Chicago-Kent College of Law Viewbook - (Page 62) On Skills Training Professor Richard J. Gonzalez and Morgan McGough Clinical Professor of Law Richard Gonzalez, once an administrative law judge with the Illinois Human Rights Commission, has won major victories against Fortune 500 corporations on behalf of employees claiming workplace discrimination. When the chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois appointed him to represent the plaintiff in a wrongful discharge case, he asked third-year student Morgan McGough to join him on the case. Our client was fired while serving on a grand jury. This came to the attention of the judge, who entered a probable cause finding—very unusual. Morgan had been doing outstanding work in our in-house labor and employment law practice. She deposed an important witness for me in a federal race discrimination and retaliation lawsuit and also conducted the direct examination at a trial about an Equal Pay Act claim. To see a student gain the courage to do a deposition and walk through a courtroom—that’s what clinical legal education is all about. Morgan: A lot of law students are timid about taking risks. In a setting where you’re getting paid, you’re always afraid of making a mistake. Professor Gonzalez makes clear that this is a learning process. Fortunately, there’s someone there to make sure your mistakes aren’t irreversible. Prof. Gonzalez: I like having one foot in the teaching world and one in the practice world. To me employment law is a great field—it’s human drama. Morgan: Employment relationships have a huge impact on the quality of our lives. There’s not enough attention paid to them. I grew up in the South, and I’m a woman, so enforcing civil rights and fighting discrimination are near and dear to my heart. But a large part of why I’m even in this field has to do with Professor Gonzalez’s example. Prof. Gonzalez: On Professor Gonzalez: www.kentlaw.edu/faculty/rgonzalez http://www.kentlaw.edu/faculty/rgonzalez
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