Earlier this fall, Clark circulated a letter tothe student body promising to establish a publicinterest advisory committee composed ofprofessors, students and alumni. Plans for thatcommittee are still in the works, but studentapplications for membership are already beingsolicited.

Clark has also said he will double the budgetfor the school's innovative loan forgiveness plan,which covers student loans for graduates who enterlow-paying jobs.

And two weeks ago, Clark announced the receiptof a $1.5 million grant for a public interestcareer endowment.

Clark said he believes the student outcry hasdied down. And although many alumni at a recentreunion signed a petition protesting the closings,Clark said he has felt little pressure from themto change his position.

"Some of the students have gotten too concernedwith it, but most don't seem that concerned withit," he said. "I don't feel I've had much pressurefrom alumni, except ones solicited by thestudents. Most of them have written letters sayingthey trust my discretion as dean. Even if they'reconcerned about public interest, they support mydecision to close those positions."

For now, Clark says he will wait to see how hisnew arrangement works.

"I'm going to let [the new arrangement] runthrough one full-year cycle and see how it goes,"Clark said. "The [public interest advisory]committee will monitor whether we're meeting theneeds of students interested in public interestcareers, and look at financial incentives."

And Clark reiterated his stance that theschool's clinical program--which emphasizeslearning through actual courtroomexperience--should make sure it is not skirtingits educational mission by providing too manylitigation services to the poor.

"We're not in the business of implementing, butassessing, the problems," Clark said. "I amphilosophically different from students who saythey know the nature of the problem and assumethey know the best way to solve it and go off likegangbusters."

"It's clearly the case that a lot ofpopulations don't have legal services and havesevere needs, but I always have to wonder what'sthe best way to solve that--with an indiscriminatesupply of legal services or with anotherapproach?" he said