OSI-Baltimore is deeply saddened by the passing of Clinton Bamberger, emeritus professor of the University of Maryland School of Law and OSI-Baltimore founding board member and emeritus trustee.
“Clinton was a rigorous thinker who had high ethical standards and was fearless. He constantly reminded us that our job was to take risks,” OSI Director Diana Morris told the Baltimore Sun for its Feb. 13 tribute to Bamberger. “When he thought there was a wrong done, he used the legal system to bring about justice.”
A Baltimore native, Bamberger attended Georgetown University Law Center and worked at the then-named Piper & Marbury law firm for 17 years, becoming a partner. Under President Lyndon Johnson, he became the first director of a federal program to provide funding for legal aid for poor people—the Legal Services Program of the Office of Economic Opportunity. He served as dean of the law school at Catholic University for five years and was named professor of the year by the Society of American Law Teachers. He was a Senior Fulbright Scholar in Nepal and was a scholar or visiting professor in The Netherlands, Australia, and South Africa.
“He was a wonderful man who personally mentored hundreds of people, set up clinical law programs from Maryland to Nepal, and loved the underdog,” Morris added.
To honor Clinton’s ingenuity and commitment to justice, OSI-Baltimore will designate a 2017 Community Fellow who captures the spirit of his work as a “Bamberger Fellow.” To contribute to the Community Fellowships program in Clinton’s memory, go to osibaltimore.org/donate.