The Clinical Legal Education Association (CLEA) has named recent MC Law graduate Charles "Kent" Bounds a 2025 Outstanding Externship Student Award Honoree.
Kent completed his externship with the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project (MVLP), working under the guidance of Executive Director Gayla Carpenter-Sanders and Associate Attorney Sierra Williams.
Over the past year, Kent contributed significantly to MVLP, beginning with legal research and writing before advancing to practicing under limited licensure. He documented his journey in a reflective journal that captured both the daily realities and deeper meaning of public service lawyering.
In one entry, Kent reflected on the professional values embodied by exemplary attorneys. Drawing inspiration from Thurgood Marshall, he wrote: “Like Justice Marshall, I want to be unafraid to confront injustice, even when doing so is unpopular or fraught with personal risk. Whether it involves advocating for marginalized communities, challenging systemic inequities, or tackling complex legal issues, I hope to channel Justice Marshall's bravery throughout his life.” He also highlighted the importance of empathy: “I believe that effective advocacy requires not only a deep understanding of the law, but also a genuine connection to the people it affects. Like Justice Marshall, I want to approach my work compassionately, ensuring my clients feel heard, valued, and understood.”
Joy Reger, Director of Externships, noted, “I was pleased to nominate Kent Bounds for the National CLEA Outstanding Externship Student Award due to his exceptional performance in externship fieldwork and his thoughtful, self-reflective participation in the externship seminar. Our field supervisors do outstanding work and are always eager to train our students. I am grateful for their dedication to law student education.”
In another journal entry, Kent explored diversity and inclusion, describing how his experience as the only white male in an office of mostly African-American women prompted valuable conversations about race, gender, and socioeconomic disparities in the access to justice. He wrote, “Differing backgrounds require intentional effort to bridge gaps in understanding…there are moments when my perspective as a white male may inadvertently overlook nuances that are clear to my colleagues. Situations such as scheduling a client to come to the office…overlooking that this client needed to take the bus because she does not own a car.”
Beyond meeting all externship requirements, Kent took initiative to promote MVLP’s work. He collaborated with the organization to create an engaging presence in the school's Networking Nook and regularly promoted MVLP clinics to his classmates.
The criteria for the Clinic Student/Team and Externship Awards are as follows:
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Excellence in the field work component of the clinical/externship course is determined by the quality of the student’s or team’s performance in assisting or representing individual or organizational clients or in undertaking advocacy or policy reform projects.
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Excellence in the seminar component of the clinic course or externship is determined by the quality of the student’s or team’s thoughtfulness and self-reflection in exploring the legal, ethical, strategic, and other pertinent issues raised in the particular clinic or externship.
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The ability of the students to engage in effective collaboration.
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The nature and extent of the student’s or team’s contribution to the clinical community at the law school, legal community, and/or broader community.
