MD public defender, Maryland Carey Law launch exoneration clinic

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The Maryland Office of the Public Defender and University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law have launched a new exoneration clinic, a move that means both of the state’s law schools now offer innocence projects.

Erica Suter, who currently heads the Innocence Project Clinic at University of Baltimore School of Law, will lead the new clinic at Maryland Carey Law. Rachel Bennett, a senior attorney at the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, will lead the University of Baltimore School of Law clinic as director.

Law students in both clinics will work on real cases for a yearlong period, gaining hands-on legal training and advocacy skills, according to a news release from the MOPD and both law schools.

“Innocence Project Clinics transform lives and reveal deep flaws in our criminal legal system,” said Natasha Dartigue, Maryland public defender. “Exposing wrongful convictions is not only life-changing — it is essential to the pursuit of justice.”

Dartigue said the partnership creates “an unprecedented force for justice that will scrutinize questionable prosecutions, challenge faulty evidence and zealously advocate for those who have been wrongfully convicted.”

The expanded partnership builds upon the University of Baltimore School of Law’s Innocence Project Clinic, which has been operating since 2008. Over the past 17 years, the UB School of Law clinic has obtained relief for 20 clients — including both sentence reductions and exonerations — all involving individuals who have maintained their innocence.

Collectively, the individuals served hundreds of years in prison for crimes they did not commit, according to the MOPD and the law schools.

Most recently, Suter, on behalf of the Innocence Project Clinic, represented Adnan Syed, who a Baltimore judge sentenced to time served last month following Syed’s conviction in 1999 for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee. In 2021, Baltimore prosecutors reinvestigated the case at Suter’s urging and ultimately concluded the evidence did not support Syed’s guilt, leading prosecutors to vacate his conviction in 2022.

In 2024, the Maryland Supreme Court reinstated Syed’s conviction and ordered a new vacatur hearing to allow the Lee family’s rights to be observed. Syed has maintained his innocence.

“This collaboration represents a significant step forward in our efforts to provide our students with hands-on legal experience while making a meaningful impact on the lives of those who have been wrongfully convicted,” said Renée Hutchins Laurent, dean of Maryland Carey Law.

LaVonda Reed, dean of University of Baltimore School of Law, agreed with Laurent and added that the clinic’s new director brings extensive experience and passion for the work to the role.

“We value our longstanding partnership with the Maryland Office of the Public Defender and are thrilled that our state will soon have two law school clinics working to exonerate the wrongfully convicted,” Reed said. “We look forward to continuing the clinic’s advocacy with our student-attorneys.”

According to a 2023 report by the National Registry of Exonerations, individuals exonerated nationwide in 2023 collectively served 2,230 years in prison, while 63% of exonerations have involved innocence organizations or conviction integrity units.

Since 1989, there have been 3,478 exonerations nationally, with the wrongfully convicted serving a total of 31,678 years behind bars, according to the registry.

Bennett will assume her role at the UB School of Law’s clinic on July 1. The new center at Maryland Carey Law is currently registering students and will officially open at the beginning of the fall 2025 semester.

Correction: In an earlier version of this story, Erica Suter’s name was misspelled in a photo caption.