Faculty Q&A

Dan Nathan ’04

Clinical Professor, Domestic Violence & Juvenile Law Clinic

Clinical Professor Dan Nathan, a 2004 graduate of Toledo Law, teaches in the Domestic Violence & Juvenile Law Clinic, where second- and third-year students have the opportunity to handle juvenile and domestic litigation under Nathan’s supervision. A graduate of the University of Chicago (master’s in teaching) and the University of Michigan (bachelor’s degree), Nathan taught high school English and was an investigator and caseworker for Lucas County Children Services before law school. Nathan joined the College of Law faculty after six years in private practice.

Nathan shares his thoughts on the role of the clinical professor and his work in the Domestic Violence & Juvenile Law Clinic.

Q: How did you become interested in juvenile and domestic litigation?

A: In the mid-1990’s, I worked as a social worker for Lucas County Children Services (LCCS), the agency charged with protecting children from abuse and neglect. That work regularly took me into juvenile court as a witness. After leaving LCCS, as a volunteer Guardian ad Litem I conducted independent investigations on child neglect and abuse cases and made recommendations to the court regarding the child’s best interest. It was these experiences that motivated me to go to law school and to practice in juvenile court.

Q: How did you become involved in legal education and clinical teaching?

A: I took two semesters of the Civil Advocacy Clinic (formerly the Legal Clinic) during my third year at The University of Toledo College of Law. The clinic was my most interesting and most valuable law school course. After I graduated from UT, I told then-Associate Dean Beth Eisler and Clinical Professor Rob Salem that I would love to come back to the clinic as a professor in the future. During my six years in private practice, I never applied for a job until the clinic job opened up. I had taught before and loved it, and as a clinician I could continue to practice law, which I also enjoy immensely.

Q: How do you see your role in the legal clinic?

A: In the clinic, I see myself as both a teacher and a lawyer, and I see my students both as students and as co-counsel. Because of my background as a practicing attorney, I sometimes have the impulse to perform tasks myself because I enjoy working cases. However, as a teacher it is my job to step back and allow my students to take ownership of their cases and to learn by doing

Q: How have your legal experiences aided you in the classroom and clinic setting?

A: In the classroom setting, I am able to illustrate points by referring to past cases that I have handled. In the clinic setting, my experience allows me to give students good guidance. On the flip side, it has been fun to handle cases in the clinic somewhat outside my area of expertise. In those cases, my students and I learn together.

Q: What do you enjoy most about work in Toledo Law’s legal clinics?

A: In clinics, students are eager to learn and to perform well. Clinic students actively participate in their learning, and the people involved in our cases are flesh and blood rather than letters on a page. For these reasons, the clinic is both an exciting and a scary place for students. For me, as a student, this setting was most effective, and I feel that it is effective for many of my students as well. I remember well the student who told me that, until she took my course, she had been worried that coming to law school was a big mistake. After her clinic experience, she believed that she would enjoy being a lawyer.

Q: What do you hope every student learns in Toledo Law’s legal clinics?

A: I hope every student

• Develops compassion for clients, despite their mistakes and flaws.
• Feels the pleasure of using her skills to help people with important matters.
• Gains confidence interacting with clients, attorneys, and judges.
• Learns the organizational skills crucial to competent representation.
• Understands that ethical issues will arise frequently and that maintaining one’s integrity is crucial to life satisfaction.
• Is able to imagine herself practicing law.

Q: Why is public service and pro bono work so critical?

A: Legal representation is often essential even when there is no right to a court-appointed attorney. Imagine a mother who believes that her child is unsafe visiting with the child’s father, who has court-ordered visits. The mother wants the visits to be terminated or supervised, but she cannot afford an attorney. What could be more crucial to a parent than her child’s safety? Yet she must go to court unrepresented. She doesn’t know the rules of evidence, how to file motions, or any of the other basic skills necessary to represent herself competently. People in this type of situation are desperate for help.

Q: What makes our legal clinics a success?

A: Our students make the clinics successful. Students understand that what happens here is real. Our work affects people’s lives. What our students lack in experience they make up for in preparation.