LSU Law Class of 2023 graduate Emily Vest is a recipient of the 2023 Clinical Legal Education Association Outstanding Clinical Student Award.
LSU Law Class of 2023 graduate Emily Vest received the 2023 Clinical Legal Education Association Outstanding Clinical Student Award for her dedicated work in two LSU Law clinics.
“I was shocked when I found out I won,” said Vest, who participated in the Juvenile Defense Clinic last fall and the Parole & Reentry Clinic in the 2021 fall semester. “I feel so grateful to be recognized. It means so much when clients thank you for your time and professors commend your work, and receiving an award like this really shows that you used your skills for the best.”
Through her work in the Juvenile Defense Clinic, Vest represented two clients, helping them and their guardians’ draft motions and prepare for their adjudication hearings. The charges against both clients were ultimately dismissed.
“Emily maintained a sharp focus on her cases for the duration of the semester,” said Juvenile Defense Clinic Professor Jack Harrison, noting one of Vest’s clients was facing charges that are generally prohibited from dismissal.
In the Parole & Reentry Clinic, Vest also successfully assisted two clients—both of whom won early release from prison after being incarcerated for more than 25 years—with their parole hearings by preparing briefs and making closing statements.
“Emily was an outstanding advocate for her clients in the Parole & Reentry clinic. One client of Emily’s was part of our Forgotten Men Project and involved collaboration with the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office. I look forward to seeing Emily excel in practice,” said clinic teacher and LSU Law Assistant Dean of Experiential Education Robert Lancaster, noting the Forgotten Men Project is an initiative spearheaded by The Parole Project that works to free inmates who have served extreme sentences, with special consideration for Black prisoners.
Vest said the most fulfilling part of her work in the clinics was helping her clients ensure their voices were heard in their legal proceedings, thereby allowing them the chance to change the narrative and trajectory of their lives for the better.
“I had the opportunity to show my clients in a positive light, which will be impactful in their lives down the road,” said Vest, a Roundup, Montana, native who earned her undergraduate degree in political science from Montana State University. “Every client has things to overcome, and a positive outcome is never guaranteed. All you can do is try your hardest to predict the moves of your opposers and prepare to flip the narrative.”
The hands-on, real-world legal work Vest was able to do in the clinics further solidified her commitment to launching her career as a litigator. After passing the bar, Vest said she plans to practice general litigation in the Dallas area. Along with capping her law school career with the CLEA Outstanding Clinical Student Award, Vest also served as production editor for Louisiana Law Review as well as an admissions ambassador, and a tutor in torts and constitutional law during her time at LSU Law.
The CLEA Outstanding Clinical Student Award honors law students who have excelled in a clinical course based on:
- Excellence in the field work component of the clinical course determined by the quality of the student’s performance in assisting or representing individual or organizational clients or in undertaking advocacy, community development, education, or policy reform projects;
- Excellence in the seminar component of the clinical course determined by the quality of the student’s thoughtfulness and self-reflection in exploring the legal, ethical, strategic, professional, and other pertinent issues raised in the particular clinic; and
- The nature and extent of the student’s contribution to the clinical community at the student’s law school, if relevant.
