Curriculum Vitae
Jane R. Wettach
Duke Law School, Room 2184
Box 90360
Durham, NC 27708-0360
919-613-7048
wettach@law.duke.edu
Education
- UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOL OF LAW
J.D. With Honors, 1981
Staff member, North Carolina Law Review - UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL
B.A. in Journalism, 1976 - THE INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP
Education Policy Fellowship Program, 1994
Professional Experience
DUKE UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL, Durham, N.C.
July 1994 - present
Clinical Professor of Law
Director, Children’s Education Law Clinic.
Teaching responsibilities have included the following:
Education Law: Course covers the law and policy relating to public education (K-12) in the United States. It examines the authority of the state to compel school attendance, regulate the content of the curriculum and control the behavior of students and their teachers. It also covers school desegregation, school financing, and special education for the handicapped.
Children’s Education Law Clinic: Course covers the law and policy relating to public education (K-12) in the United States. It examines the authority of the state to compel school attendance, regulate the content of the curriculum and control the behavior of students and their teachers. It also covers school desegregation, school financing, and special education for the handicapped.
AIDS Legal Assistance Project: Clinical course in which students, under close faculty supervision, represent children and their parents in education-related cases, primarily school discipline and special education. Students are trained in the relevant law as well as in interviewing, client counseling, negotiation and administrative hearing representation.
AIDS Legal Assistance Project: Clinical course in which students represent persons with HIV/AIDS under clinical faculty supervision. Students are trained in estate planning, guardianship and Social Security disability law, as well as in clinical skills such as interviewing, client counseling, document drafting, and administrative trial skills.
Legal Analysis, Research and Writing: Course introduces first year law students to the various forms of legal writing and modes of legal research. Through an integrated approach to writing and research, the course begins byanalyzing the components of judicial opinions and ends with the students independently researching and writing a sophisticated appellate brief. Students are provided significant individual feedback on written work throughout the course.
N.C. DIVISION OF AGING, Raleigh, N.C.
September 1994 - 2000
Consultant. Prepared six-chapter training curriculum for the Division’s “Seniors Plus Program,” an outreach project involving the participation of elderly persons in public government benefit programs. Trained more than 350 volunteers throughout North Carolina in multiple intensive, two-day sessions to counsel the elderly on topics covered.
EAST CENTRAL COMMUNITY LEGAL SERVICES, Raleigh, N.C.
November 1984 - July 1994
Senior Attorney. Advised and represented low-income clients in all phases of poverty law, with emphases in government benefit programs, education law, and employment law. Other areas of expertise include health law, consumer protection, and landlord-tenant relations. Directly supervised and managed the legal work of three staff attorneys. Litigated at all levels of court, including the United States Supreme Court (Bowen v. Gilliard , 483 U.S. 587 (1987)) and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Participated in the management of the entire 20-person office.
LEGAL AID SOCIETY OF NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA, Winston-Salem, N.C.
September 1981 - November 1984
Staff Attorney. Maintained a general civil caseload in government benefits, housing, employment and consumer law.
Publications
- "The Law School Clinic as a Partner in a Medical-Legal Partnership" 75 Tennessee Law Rev. 305 (Winter 2008)
- “Federal Special Education Regulations Revised; North Carolina Law Revised” NC Bar Association Juvenile Justice & Children’s Rights Section Newsletter, November 2006
- “Long-term disasters for youth” Op-ed article, Raleigh News & Observer, Nov. 28, 2005
- Seniors’ Plus Program Training Manual , Division of Aging, North Carolina Department of Human Resources, 1995, with updates through 2000
- A Consumer’s Guide to Health Insurance and Health Programs in North Carolina, (with Pam Silberman), North Carolina Primary Health Care Association, 1995
- "Medicaid for the Aged, Blind and Disabled," chapter in North Carolina Elder Law and Medicaid Planning, Clearwater Information Systems, Inc., 1994
- The Advocate's Guide to Assistance Programs in North Carolina: A Complete Reference for the Professional to Help the Poor, the Elderly and the Disabled Get the Benefits They Need (East Central Community Legal Services) 1991, 1993, 445 pp.
- "Female Lawyers Face Unique Hurdles," North Carolina Lawyer, September/October 1990
- "Women in the Practice: The Struggle Continues," The North Carolina State Bar Quarterly, Summer 1990
- "The Effect of Money Awards on Recipients of Public Benefits," Bar Notes, February/March 1985 (with Pam Silberman)
- "Specific Performance of Separation Agreements: Is the Remedy Enforceable?" 58 N.C.L. Rev. 867 (1980).
- "Survey of Developments in North Carolina Family Law," 58 N.C.L. Rev. 1054 (1980)
Recent Lectures and Professional Presentations
2008
- Presenter, "Special Education Law: Basic Issues," Special Education Law Academy, Lex-IS Services, Durham, NC, March 11, 2008
- Presenter, "The Legal Rights of Disabled Children in School," Annual Conference of the NC Branch of the International Dyslexia Association, Cary, NC, March 7, 2008
- Faculty member and presenter, Basic Special Education Law for Special Education Hearing Officers, sponsored by Seattle University School of Law and Washington College of Law at American University, Washington, D.C., January 17-18, 2008 "Review of Basic Special Education Caselaw"
2007
- Panelist and participant, University of Tennessee College of Law Legal Clinic 60th Anniversary Celebration and Symposium: Looking Forward to the Next Sixty Years of Clinical Legal Education, Knoxville, TN, September 14-15, 2007 "Education Advocacy: Past, Present, and Future"
- Guest Lecturer, "Special Education Law," North Carolina Central University School of Law, Durham, NC, June
- Presenter, "Helping Parents Prepare for Mediation and Resolution Sessions," Office of Special Education Programs, Technical Assistance Conference, South Padre Island, TX, May
- Presenter, “The Legal Rights of Disabled Children in School,” Annual Conference of the NC Branch of the International Dyslexia Association, Cary, NC, March
- Presenter, “Dyslexia, ADHD, and the Law,” The Key Learning Center, Asheville, NC, February
2006
- Presenter, North Carolina House Select Committee on the Education of Students with Disabilities, Raleigh, NC, October
Lecturer, "Special Education Law," Duke ADHD Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, May - Commentator, “Board of Education v. Lindsay Earls,” Distinctive Aspects of American Law DVD Series, recorded in Durham, NC, April
- Panelist, "The Leandro Case: What Does it Mean for NC's Children?" NC Bar Association, Juvenile Justice and Children's Rights Section Annual Meeting, Raleigh, NC, March
- Panelist, "The Leandro Effect: Breathing New Life into Due Process in-School Suspension Cases," Legal Aid of North Carolina, 2006 Legal Services Statewide Conference, Cary NC, March
- Guest Lecturer, “The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, “ N.C. State University, The Graduate School, Raleigh, NC, March
- Presenter, "Legal Issues in Special Education," International Dyslexia Association, N.C. Chapter annual meeting, Cary, NC, March
- Presenter, “The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,” Durham Mental Health System of Care, Durham, NC, March
- Convenor, Special Education Law Roundtable, Duke Law School, Durham, NC March
- Panelist, “Reducing School Suspensions, Gang Involvement, and Youth Incarceration,” Lost Generation Task Force Town Hall Meeting, Raleigh, NC January
2005
- Presenter, “Special Education,” Orange County Department of Social Services, Chapel Hill, NC, December
- Presenter, “The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,” Durham Mental Health System of Care, Durham, NC, October
- Panelist, “Education Rights of Children with Disabilities” National Lawyer’s Guild Southeastern Conference, UNC School of Law, Chapel Hill, NC, May
- Presenter, “Special Education and School Discipline for Children with Disabilities” Caring Family Network, Burlington, NC, April
- Presenter, “The Legal Rights of Disabled Children in School,” International Dyslexia Association, NC Chapter Annual Meeting, Charlotte, NC March
- Presenter, “Handling School Suspension Hearings,” Juvenile Justice & Children’s Rights Section Annual Meeting, North Carolina Bar Association, Cary, NC, March
- Presenter, “Handling School Suspension Appeals to Superintendents, School Boards, and Court,” Education Law Task Force Meeting, Legal Aid of North Carolina, Raleigh, NC March
- Presenter, “Education as a Civil Right,” Education 1705, Duke University, Durham, NC February
2004
- Presenter, “Advocating for Children in the Special Education System,” A New Day, Durham, NC, February
- Presenter, “The Educational Rights of Children in School,” Juvenile Law Clinic, UNC School of Law, Chapel Hill, NC, September
- Presenter, “The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,” Education Law Class, N.C. Central School of Law, Durham, NC, September
- Presenter, “Rights of Disabled Children to Special Education” Durham County Mental Health, Durham, NC, August
- Radio show guest, "School Discipline," Legal Eagles, WNCU, Durham, NC, May
- Presenter, “School Discipline for Disabled Children,” Special Needs Federation Conference, Reauthorization and Reform: A Conference About the Education of Students with Disabilities, Chapel Hill, NC May
- Presenter, "Legal Writing for Non-lawyers," Legal Aid of North Carolina Statewide Meeting, Cary, NC April
- Radio show guest, “Corporal Punishment, Suspensions, and other School Discipline,” The State of Things, WUNC, Chapel Hill, NC April
Presenter, “Rethinking the Constitutionality of School Suspensions,” Law and Policy Society Seminar, UNC School of Law, Chapel Hill, NC March - Presenter, “The Legal Rights of Children with Disabilities” International Dyslexia Association, NC Chapter Annual Meeting, Atlantic Beach, NC March
- Presenter “The Legal Rights of Children with Disabilities” Area Services & Programs, Durham, NC March
- Presenter, “The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,” Disability Law Class, UNC Law School, Chapel Hill, NC February
- Presenter, “Resolving Special Education Disputes,” Autism Society of NC- Durham Chapter, Durham, NC February
2003
- Presenter, “Individualized Education Plans for Special Education Students,” Education Law Task Force, Legal Services of North Carolina, Cary, NC December
- Presenter, “Education Law-A Supreme Court Update,” N.C. Assn. of Women Attorneys Annual Meeting, Wrightsville Beach, NC October
- Presenter, “School Discipline – Advocating for Children with Disabilities,” Education Training Advocacy Workshop, Rocky Mount, NC September
Presenter, “School Discipline,” Caring Family Network workshop for therapeutic foster parents, Durham, NC July - Presenter, “The Rights of Disabled Children under the IDEA,” The Autism Society and the ARC of Durham, Durham, NC March
- Presenter, “The Children’s Education Law Clinic,” Center for Child and Family Health, Durham, NC March
- Presenter, “In re Roberts and Its Implications for School Discipline in North Carolina,” Education Task Force, Legal Services of North Carolina, Greensboro, NC March
- Presenter, “The IDEA: Special Education and School Discipline for Disabled Children,” Orange County Department of Social Services, Chapel Hill, NC February
2002
- Presenter, “Discipline for Disabled Children,” OPC Area Program, Carrboro, NC November
- Presenter, “Disability and Education Law,” Equal Justice Works national conference, Washington, D.C. October
- Presenter, “School Suspensions and Analysis of In re Roberts,” Education Law Task Force, Legal Aid of North Carolina, Raleigh, NC September
- Presenter, “The Legal Rights of Disabled Children in School: Special Education and School Discipline,” N.C. Foster Parent Association, Durham, NC November
- Presenter, “The Legal Rights of Disabled Children in School,” Orange County Health Department, Hillsborough, NC April
- Presenter, “Discipline for Special Education Students,” Parent Education Studies Program, Education and Law Project of the N.C. Justice Center, Oxford, NC April
- Presenter, “The Legal Rights of Disabled Children in School,” Orange County Health Department, Hillsborough, NC April
- Presenter, “The Legal Rights of Disabled Children in School,” Public Education Workshop, North Central Legal Assistance Program, Durham, NC, May
- Presenter, “The Legal Rights of Disabled Children in School,” Juvenile Court Counselors, 14th Judicial District, Durham, NC February
2001
- Presenter, “Government Benefits for Persons with HIV,” HIV Support Group, Wake County Health Department, Raleigh, NC August
- Presenter, “Medicaid, Social Security and Supplemental Security Income for Persons with HIV,” Conference for AIDS Patients, New Hanover County Hospital, Wilmington, NC, February
2000
- Presenter, “Troubleshooting and Advocating,” Benefits Task Force, Legal Services of North Carolina, Raleigh, NC August
- Presenter, “Legal Issues for People Living with HIV Disease,”Living in Hope Conference, Metrolina AIDS Project, Raleigh, NC June
Professional Associations
- North Carolina State Bar, admitted 1981
- Member, the United States Supreme Court
- Member, The United States Court for the Fourth Circuit
- Member, Federal District Court for the Eastern, Middle, and Western districts of North Carolina
- North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys, Past President (1987), Past Member of the Board of Governors
- North Carolina Bar Association, Council Member, Section on Juvenile Justice and Children’s Rights (2003 - 2006)
- American Bar Association
- Education Law Association
- Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates
- Clinical Legal Education Association
- International Dyslexia Association
- Special Needs Federation
- Education Law Task Force, Legal Aid of North Carolina
Community Activities
- Member, Board of Directors, The Augustine Project, a reading tutoring project (2004-2007)
- Elder, First Presbyterian Church (2001-2003)
- Board of Directors, Genesis Home (1999 - 2001)
- Habitat for Humanity volunteer (various times)