November 28, 2005
Setting a precedent | Peter Pitegoff, the new dean of Maine Law, on his plans to expand the school's mission and student body
By Sean Donahue
The image most non-lawyers have of law school is probably shaped by films like The Paper Chase, in which strict professors pummel students with the intricacies of criminal codes, torts, contracts and the other basics of the legal sphere. But Peter Pitegoff also sees law school as an opportunity to immerse students in emerging areas like health law, intellectual property and other important business development and economic issues. As the new dean of the University of Maine School of Law in Portland, Pitegoff hopes to demonstrate that connection to students, alumni, local businesses and state policymakers.
Pitegoff, who took over as dean in July, comes from a legal and academic career steeped in hands-on experience. After attending law school at New York University, Pitegoff helped create the legal department for The ICA Group, a nonprofit economic development agency in Massachusetts. As an attorney with ICA, Pitegoff helped state and municipal governments develop job creation policies, and worked with small businesses on issues such as establishing employee stock ownership plans.
Pitegoff got into teaching law in the 80s, and when he took a full-time position at the University at Buffalo Law School at the State University of New York, he wanted to give students a taste of the real-world experience he had with ICA. To that end, Pitegoff helped create what he calls "clinical programs" focused on economic development issues, in which students could work on subjects like affordable housing creation.
Now, he'd like to bring a similar approach to Maine Law to help make what he says has always been a strong teaching institution more externally focused. "It's an opportunity for me to be more of an entrepreneur and to bring the institution to the next level," says Pitegoff.
That expansion could include being more engaged with national legal policy debates, in part through hosting symposiums and other events focused on important issues. It also means developing closer ties to the private sector, nonprofits and state and local governments. Pitegoff would also like to see the school grow from the roughly 260 students enrolled currently to 350, which he says would make it more stable in terms of tuition revenue and curriculum diversity. Mainebiz recently spoke with Pitegoff to learn more about these plans. An edited transcript of the conversation follows.
Mainebiz: Maine Law seems to be an important feeder system for people who want to work in Maine government, the Maine judiciary or the Maine legal community. But do you see opportunities to expand Maine Law's reach beyond Maine, attracting more students from out of state and feeding graduates back into the national legal or policy world?
Pitegoff: It's a careful balance. This is the only law school in Maine and one of only two public law schools in all of New England. Maine Law must continue to provide an opportunity for people in Maine to prepare to be lawyers and judges in the state. But I think it's a balance that also requires the law school to reach out beyond the state.
Although 20% to 25% of our students do end up working outside the state, the law school needs to be connected more substantially to both the practicing bar and judiciary nationally, as well as the [legal] academy nationally. It's not simply to get more attention, it's to attract the best quality faculty. It's to bring the best talent into Maine. I think the law school will be more stable ultimately if we can expand a little bit ˆ expand our reach but also expand our size and tuition base.
What are the areas in which the law school is particularly well connected to the legal community in Maine? What are you hearing from alumni about the ways in which a Maine Law degree prepares students to work in the state?
At the core, it's about excellence in law school teaching. Maine Law has a reputation as an excellent teaching institution, a place where students can get an excellent core education in the law. What we've found in recent years is that the major law firms that tend to hire the best entry-level lawyers have increasingly hired our graduates, even in head-to-head competition with students graduating from elite schools.
The law school is also connected with other communities. We have something called the Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic, which is one of six major legal services providers in the state for people in need. It has some specialties in family law, in juvenile law ˆ in the areas that are typical of legal services offices that serve the poor, the elderly and other clients in need. So the students who participate in that program are already engaged in what is a very well integrated legal services community.
We also have something called the Center for Law and Innovation that includes a patent law program. The [four-year-old] center involves faculty and students in assisting inventors and entrepreneurs in intellectual property issues, particularly patent matters. And while technology is not as far along in Maine as it is in some states, as we're looking toward the future, we're building out there just as I anticipate Maine will be building out in the technology sector as well.
How are you doing so?
Rita Heimes, the executive director, just welcomed a new senior attorney working in the center named Leonard Agneta. He comes from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where he was doing tech transfer work, which is critical to both the university and the state. He will be applying some of those skills here working on intellectual property work, doing patent screening and perhaps patent applications for people and institutions throughout Maine [see Newsworthy, p. 3]. So that's a significant addition.
We're also pulling it more closely into the core of the law school enterprise by establishing an intellectual property clinic at our 400 Commercial St. office [in Portland]. By having a clinical program there, students will do a lot of work with inventors and entrepreneurs and researchers and get credit for it. It's part of their on-the-job training.
So you put students in contact with business people or researchers who need help with an intellectual property or patent issue?
Right. I think students will get involved in various aspects of that kind of tech transfer, so I'm excited about that, because it's a public service that I think is at the cutting edge of economic development and technology in Maine. It's also an important connection back to the research that a number of our professors are doing in the area of intellectual property and commerce.
Intellectual property seems like one of the sexier areas of law right now, but what are the nuts-and-bolts legal disciplines that Maine Law is best known for?
It goes back to the excellence in basic education. Students coming out of here learn to do the things they'll need to do in a small or solo practice. If they've worked in the Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic, they've experienced the kind of family law matters that will be their bread and butter if they go out and practice.
The specialty areas are more exciting in terms of looking toward the future, and I think intellectual property is certainly one of them. Another signature strength that we will be building on over time is the marine law and environmental focus that has been part of Maine Law for some time. The Gulf of Maine Research Institute is just a couple of doors away from our Center for Law and Innovation, and I hope we'll be generating some energy and expertise that can help in marine law development and the legal and technical aspects that relate to that.
On top of that basic education, though, one of your goals is to introduce new courses focused on specialty disciplines. What's behind that strategy? Are there specific gaps you're trying to address?
We are adding four new "bridge courses" next semester. The typical law school course is a three- or four-credit course that meets in the classroom for 13 weeks. It's a substantial commitment of time for the professor and for the students. Bridge courses are one-credit courses taught in particular areas of law, where you meet in the classroom for 12 hours over the course of four weeks or two weeks. The idea is that they bridge theory and practice.
The benefit is that lawyers and judges who don't have the time to commit to [teaching] a full three-credit or four-credit course can come in on a shorter time frame and teach a one-credit course. It gives the students a window into particular aspects of practice, especially in areas that some of the [full-time] faculty might not have experience.
We did this substantially at Buffalo and found that the teachers loved it. It increased the level of engagement and commitment on the part of many of the lawyers and judges to the law school. They just felt more connected, so it was a really successful external development thing. What we're planning to do in the coming semester is to offer courses in various intellectual property and marine law areas.
Are these courses only open to current students, or could they be offered to practicing attorneys interested in continuing education?
I don't think we're going to be able to accommodate outside lawyers. But we will be working on parallel programs for both lawyers and non-lawyers alike. This is not well formed yet, but I've spoken with a number of people about providing opportunities for non-matriculated students. This could be modest programs like continuing legal education programs in cooperation with the Maine State Bar Association, or it could be more substantial certificate programs where a business person might want to come in part-time for a year and get a certificate in intellectual property or environmental and marine law.
These would not be degrees, but a more extended version of a good lecture or workshop.
Part of it is to project the law school as a resource for the state and region. It's natural that people who want to learn about certain legal areas ought to turn to the law school.
Is there any risk there? You don't want people thinking they can take a certificate course and feel like they're covered ˆ that they don't need to hire a lawyer.
There are strict prohibitions on the practice of law without a license, but in many of these areas a little knowledge could be dangerous. My perspective, though, is that the best clients are the best informed clients. I imagine that lawyers would like to work with clients who know what they can ask of their lawyers, and I think clients would be better situated to select lawyers who know how to work with them.
Your background with The ICA Group focused on small-business sustainability and job creation efforts, which are big issues here in Maine. Looking ahead, do you see opportunities at Maine Law to get more involved in economic development?
I would love to. The existing clinical programs are an important starting point, and in terms of clinical services, it is probably mostly through the Center for Law and Innovation that we'll build out. In addition to that, I think the law school can be a player in policy and planning. We can work closely with the Muskie School in policy matters with respect to economic development. I'd like the private sector to look at the law school as a go-to organization to be in the discussion around strategic planning.
We also have an externship program that places students for credit in supervised settings working with lawyers. I anticipate that we'll expand those to include some non-governmental organizations involved in community development
As you're trying to grow and expand the law school, though, you also have to keep sight of the fact that Maine Law is the only law school in the state. It needs to continue being that essential feeder for the Maine legal community and judiciary. Is maintaining that balance going to be a challenge as you try to grow and expand?
Yes. The law school will continue to be an asset for the state and provide that basic core education. I dare say any good law school would do that, but Maine Law does it particularly well. Our faculty who teach in some of these cutting edge areas are also excellent teachers in some of the basic doctrinal areas of law and practice. We'll continue to do that, for sure, but we'll also try to keep a hand in what's to come. There are areas like health law, which are emerging areas of law, that we need to pay attention to even as we continue to focus on the core and the foundation.
It's all connected. The technology issues, the health law issues, the environment issues ˆ there are a lot of commonalties. And even in the specialties, as students learn a particular area of law it's not so they can come out of law school and be an expert in that area. It's more to learn a subject in-depth to see what lawyers really do. They can drill down a little deeper beyond the survey and introduction courses into the kind of application and theory courses, and they'll just become better at what lawyers do, which is solve problems. Lawyers at their core are problem solvers.
Pitegoff, who took over as dean in July, comes from a legal and academic career steeped in hands-on experience. After attending law school at New York University, Pitegoff helped create the legal department for The ICA Group, a nonprofit economic development agency in Massachusetts. As an attorney with ICA, Pitegoff helped state and municipal governments develop job creation policies, and worked with small businesses on issues such as establishing employee stock ownership plans.
Pitegoff got into teaching law in the 80s, and when he took a full-time position at the University at Buffalo Law School at the State University of New York, he wanted to give students a taste of the real-world experience he had with ICA. To that end, Pitegoff helped create what he calls "clinical programs" focused on economic development issues, in which students could work on subjects like affordable housing creation.
Now, he'd like to bring a similar approach to Maine Law to help make what he says has always been a strong teaching institution more externally focused. "It's an opportunity for me to be more of an entrepreneur and to bring the institution to the next level," says Pitegoff.
That expansion could include being more engaged with national legal policy debates, in part through hosting symposiums and other events focused on important issues. It also means developing closer ties to the private sector, nonprofits and state and local governments. Pitegoff would also like to see the school grow from the roughly 260 students enrolled currently to 350, which he says would make it more stable in terms of tuition revenue and curriculum diversity. Mainebiz recently spoke with Pitegoff to learn more about these plans. An edited transcript of the conversation follows.
Mainebiz: Maine Law seems to be an important feeder system for people who want to work in Maine government, the Maine judiciary or the Maine legal community. But do you see opportunities to expand Maine Law's reach beyond Maine, attracting more students from out of state and feeding graduates back into the national legal or policy world?
Pitegoff: It's a careful balance. This is the only law school in Maine and one of only two public law schools in all of New England. Maine Law must continue to provide an opportunity for people in Maine to prepare to be lawyers and judges in the state. But I think it's a balance that also requires the law school to reach out beyond the state.
Although 20% to 25% of our students do end up working outside the state, the law school needs to be connected more substantially to both the practicing bar and judiciary nationally, as well as the [legal] academy nationally. It's not simply to get more attention, it's to attract the best quality faculty. It's to bring the best talent into Maine. I think the law school will be more stable ultimately if we can expand a little bit ˆ expand our reach but also expand our size and tuition base.
What are the areas in which the law school is particularly well connected to the legal community in Maine? What are you hearing from alumni about the ways in which a Maine Law degree prepares students to work in the state?
At the core, it's about excellence in law school teaching. Maine Law has a reputation as an excellent teaching institution, a place where students can get an excellent core education in the law. What we've found in recent years is that the major law firms that tend to hire the best entry-level lawyers have increasingly hired our graduates, even in head-to-head competition with students graduating from elite schools.
The law school is also connected with other communities. We have something called the Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic, which is one of six major legal services providers in the state for people in need. It has some specialties in family law, in juvenile law ˆ in the areas that are typical of legal services offices that serve the poor, the elderly and other clients in need. So the students who participate in that program are already engaged in what is a very well integrated legal services community.
We also have something called the Center for Law and Innovation that includes a patent law program. The [four-year-old] center involves faculty and students in assisting inventors and entrepreneurs in intellectual property issues, particularly patent matters. And while technology is not as far along in Maine as it is in some states, as we're looking toward the future, we're building out there just as I anticipate Maine will be building out in the technology sector as well.
How are you doing so?
Rita Heimes, the executive director, just welcomed a new senior attorney working in the center named Leonard Agneta. He comes from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where he was doing tech transfer work, which is critical to both the university and the state. He will be applying some of those skills here working on intellectual property work, doing patent screening and perhaps patent applications for people and institutions throughout Maine [see Newsworthy, p. 3]. So that's a significant addition.
We're also pulling it more closely into the core of the law school enterprise by establishing an intellectual property clinic at our 400 Commercial St. office [in Portland]. By having a clinical program there, students will do a lot of work with inventors and entrepreneurs and researchers and get credit for it. It's part of their on-the-job training.
So you put students in contact with business people or researchers who need help with an intellectual property or patent issue?
Right. I think students will get involved in various aspects of that kind of tech transfer, so I'm excited about that, because it's a public service that I think is at the cutting edge of economic development and technology in Maine. It's also an important connection back to the research that a number of our professors are doing in the area of intellectual property and commerce.
Intellectual property seems like one of the sexier areas of law right now, but what are the nuts-and-bolts legal disciplines that Maine Law is best known for?
It goes back to the excellence in basic education. Students coming out of here learn to do the things they'll need to do in a small or solo practice. If they've worked in the Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic, they've experienced the kind of family law matters that will be their bread and butter if they go out and practice.
The specialty areas are more exciting in terms of looking toward the future, and I think intellectual property is certainly one of them. Another signature strength that we will be building on over time is the marine law and environmental focus that has been part of Maine Law for some time. The Gulf of Maine Research Institute is just a couple of doors away from our Center for Law and Innovation, and I hope we'll be generating some energy and expertise that can help in marine law development and the legal and technical aspects that relate to that.
On top of that basic education, though, one of your goals is to introduce new courses focused on specialty disciplines. What's behind that strategy? Are there specific gaps you're trying to address?
We are adding four new "bridge courses" next semester. The typical law school course is a three- or four-credit course that meets in the classroom for 13 weeks. It's a substantial commitment of time for the professor and for the students. Bridge courses are one-credit courses taught in particular areas of law, where you meet in the classroom for 12 hours over the course of four weeks or two weeks. The idea is that they bridge theory and practice.
The benefit is that lawyers and judges who don't have the time to commit to [teaching] a full three-credit or four-credit course can come in on a shorter time frame and teach a one-credit course. It gives the students a window into particular aspects of practice, especially in areas that some of the [full-time] faculty might not have experience.
We did this substantially at Buffalo and found that the teachers loved it. It increased the level of engagement and commitment on the part of many of the lawyers and judges to the law school. They just felt more connected, so it was a really successful external development thing. What we're planning to do in the coming semester is to offer courses in various intellectual property and marine law areas.
Are these courses only open to current students, or could they be offered to practicing attorneys interested in continuing education?
I don't think we're going to be able to accommodate outside lawyers. But we will be working on parallel programs for both lawyers and non-lawyers alike. This is not well formed yet, but I've spoken with a number of people about providing opportunities for non-matriculated students. This could be modest programs like continuing legal education programs in cooperation with the Maine State Bar Association, or it could be more substantial certificate programs where a business person might want to come in part-time for a year and get a certificate in intellectual property or environmental and marine law.
These would not be degrees, but a more extended version of a good lecture or workshop.
Part of it is to project the law school as a resource for the state and region. It's natural that people who want to learn about certain legal areas ought to turn to the law school.
Is there any risk there? You don't want people thinking they can take a certificate course and feel like they're covered ˆ that they don't need to hire a lawyer.
There are strict prohibitions on the practice of law without a license, but in many of these areas a little knowledge could be dangerous. My perspective, though, is that the best clients are the best informed clients. I imagine that lawyers would like to work with clients who know what they can ask of their lawyers, and I think clients would be better situated to select lawyers who know how to work with them.
Your background with The ICA Group focused on small-business sustainability and job creation efforts, which are big issues here in Maine. Looking ahead, do you see opportunities at Maine Law to get more involved in economic development?
I would love to. The existing clinical programs are an important starting point, and in terms of clinical services, it is probably mostly through the Center for Law and Innovation that we'll build out. In addition to that, I think the law school can be a player in policy and planning. We can work closely with the Muskie School in policy matters with respect to economic development. I'd like the private sector to look at the law school as a go-to organization to be in the discussion around strategic planning.
We also have an externship program that places students for credit in supervised settings working with lawyers. I anticipate that we'll expand those to include some non-governmental organizations involved in community development
As you're trying to grow and expand the law school, though, you also have to keep sight of the fact that Maine Law is the only law school in the state. It needs to continue being that essential feeder for the Maine legal community and judiciary. Is maintaining that balance going to be a challenge as you try to grow and expand?
Yes. The law school will continue to be an asset for the state and provide that basic core education. I dare say any good law school would do that, but Maine Law does it particularly well. Our faculty who teach in some of these cutting edge areas are also excellent teachers in some of the basic doctrinal areas of law and practice. We'll continue to do that, for sure, but we'll also try to keep a hand in what's to come. There are areas like health law, which are emerging areas of law, that we need to pay attention to even as we continue to focus on the core and the foundation.
It's all connected. The technology issues, the health law issues, the environment issues ˆ there are a lot of commonalties. And even in the specialties, as students learn a particular area of law it's not so they can come out of law school and be an expert in that area. It's more to learn a subject in-depth to see what lawyers really do. They can drill down a little deeper beyond the survey and introduction courses into the kind of application and theory courses, and they'll just become better at what lawyers do, which is solve problems. Lawyers at their core are problem solvers.
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