Watching MSU Law Students in Action Gives Me Hope

by Linda Sheryl Greene,

Dean MSU College of Law

I was overwhelmed with pride and hope on a recent Saturday when I visited the Breslin Center on Michigan State University’s campus to observe 50 of our law students working with their professors and volunteer lawyers to put to use a Michigan law that permits a person to request the removal of a criminal conviction from their public record.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a package of “Clean Slate” laws on Oct. 12, 2020, and they went into effect on April 11, 2021.

Although approximately one million residents became eligible to seek expungement, only a small fraction of those have sought expungement.

In response to the low uptake, four MSU College of Law students – Breia Lassiter, Audrea Dakho, Sam Weiser, Alex Padla – began planning four months ago to hold an Expungement Fair for Lansing-area residents – and raise money to off-set the expungement application fee.

Many MSU Law professors and staff members guided our students to make the fair a reality: Catherine Grosso, Barb O’Brien, Mary Ann Ferguson, Justin Simard, Michael Sant’Ambrogio, Margie Aimery, Katie Pike, and Sally Rice.

Law students know from their legal study that the collateral consequences of a criminal conviction linger long after a person has completed legally mandated punishment, probation, and restitution.

As student organizer Sam Weiser says: “Invisible punishment follows people long after they’ve served their sentence and completed their probation.” They also know from their study that a law on the books is ineffective until it becomes a law in action.

The volunteers who worked with our students made a difference in the lives of 168 people with whom they completed expungement applications ready to file. That’s 168 more people who will be able to apply for jobs, rent apartments, seek car loans, and so much more without the worry that a background check will reveal a long-ago legal infraction.

I came to MSU Law nearly two years ago in part because I admired the faculty. They are experts in both private and public law, many nationally and internationally known. After a year and a half as Dean, I know much more about their commitment to excellence in teaching both legal theory and legal practice.

One of those practice components is a commitment to pro bono service that our students deliver in clinics set up as small law firms lead by professors and serving clients who cannot afford legal counsel. Another is the importance of leadership — in practice and in society.

MSU College of Law is dedicated to the education of the next generation of diverse lawyer-leaders who will serve diverse communities in Michigan and beyond. I was moved to tears as I watched our 50 students, many of whom will graduate next spring, begin their journey to become that next generation of lawyer-leaders.

Linda Sheryl Greene is Dean and MSU Foundation Professor of Law at the Michigan State University College of Law.