News Archive

Students from IU McKinney’s clinic programs were honored during an online event that took place on April 6. One student, now an alum, was recognized for the 2019-2020 academic year, and two students were chosen as co-honorees for the 2020-2021 academic year.

Brenden Haile, ’20, was named Clinic Student of the Year for his work in the Civil Practice Clinic, which is directed by Professor Carrie Hagan. Professor Hagan cited Haile’s work in organizing pop-up expungement clinics to make the services more accessible to the people who need them, and his efforts to persuade her to expand the clinic’s efforts to help the expungement clients in a larger way. The highlight of his clinic work was Haile “singlehandedly” drafting an amicus brief at the appellate level, Professor Hagan said. He also realized his goal of arguing before the Indiana Supreme Court during law school, reaching that milestone in Spring 2020.

In the photo at left, Professor Hagan and Brenden Haile are shown at the Indiana Statehouse on February 20, 2020, the day of Haile’s Supreme Court argument.

Jesse Smith and Gabrielle denBlanken, both IU McKinney 2Ls, were chosen as Clinic Student of the Year for 2020-2021 for their work in the Child Advocacy Law Clinic.

Smith was a student during the Fall 2020 semester who found himself tackling “some delicate situations,” said Nicole Goodson, who teaches as an adjunct professor in the Child Advocacy Law Clinic. Smith “negotiated through a legal minefield, stayed on his cases, and followed them even in the Spring semester,” she said.

DenBlanken likewise continued to follow her cases from the Fall 2020 semester into the Spring, said Carey Haley Wong, ’02. Wong also teaches as an adjunct professor in the clinic. “If you care about the complexity of their issues,” Wong said, “it shows in your work and it was evident in Gabriella’s work.”

In the photo at left, from left, are Carey Haley Wong, ’02, Gabrielle denBlanken, Jesse Smith, and Nicole Goodson.