITORS: For interviews Kimberly Carpenter Emery may be reached at the above number. Television reporters should contact our TV News Office at (804) 924-7550.