Reginald Harkness
Founding attorney and director
Reginald runs the clinic and still reads new files himself. He prefers a short letter to a long fight.
Reginald spent his early years as a lawyer on the other side of the table, representing a school board. He moved to the family side after seeing how often a parent’s folder held the answer nobody had read.
He built the clinic around that folder. Parents bring the paper, and the clinic does the reading.
Works on
- School and family disputes
- Clinic management
- Training volunteers
Credentials
Bar admissions
State Bar of Michigan
1987
Courts
State trial and appeals courts
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
Education
University of Michigan Law School
J.D., 1986
Languages
English
Memberships
Local bar association, pro bono committee
How he works with parents
Reginald starts every file the same way: dates first. When did the school first hear about the problem, what did it promise, and what has actually changed?
He explains each choice in plain words and lets the parent decide. If a letter will settle something, he sends a letter. If it won’t, he says so, and he says why.
Want Reginald to read your papers?
Send the notice, the plan or the report, and say who you’d like to hear from.