Wilson, a 3L, tried and won a difficult case\u2014successfully defending his client, who was being sued for wrongful death.<\/p>\n
The program receives hundreds of requests for help each year from among the state\u2019s population of 9,000 prisoners. When LAMP takes a case, Mitchell Hamline students represent the client with supervision from resident adjunct professor Bradford Colbert \u201985<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Wilson\u2019s client was convicted of first degree assault and was sentenced to prison for a 2012 bar fight in Stillwater, Minn. He\u2019s expected to remain in the Faribault Correctional Facility until 2017.<\/p>\n The client\u2019s conviction arose out of a disagreement with a\u00a0man over a spilled drink in a bar. \u00a0The other man involved in the fight fell into a coma and later died in a hospital. The man\u2019s family sued Wilson\u2019s client, and the bar, for hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages.<\/p>\n During the four-day civil trial in January, Wilson argued that while his client had pled guilty to an assault charge and is serving prison time for that conviction, he couldn\u2019t be held civilly responsible for the man\u2019s death, because he didn\u2019t cause the death. The defense was based on the deposition of a medical expert, who testified that the injured man fell out of bed in the hospital, hitting his head. Wilson argued it wasn\u2019t clear whether the fight, or the fall, led to the man\u2019s death.<\/p>\n Colbert said Wilson spent hours studying the expert\u2019s testimony, finding crucial information he weaved into his closing argument for the jury.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was a key to this trial,\u201d Colbert said. \u201cHis use of those facts during closing arguments was masterful. That\u2019s what I think won the case for us.\u201d<\/p>\n Colbert emphasizes that Wilson was the lawyer during the trial.<\/p>\n \u201cAndy did the entire trial,\u201d Colbert said. \u201cHe did everything. He did the opening statement, he did the cross examination, and the closing argument. I didn\u2019t do anything but watch.\u201d<\/p>\n For Wilson, the courtroom experience was exhilarating, terrifying, but most importantly, valuable.<\/p>\n \u201cIn terms of a learning experience, it was incredible,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cThe reason I did the LAMP Clinic, and came to law school in the first place, was to help people who can\u2019t help themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n Mitchell Hamline School of Law gives students real-world legal experience through clinics, externships, and semester-long job placements. It\u2019s the kind of work that prepares them for jobs after graduation, whether in the courtroom, business, government, or public service.<\/p>\n Mitchell Hamline Professor Ann Juergens<\/strong>, co-director of the school\u2019s clinical program, said the most valuable experience for students is advocating on behalf of real clients.<\/p>\n![\"DSC02423\"](\"\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2016\/02\/DSC02423-300x200.jpg\")
Wilson represented his client through Mitchell Hamline\u2019s Legal Assistance to Minnesota Prisoners (LAMP) Clinic.<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"DSC02442\"](\"\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2016\/02\/DSC02442-300x200.jpg\")
\u201cYour own interests recede and the client\u2019s interests are primary,\u201d Juergens said. \u201cThis is one of the shifts in becoming a professional, putting your client\u2019s interests first.\u201d<\/p>\n