Columbus School of Law

The Program is directed by Sarah H. Duggin, who is a member of the full-time faculty at the Columbus School of Law. Prior to coming to the The Catholic University of America School of Law, Sarah Duggin was Vice President & General Counsel of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak). Her duties included managing a 150-person law department with responsibility for corporate transactions, litigation, labor and employment, disciplinary hearings, EEO investigations, and nationwide claims administration, as well as advising Amtrak's Board and Chief Executive Officer. Sarah has also served as Chief Counsel of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, a multi-facility academic medical care provider, and as General Counsel of the Children's National Medical Center. Prior to her general counsel positions, Sarah was a partner in the Washington, D.C. law firm of Williams & Connolly where she litigated complex criminal and civil cases, including a number of pro bono matters.

Sarah is a cum laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she was Articles Editor of the law review, winner of the David Amram prize for civil procedure, and an editorial assistant to Professor George Haskins, author of the second volume of the Holmes Devise History of the United States Supreme Court. Sarah's undergraduate degree is from Smith College where she received an A.B. magna cum laude with highest honors in government and high honors in economics and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. After law school, she served as a law clerk to the Honorable Spottswood W. Robinson, III, the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Sarah has taught a number of continuing legal education courses and in-house and client seminars on managing complex civil litigation, various aspects of federal evidence law, managing crises, and dealing with corporate criminal investigations. Sarah has provided legal consulting advice to several health care and other corporate clients and has participated in a number of community service organizations, particularly a missions group that travels to northeastern Honduras and working to assist residents with education and small business initiatives. She is married to Kirk Renaud. Sarah and Kirk have two children, Alexander and Bryant.

Professor Duggin is on sabbatical during the Fall 2008 semester. Professor Suzette Malveaux is currently serving as the interim director.

A MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR

I write to introduce you to the Law and Public Policy Program at the Columbus School of Law. Established in 1984, the Law and Public Policy Program is an academic enrichment program for students interested in careers in public interest law, government or politics.

As director of the Program, I am privileged to work with some of the most idealistic and public-spirited law students in the country. The students who join the Law and Public Policy Program (LPP) apply to law school because they want to use the law to address some of the pressing social problems that afflict our country. Some students are interested in careers in government or politics. Some aspire to serve disadvantaged people, poor people, people with disabilities, children, refugees and others through direct representation or through legislative work, policy development or research. The Program aspires to provide academic and professional support to future lawyers who will use their training and professional position to help others.

The location of the Columbus School of Law in the nation's capital offers a wealth of opportunity for experiential learning. The legal education of every student in the Law and Public Policy Program includes fieldwork at a government agency, in Congress, or in a non-profit organization. Through the fieldwork, LPP students are exposed to a wide range of policy-oriented lawyering activities. While many students' fieldwork involves representing clients in traditional lawyering roles, some students also draft legislation, write comments on proposed agency rules, prepare testimony for hearings on policy issues, do community education work, or research social problems. LPP students participate in seminars in which they share their field experiences and engage in critical reflection on the processes by which public policy is made and implemented. By the time LPP students finish law school, they are well into some of the most satisfying and significant work that can be found in the legal profession.

I hope you will read on and consider whether the Law and Public Policy Program fits your educational needs. Please feel free to contact me if you have questions.