{"id":18192,"date":"2022-04-19T13:18:33","date_gmt":"2022-04-19T18:18:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/?p=18192"},"modified":"2022-04-19T13:20:54","modified_gmt":"2022-04-19T18:20:54","slug":"kate-kruse-natalie-netzel-named-co-directors-of-mitchell-hamline-clinics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/2022\/04\/19\/kate-kruse-natalie-netzel-named-co-directors-of-mitchell-hamline-clinics\/","title":{"rendered":"Kate Kruse, Natalie Netzel named co-directors of Mitchell Hamline clinics"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Asst. Professor Natalie Netzel ’15<\/p><\/div>\n

When Natalie Netzel was deciding which law school to attend, she kept coming back to the school that promised her \u201cpractical wisdom\u201d that would make her ready to practice when she graduated. A large part of the pull was the clinical education that would give her real-world legal experience while still in law school.<\/p>\n

Ten years after making her choice, Netzel will become one of two co-directors of the very clinics that drew her to attend Mitchell Hamline.<\/p>\n

Starting July 1, Netzel, along with Professor Kate Kruse \u2013 who has more than 30 years\u2019 experience in clinical programs at five different law schools \u2013 will helm the program that began 50 years ago as one of the nation\u2019s first clinical education programs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an exciting opportunity to help shape the future of Mitchell Hamline\u2019s clinical program,\u201d said Netzel ’15, an assistant professor. \u201cThe clinics do incredible legal work serving clients and organizations that otherwise lack access to legal representation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is an honor to have a role in leading something that is so much bigger than any individual involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Professor Kate Kruse<\/p><\/div>\n

For Kruse, this marks a return to the role of clinics director, which she held at Hamline University School of Law before its 2015 combination with William Mitchell. Kruse is also a previous associate dean and vice dean at Mitchell Hamline. \u201cI look forward to looking back on our history, taking stock of where we are now, and planning where we want to go in the future,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t wait to see the work professors Kruse and Netzel bring to these posts,\u201d said President and Dean Anthony Niedwiecki. \u201cWe\u2019ve had remarkable leadership during the clinics\u2019 first half century, and I know Kate and Natalie will shepherd us well into the next half century.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kruse and Netzel will succeed Professor Brad Colbert \u201985, who remains director of the Legal Assistance to Minnesota Prisoners (LAMP) Clinic. Colbert has been the clinic director since 2017.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Professor Brad Colbert ’85<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI\u2019m grateful to have had the chance to lead the clinics these past years,\u201d said Colbert. \u201cIt\u2019s been an absolute delight working with everyone involved in the clinics \u2013 students, faculty, and staff. I am really looking forward to working with Natalie and Kate and see great things in the future of our clinics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mitchell Hamline currently has 15 clinics whereby students work with clients, under the supervision of professors. Students gain real-world experience by representing their clients in any number of ways. Students have won expungements and pardons for clients; testified before lawmakers to advocate for policy changes; and advocated on behalf of their clients in court.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m thrilled that Natalie and Kate will be stepping into leadership of the clinical program,\u201d said one of the clinic instructors, Associate Professor Ana Pottratz Acosta, who heads the Medical Legal Partnership. \u201cThe combination of Kate\u2019s years of clinical teaching experience and leadership combined with Natalie\u2019s innovative work and scholarship make them the perfect team to lead the clinical program.\u201d<\/p>\n

In summer 2021, the physical space where most clinics are located \u2013 the Rosalie Wahl Legal Practice Center \u2013 underwent a complete overhaul, thanks to a gift from the estate of Peter Berge ’83. The new space combines offices for faculty with common areas and meeting rooms for students and clients.<\/p>\n

Netzel says she hopes to add emphasis on a newer field of study around what it means to be a trauma-informed lawyer. \u201cPeople usually need lawyers at the worst moments of their lives, and I want to make sure our students are well-equipped with the necessary skills to adequately address clients’ needs beyond knowing and understanding the law,\u201d she said. \u201cTrauma-informed lawyering skills are just as critical as other lawyering skills.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be the best lawyer one can be, a person needs to be healthy\u2014and mental health is health. In clinic, we have an opportunity to be proactive and create support networks before <\/em>problems arise.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to that work, Kruse believes clinics will do even more work in coming years to deepen partnerships with community organizations and policy makers. \u201cWe take pride in the legacy of having been a leader in clinical education for many years–starting at a time when not all law schools had clinical programs,\u201d said Kruse. \u201cNow, all law schools have clinics, but they are all different.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am really proud of the many ways our clinic program embodies the school\u2019s larger mission of access, social justice, and innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n