Haydock, Roger S.

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Mitchell Hamline School of Law

William Mitchell Law ReviewVolume 21 | Issue 1 Article 81995A Tribute to Rosalie E. WahlRoger S. HaydockMitchell Hamline School of Law, roger.haydock@mitchellhamline.eduFollow this and additional works at: http://open.mitchellhamline.edu/wmlrThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Reviewsand Journals at Mitchell Hamline Open Access. It has been accepted forinclusion in William Mitchell Law Review by an authorized administratorof Mitchell Hamline Open Access. For more information, please contactsean.felhofer@mitchellhamline.edu.© Mitchell Hamline School of LawRecommended CitationHaydock, Roger S. (1995) "A Tribute to Rosalie E. Wahl," William Mitchell Law Review: Vol. 21: Iss. 1, Article 8.Available at: http://open.mitchellhamline.edu/wmlr/vol21/iss1/8A TRIBUTE TO ROSAIE E. WAHLRoger S. HaydocktCompassionate and caring. That was my first impressionwhen I met Rosalie in 1972. This is the lasting impressionRosalie has left with me, and with all of us, for all time.Rosalie was one of the creators and developers of theWilliam Mitchell Law Clinic. She excelled at creating anddeveloping a clinical curriculum for law students and theirclients. Rosalie recognized the dual nature of clinical education.A clinical education not only provides law students with anexcellent learning opportunity, it also provides legal services tothose who would otherwise be without this invaluable help.Rosalie was the first director of the William MitchellCriminal Law Clinic. She offered courses that covered thespectrum of criminal lawyering, beginning with the initial clientinterview and concluding with the final word on appeal. Sheoffered her students much more than the knowledge, analyticalability, and skills necessary to be an excellent lawyer.Her students learned that they had a professional obligationto do everything reasonably possible, and then some, to be aneffective advocate for their clients. They learned that theirclients were important and integral participants in the criminaljustice process. They learned to think, feel, and, to the extentpossible, be their clients.It became clear to me and others that Rosalie is a livingdemonstration of a professional creed for advocates. She taughtall of us the principles of being professional, ethical attorneysthrough her teaching and practice. Her professional life was aliving creed.She viewed the practice of law as a learning profession.Dignity, civility, and courtesy formed her core professionalvalues. She understood that it was both a privilege and aresponsibility to be an advocate. We learned that it was aprivilege and an honor to work with her.t Professor of Law, William Mitchell College of Law1Haydock: A Tribute to Rosalie E. WahlPublished by Mitchell Hamline Open Access, 2014WLLAM M!TCYIEL_ LAW REVETWHer word was her bond. She defined integrity. Rosalie isone of those people you meet in life that are thoroughly honestand ethical. She may have been the best of them.As an officer of the court, she demonstrated respect for thesystem and the law while she was doing her best to changethem. She understood the system's abuses and misuses andchanged it from within and without. Not all of the theoriesadvanced by Rosalie and her students were accepted by thecourts. But her continued efforts to present judges with issuesof constitutional dimensions were a marvel of persistence.Rosalie advanced the causes of her clients with great vigor.One of her primary goals was to make the legal system moreaccessible and responsive to the needs of everyone in oursociety. While much of her effort was on behalf of criminaldefendants, her views about what our criminal justice systemshould be reflected the larger view of community values. Rosaliebelieved that if the government had an attorney, whomever theywere advocating against should have an attorney. This positionreflects the common sense perspective Rosalie added to hercases and to our profession.Rosalie worked continuously to be the best possibleadvocate and the best possible role model for her students. Onmost accounts, she was successful and very effective. Sometimesher persistence would be perceived as stubbornness. Occasional-ly her compassion might be perceived as revealing too soft aposition. Sometimes it appeared she might have cared toomuch about what happened to her clients. But from anyperspective, Rosalie was a very well intentioned, highly princi-pled professional.Rosalie's life was a model of pro bono activities. The clientsshe primarily served were those who were unable to affordprivate counsel. She was proud to represent her clients. Herstrong belief in our system ofjustice allowed her to understandher obligations and responsibilities to her clients. While manyattorneys would much prefer to avoid representing some of theclients she represented, Rosalie was there for them regardless ofwhat they did or might have done.I recall one day sitting in Rosalie's office talking to her.Our students occasionally, or more than occasionally, com-plained about the problems clients had. I recall her saying inthe midst of our conversation (I am paraphrasing) "We don't[Vol. 212William Mitchell Law Review, Vol. 21, Iss. 1 [2014], Art. 8http://open.mitchellhamline.edu/wmlr/vol21/iss1/81995] TRIBUTE TO JUSTICE ROSALIE WAHL 23have problems for clients, we have clients with problems." ToRosalie, what we did as lawyers was not just to resolve problems,but to serve people. She did. She taught us all how. We areforever indebted to her. Her legacy to all of us is her caringand compassionate approach to being an advocate, and to beinga person.3Haydock: A Tribute to Rosalie . ahlPublished by Mitchell Hamline Open Access, 20144William Mitchell Law Review, Vol. 21, Iss. 1 [2014], Art. 8http://open.mitchellhamline.edu/wmlr/vol21/iss1/8

A Tribute to Rosalie E. Wahl

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A Tribute to Rosalie E. Wahl

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