Syracuse Sun

The College of Law is introducing the Syracuse Medical Legal Partnership (SMLP) as part of its Office of Clinical Legal Education starting in the Spring 2025 semester. Professor Suzette Meléndez will co-direct the clinic alongside Dr. Steven Blatt from Upstate University Hospital and Professor Sarah Reckess L’09 from Upstate Medical University.

The SMLP represents a collaboration between the pediatric unit at SUNY Upstate Medical University and Syracuse University's College of Law. The initiative aims to provide legal advocacy to improve health outcomes for vulnerable patient populations. It also seeks systemic change through multidisciplinary education involving law students, medical students, residents, and other professionals.

Professor Suzette Meléndez stated, “The main goal of the SMLP is to educate law students about the role lawyers can play in positively affecting the lives of children facing significant medical and sociological obstacles.” She added that they hope to educate medical and social work professionals on working with legal representation for better patient outcomes.

Dean Terence Lau L’98 commented on the program's significance: “The SLMP is a unique approach to bridging the legal and sociological gap among a vulnerable population that is often faced with navigating complicated systems during a crisis.” He noted that participating Syracuse Law students would gain critical skills such as client interviewing and researching legal solutions valuable for their careers.

Students can register for this clinic when selecting classes for Spring 2025. Enrollment in Child Health Policy and Legal Practice is required as it serves as the classroom component of this experiential course.

With this addition, Syracuse College of Law offers eight clinics including Bankruptcy, Veterans Legal Clinic, Criminal Defense, Disability Rights, Housing, Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, Syracuse Legal Medical Partnership, and Transactional Law.