Professor
J. Palmer Lockard II teaches what he likes to call “survival law.” His goal is simple—to get students ready to pass the bar so they can practice law.
As Director of the
Harrisburg Civil Law Clinic, he brings more than 28 years of legal experience to the table to help students develop some of their most important skills. It’s a process he finds extremely rewarding.
“I tell people that I have the best job in the world,” Lockard says. “To see students acquire a high level of confidence in such a demanding field . . . it’s really exciting.”
The Harrisburg Civil Law clinic represents indigent clients involved in cases such as divorce, consumer bankruptcies, and unemployment compensation. Lockard and two other staff attorneys act as managing partners who oversee and advise the young associates.
“Students generally come in with a lot of trepidation,” Lockard says. “They have a great deal of legal knowledge and know the general principles, but they’re not entirely confident that they know how to apply them in the real world.”
As each semester progresses, Lockard proudly watches as students lose their initial “deer-in-the-headlights” look and take on an air of confidence and determination. It’s a great feeling, he says, matched only by watching those same students go on to successful careers as attorneys who represent their clients and Widener Law well.