Drake's Wrongful Convictions Clinic remains in limbo
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At Drake University. Left to right: Elaina Steenson, an attorney; Lauren Wheeler, an investigator; and Erica Nichols Cook, the clinic's former director. Photo: Linh Ta/Axios
For years, Drake University law students gained hands-on experience with criminal cases through the university's Wrongful Convictions Clinic, but the clinic's future is uncertain following the sudden firing of its director.
Why it matters: The clinic, which started in January 2021, provides legal services to people who say they were wrongfully convicted while giving law students hands-on experience.
- It operated in partnership with the state Public Defender's Office.
This semester, Drake students were forced to find new internships, leaving clients with less help.
- "It just felt very abrupt," says Kaille Simmons, who is in her last year of law school and plans on becoming a public defender. "Everyone kind of struggled on figuring out what the next steps were."
How it started: Erica Nichols Cook helped open Drake's Wrongful Convictions Clinic and became its director following her years as a public defender in Iowa and Illinois.
- Through the clinic, students could learn about post-conviction work, meet clients and earn hours needed for their law degrees.
For students like Simmons, that work was exciting — so much so that she continued the work for three semesters, including this spring.
- But a week into the semester, she discovered she would need to drop her case and move to a different course offering.
- Drake had fired Nichols Cook, saying she improperly took a $154,000 check, intended for the university, from a former client she helped exonerate, per a statement from the university.
- Cook said it was a misunderstanding that could have been resolved had the university taken the time to speak with her.
- A police investigation did not result in criminal charges, per the Register.
What they're saying: In a statement to Axios, Drake University notes that it is working on "charting a sustainable path forward for the Wrongful Convictions Clinic" and hopes to resume operations next semester.
- Eight third-year law students in the clinic were moved into other courses in the curriculum.
- "We understand why they may be disappointed by this change. While this impact was unforeseen and unfortunate, the actions we took were necessary," per the statement.
Zoom in: Simmons says she chose Drake for law school because she was excited about the hands-on opportunities.
- She intentionally planned to front-load all her clinic work this semester so she could end the year preparing for finals.
- She has an internship now with the Federal Defender's Office, but she'll need to work during her internship until finals week to get the hours she needs.
- "It's been stressful," she says.
The big picture: The loss of Drake students' help this semester has been a significant adjustment for the State Public Defender's Office, Nichols Cook tells Axios.
- Students helped screen potential clients, file motions and conduct research for cases.
- "The clients have definitely felt their absence," Nichols Cook says. "They liked working with students and feeling like they had a team."
What's next: Drake is having conversations with the office to find a "mutually beneficial solution moving forward," per a statement, though nothing has been finalized yet.