Initiatives

The Criminal Law Association was established by students in September 2010 to educate and inform members and the Vanderbilt Law community about issues surrounding criminal law, criminal procedure and the justice system at the state, federal and international levels. Christopher Slobogin is the organization's faculty advisor.

Law Students for Social Justice is working to connect Vanderbilt students with Tennessee’s incarcerated populations, create opportunities for legal research in the prisoner rights field, and serve prison communities through campus book drives and education programs. Terry Maroney is the organization's faculty advisor.

Vanderbilt Law students have opportunities to support volunteer initiatives such as:

• Mentoring high school students empowered to sentence minor juvenile offenders through a restorative justice-based process that involves a “hearing” with opening and closing statements and witness testimony in conjunction with Nashville’s Youth Court program
• Teaching in basic legal education programs aimed at homeless, formerly incarcerated and other vulnerable populations
• Screening clients for legal assistance needs at a clinic run by Vanderbilt medical students that serves indigent patients

Student organizations also bring informational speakers to campus to discuss all aspects of criminal law. Speakers have included state and federal defenders and prosecutors, judges, wrongly convicted exonerees, criminal defense lawyers, and scholars and public officials with expertise in all areas of criminal justice.