Jan. 15, 2011

Pepperdine Celebrates New Legal Clinic

By Susan McRae Staff Writer Pepperdine University School of Law and Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution kicked off the opening of its Investor Advocacy Clinic last week with a reception at its Malibu campus. Securities lawyer Robert A. Uhl, a Pepperdine adjunct law professor and the clinic's founding director, said the clinic was created to help investors who believe they've been wronged by their brokerage firms but whose losses are too small to justify a lawyer taking the case or who lack resources to retain an attorney. Also on hand were Straus Academic Director Thomas J. Stipanowich, clinic associate director Judith Hale Norris and co-chair of the Straus Council of Distinguished Advisors Nancy Vanderlip. The group introduced the clinic's first student participants: Matthew Troncali, Kelline Linton, Maxfield Marquardt, Kyle Matous, Melody Rodrigues, and its first client, Susan Jenkins. Picture 1: Jenkins and Norris Picture 2: From left, Stipanowich, Norris and Uhl are all smiles at the reception. Picture 3: From left, Stipanowich, Norris, Troncali, Linton, Marquardt, Matous, Rodriguez, Vanderlinlip and Uhl.