New Center for Clinical Legal Education More Accessible to Clients

Duquesne and the School of Law hosted a special ceremony on Sept. 19 to dedicate the new Tribone Center for Clinical Legal Education at 914 Fifth Ave.

Through the new center, the School of Law provides free legal services to those who need but cannot afford legal representation, including veterans, low-income individuals and families, non-profit organizations and the underserved. Clients are helped with civil rights, appellate court, family law, unemployment compensation and other specific legal matters.

“The School of Law is deeply committed to serving the community while, at the same time, giving our students hands-on skills training so that they can perform at the highest level when they enter the practice of law,” said Law Dean Ken Gormley. “Our new clinic, just blocks from the courthouses Downtown, opens up remarkable opportunities to help underserved clients and families while allowing Duquesne law students to tackle real-life legal problems that will give them unmatched experience.”

Relocated from Duquesne’s Fisher Hall, the three-story building is more easily accessible to clients and provides much-needed services to residents of Pittsburgh and the region. It features client-meeting rooms, conference rooms for consultations with judges and attorneys, classrooms and a fully equipped moot courtroom.

The Center for Clinical Legal Education is named in honor of Tom Tribone, chief executive officer of Franklin Park Investments, whose $500,000 gift helped fund the clinic’s move to Fifth Avenue. Tribone, a 1985 graduate of the School of Law and a 1981 graduate of the Donahue-Palumbo School of Business, emphasized the University’s positive influence on both his family and the family of his wife, Michele.

“Duquesne has had a significant impact on three generations of our family on both sides,” said Tribone. “The law clinic combines education and public service in a way that was attractive to us, and when we realized the enthusiasm of everyone at Duquesne for this project, we decided to be part of it.”

Franklin Park Investments owns and operates energy and infrastructure businesses globally. Throughout his career, Tribone has owned and managed large energy concerns in the U.S. and 35 other countries.

In 2004, Tribone founded Guggenheim Global Infrastructure Company (GGIC), a partnership between Franklin Park and Guggenheim Capital. He served as CEO of GGIC until 2013. Tribone also is chairman of the board of directors of a public investment fund, Infrastructure India PLC, and has served on the boards for a number of corporate, industry and academic organizations.

Tribone previously was executive vice president and the No. 2 executive of the AES Corp., a large energy company that he joined as a startup in 1982. Prior to joining AES, he held general management positions at Atlantic Richfield Co., where he began his professional career in 1974 upon graduation from Case Western University.

Additional funding for the Center for Clinical Legal Education was provided in part through a $500,000 grant from the state’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program and a $250,000 Community Infrastructure and Tourism Fund grant from the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County.

The law school’s Clinical Legal Education program is composed of five community-focused clinics as well as externship opportunities, a pro bono program and summer public interest fellowships, all of which provide student attorneys hands-on client experiences and the opportunity to serve the public.