Speech to Legal Aid Students September 2013

7/29/2019 Speech to Legal Aid Students September 2013

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Friday, September 13, 2013University of Puerto Rico Law School

Oath-taking for Students of the Legal Aid Clinic

ACalltobeMoved:

AnAddresstoLegalAidClinicStudents

TracyRobinson

FacultyofLaw,UniversityoftheWestIndies

Salutations

TheHonorableLuisF.Estrella,associatejudgeofthePuertoRicoSupremeCourt,Professor

Prof. Vivian Neptune Rivera, Dean, Vice Deans, The Director of the Legal Aid Clinic ,

Professorsall,includingcliniciansLawstudentsbeinginductedintotheProgramme,Your

friendsandfamily,

IwanttoexpressmygratitudetoyourDirector,MariluzJimnezforherinvitationto talk

withyoutodayasyoutakeyouroath.Wehavebeentalkingaboutthisvisitforayearnow.

I consider this visit and the multiple invitations I have received from the University of

PuertoRicotomeet,talkwithandteachandbreakbreadherewiththehighestregard.

Theycomeoutofaseriesofpan-Caribbeanconversationsthathavetakenplaceoverthe

lasttwoyearsthatIhavebeenapartof.ButtheygobackmuchlongerasaformerDean

herehasremindedme.

I owe mypresencein Puerto Rico toProfessor EfrnRivera. Wemettwo yearsago ata

meetingofCaribbeanscholarsinCubaworkingonissuesofsexuality.Wehadthepleasure

ofProfessorRiveraspresenceatUniversityoftheWestIndiesinJamaica. 1Iamgladtobe

1SeeEfrnRiveraRamos,ColonialismandtheConstitution.PaperpresentedatFacultyofLaw,Universityof

theWestIndies,MonaCampus,April19,2013.


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hereandmyhopeisthatintime,itwontbeusmovingbutyou,ourstudents,betweenthe

UniversityoftheWestIndiesinJamaicaandPuertoRico,andpossiblyeventhecampuses

ofUWIatBarbadosandTrinidad.Weareneighbourswhohavebeenestrangedbylanguage

andtransportationandmultipleandongoingcolonisationsfortoolong.

I am very impressed by what you have accomplished in 100 years. You have a well

deservedreputationasapremierchoiceforPuertoRicansforlawschool.Youhaveused

externships,clinics,exchangestobuildalegalcosmopolitanismthatisabsolutelynecessary

forthedevelopmentoflawtoday.Iencourageusalltothinkofthatcosmopolitanismeven

further beyond the north-south axis and get to know our neighbours in the Caribbean

better. But, at the same time you have managed to ground law as an applied discipline

constructedaroundservingothersandobservingclearlydefinedethicalprinciples.Inyour

overfiftyyearsofclinicallegaleducationyouhaverealisedoveradozenspecialinterests:

general civil and criminal practice, human rights, immigration, environmental justice,

mediation, economic community development, employment, juvenile law, intellectual

propertyandinternetlaw.

In my few days here I have had the privilege meeting many of you, continuing my

conversationswithmyfriendEfrn,hadtheprivilegeoflongchatswithyourDeanabout

reconnectingouruniversities,plentyotherswithmyclass.YourDirectorMariluzJimenez,has taken charge ofme and immediately struck meas a womanwho gets things done.I

havethegreatestrespectforthatworkshedoesinguidingexperientiallearningandasa

translatorofsortsoflegalideasintoconcreteprogrammesledbyexpertlawyers.Ialsomet

withNoraVargasAcostaandherclinicwhoorganisedaconversationonWednesdayhere

and heard much more about the important work being done to vindicate the rights of

LGBTIpersonsinPuertoRicothroughoneofyourclinics.Iwishtocongratulateyouallas

clinicians and students for your work in securing access to justice for all and ensuring

economicandsocialjusticeformanymorePuertoRicans.

Doinglaw

InEngland,whichourlegaleducationintheAnglophoneCaribbeanwaspatternedon,they

talkaboutreadinglawwhenyoudoalawdegree.Todayourstudentsaremoreliketosay


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theyarestudyingordoinglaw.Butfranklyitisonlywhenyouembarkonaclinicalor

appliedlawprogrammelikethisonethatlawbecomeanactiveverbandwemovefrom

readingorstudyingittodoinglaw.

Insomesensesthough,thebusinessofreally doinglaw,thatyouhaveembarkedontoday,

servesacriticalfunction.Itturnsareflectivemirrororlensonlawitself.In doinglaw,you

gettoseelaw.Itispossibletoreadlawandstudyit,befilledtothebrimwiththeanalytical

skillswelawteacherslikedeconstructingajudgment,testingcoherencyinthereasoning,

reconstructing different types of legal interpretationwithout having cultivated critical

thinkingthatphilosopherMarthaNussbaumtalksabout.2

Clinicallegaleducationgivesyouthechancetonotjustseewhatlawcando,buttoseelaw,

andyouinit.Itshouldinstigateselfreflectionanda rigorousselfaccountability. Someof

our standard ways of teaching law leave us disembodied or unsure what to do with

ourselves,wheretoputourselvesamongstthecasesweread.Clinicallegaleducationputs

usintheequationanddisruptswhatcanseemlikeawellformeddisciplineinwhichwe

throwtheballfromsidetoside,asNussbaumsays,tradingclaimsandcounterclaimsto

askherquestionaboutbecomingcitizenswhocanreallyreasonandimaginativelyconsider

ourchoicesforeachother.3

Theunreadiness

IvisitedPuertoRicooneothertimebeforethis.Itwasin1991,andtheendofmyBachelor

of Laws degree,in the days when Caribbean airlinestravelled theregion, places we had

interests, family and connections. In our system, unlike yours, law is an undergraduate

degreeandIwastwentyonethenandabouttostartwhatwecalllawschool.Thetwoyear

professional programme that provides a basis for being called to the Bar virtually

everywhere in the English speaking Caribbean. A year into that programme I went to

Oxford to do the Bachelor of Civil Law, their graduate law programme and was back in

Jamaicathreeyearslater,havingspentayeardoinganLLMintheUnitedStates,to finish

thesecondyearoflawschool.AlthoughIsetupwithothersatlawschoolmyfirsthuman

2MarthaNussbaum,EducationforProfit,EducationforFreedom(2009)Summer LiberalEducation6.3Ibid.


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rightsorganisation,itwascalledConscience,Ihardlyknewthroughouttheseeightyearsof

studyinglawwhatalifeofworkwouldlooklike,farlesswhatmylifesworkmightbe.

I tell you this because I think that uncertainty is fine. Work should be a journey on

continued learning and exploration. It is not always a clear destination. I could not

anticipatewhereImightbenowandIcertainlydontknowwhereIwillbetwentyyears

fromnow.Nothingiswrongwithaplanbutitisntnecessaryoralwaysusefulforourself

developmentorinmakingadifference.

NobelLaureateandSt.Lucianpoet,DerekWalcottsaysinoneofhispoems,OddjobtheBull

Terrier,

Youprepareforonesorrow,

butanothercomes.

Itisnotliketheweather,

youcannotbraceyourself,

theunreadinessisall.

Theunreadinesscanbeallandleaveusspacetobe movedbyourexperiences,including

those in clinics, especially with those you help in clinics and those you work andcollaboratewithtogivelegalservices,andthosewhohelpyou.

Ihaveneverformallypracticedlaw,asmanyofyouwill.ButIquicklylearntIcouldchose

multiplewaysofdoinglawandfranklysometimesundoingittoo.FromwhereIstandas

the less typical lawyer but one motivated by a desire to see justice done, to ensure

everyonehasagoodchanceatafulllifeIhavefoursuggestions;

First, resisting law bounded-ness. My second: dont overvalue your brightness, put

brightness in perspective. My third: resisting righteousness. My fourth: recognising

everybodyissomebody.


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Law-bounded-ness

Theclinicalprogrammethatyouhavenowembarkedonandformalisebytakinganoath

today reflects the faith many of us have that the practice of lawboth in its ordinary

dimensionsand extraordinary ones.Stillmyfirst suggestion isnot tobecomelaw-bound,

evenasyouplanlivesaslawyers.Westillneedanopenmind.

Law matters as I have said to justice, to securing human flourishing for all. But it isnt

everything we need to be valuable citizens. It never can fully apprehend us as human

beings.Alotthatmatterstolifefallsoutsidelawscontrol.

Wemightnotseethatbecauseitissosuchanauthoritativediscourseandinfluentialdoor

openerforusandasourceofprivilegeforus.Sometimeswesimplyrestinlawspowerand

celebrateit.

Yourclinicalworkatthelawschool,whichisabouttheapplicationoflaw,willgiveyoua

unique opportunity to see what law can do and what it cannot as wellto resist law-

bounded-ness. Your clients will tell you stories and problems that fall both inside and

outsidetheformulasyouhavelearntforidentifyinglegalissuesandfiguringoutwhereto

findtheanswers.Whenthelawisputincontext,asitwillinclinics,wemustlearnhowto

workandseethevalueofworkinsideandoutsidetheboundariesoflaw.

Brightness

Mysecondsuggestionisaboutbrightness.Andnotovervaluingit.Oureducationalsystem

highlyvaluessomethingcalledbrightness. Itisnotuncommoninmypartoftheworldto

hearthefirstandonlydescriptorofsomeonewellthoughtofisthattheyaresobright.For

you,thatbrightnessisreflectedinyourgradesandthescholarshipsyouget.

It is not uncommon these days for my students to demand, before they have done any

work,earlyinthesemester,anA+becausetheyarehistoricallyandeternallybright.

Iacceptthatsomethingcalledbrightnessisacornerpieceofoureducationalsystem.Butit

meansfarlessthanweassume.Brightness,soheralded,isaconditionnotacontribution.In

the end, it is not that intellect per se that will be valued by others, but your character,

commitment,labourandhumanity.


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Andasfortheenduringnatureofbrightness.Idontbuyit.Thebrainismorelikeamuscle

andifyoudontuseif,youloseit.Itiscultivatedbythoughtfulnessinthemidstandwith

others,openness,agoodearandnotjustafinevoice.AsJenniferNedelskysays,itishuman

relationships that foster our autonomy, and make us who we are.4Intheend,thereare

veryfewplacesintheworldwereasagrownpersonyougettobejustbrightandvalued.

Folkswillsoonaskaboutwhoyouareandwhatyouhavedonewithyourlivesaslawyers.

SoIencourageyoutoputyourclevernessinperspective.

Righteousness

My third humble suggestion is about resisting righteousness. Lawyering invites strong

judgmentsofrightandwrong.Andwithitthereisatemptationtoclotheourselveswith

righteousness.Fightingagainstinjusticecanbeanoccupation,butneveraformofnobility.

OneofmyintellectualmentorsisaTrinidadianblacklesbianfeministnowatUniversityof

Toronto,JacquiAlexander.IwasstunnedwhenIreadherbookwhichcameoutin2005

calledPedagogiesofCrossingathowunsettledmanypartsofitmademe,eventhoughwe

hadbeenfriendsformanyyearsandspokenaboutitoften.

Inthebookshesays,oneoftheeffectsofconstructinglifebasedprincipallyinopposition

isthattheegolearnstobecomerighteousinitshatredofinjustice.Inthatveryprocessit

learnssimultaneouslyhowtohatesinceitisincapableofdistinguishingbetweengoodhate

andbadhate,betweenrighteoushateandirrationalhate.5

Shemadeitclearthatshe wasnotrejectingradicalpoliticsbutnoticedpsychicresiduals

that travel sometimes silently, sometimes vociferously, into social movements that run

aground on the invisible premises of scarcityalterity driven by separation,

empowermentdrivenbyexternallossandofhavingtoproveperpetualinjuryasthequid

proquotosecureephemeralrights.6

IfindJacquisdescriptionofthisverystark,andtherearecaseswhereitscautionmaynot

beneeded.Still,manyofushaveseeninthosewhoseoppositionalworkweadmireandin

4JenniferNedelsky,Law,BoundariesandtheBoundedSelf(1990)30Representations162.5MJacquiAlexander,PedagogiesofCrossing:MeditationsonFeminism,SexualPolitics,MemoryandtheSacred

(DukeUniversityPress2005)325-326.6Ibid.


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organisationsforgedfromthatworka derailmentof self,fromthatpsychicresiduewhich

shedescribes.Itishardtobuildapoliticsoffreedomwhichisentirelygeneratedoutofour

painandwounded-ness.Ithoughtaboutthisthisafternoonasmystudentsthisafternoon,

inafrankdiscussionaboutsocialjusticesaidtomebaldly,EverythinginPuertoRicois

secondarytothepoliticalstatusquestion.ItisablocktoALLProgress.

IvalueAlexandersclaimthatweneedanaffirmativevisionforoursocietyandlives,built

around our connection to each otherin spite of and because of the separations of

centuries:astruggleforalovingfreedom.7Wehavetoaskwhatthatothersortofstruggle

couldlooklikeinPuertoRicoandelsewhere,inwhichwevigorouslysearchoutspacesto

imaginativelyconsiderourchoicestoachievealovingfreedom.

EverybodyisSomebody

Andfinallyandrelatedly,wemustneverundervaluethedignityofeverysingleperson.In

theEnglish speakingCaribbean,somewriterslikethelateProfessorRex Nettleford,have

talkedabouttheprocessofsmaddification,asaprocessofdecolonisation.8Whathemeant

wasthataspartofthecreationofnationswasarecoveryofself,withthestartingpremise

thatEverybodyissomebody;inJamaican:Everybodyasmaddy.Nettleforddescribesthis

asthephenomenonofgrowthofpersonalawarenessandself-confidenceamongstthevast

majority of Jamaicans and the sense of place and purpose engendered by the social

legislationprogrammesoftheseventies.9Headded,Everybody(particularlythedeprived

masses)begantofeelhewassomebody(smaddy).10

TheideaofbeingsomebodyhasdeephistoricalsaliencetousintheCaribbean,hardfought

formeaning:controlofourbodies,ourrighttodecideourplanforourlifeandourrightto

control our labour. We must each be able to decide for ourselves what we consider a

7Ibid88.SeeTRobinson,Alovingfreedom(2007)24SmallAxe118;TRobinson,OurImaginedLivesinFaithSmith(ed),SexandtheCitizen:InterrogatingtheCaribbean (2011UniversityPressofVirginia)201. 8RexNettleford,Preface:MichaelManleyandCaribbeanDevelopment:TheCultureofResistance(2002)48

CaribbeanQuarterly1,1.9 RexNettleford,Review Article onMichael Manley,Jamaica: Struggle in the PeripheryThird WorldMedia

Limited London 1982) (1982) 28(3) Caribbean Quarterly 47-53, 51. Nettleford attributed the phrase to

Anthony Laing who worked with the Popular Music Development Programme of the Jamaica Cultural

DevelopmentCorporation(ibid53n15)10Ibid.53n15.


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worthwhilelife.Youwouldbesurprisedhowmanytimesashumanbeingsandlawyerswe

arecalledupontorecognisingthisandaffirmthisforothersandsometimesourselves.

Tobemoved

So I end by saying this is a clinical programme, in the sense of learning through direct

observation,butitneednotbeclinicalintheothersense,ofemotionlessordetached.A

goodlifesworkinlawisoneinwhichyouaremovedinsomeway.Movedtoseeyourself

andlawinnewways.

Formanyofyou,yourinductionherewillbethebeginningofthatjourney.

CongratulationsandIwishyoualleverysuccess.

Documents

Speech to Legal Aid Students September 2013