2023 CLEA Student Awards for Clinics and Externships: Maryland Carey Law’s David Karpay and Skylar Johnson

The Clinical Legal Education Association invited law schools to nominate students as their Outstanding Clinic Student or Team and Outstanding Externship student. This series includes submissions from law schools celebrating their outstanding students. 

From Maryland Carey Law: David Karpay and Skylar Johnson in the Criminal Defense Clinic: 

David and Skylar represented an indigent client charged with burglary, trespass, and destruction of property.  David researched, drafted, and argued a motion to suppress based on a Miranda violation; Skylar prepared and argued the motion for acquittal based on a defect in the charging document. As a result of David’s research and persuasive argument, the judge granted the motion and suppressed the client’s statements; Skylar’s motion for acquittal was granted and the client was acquitted of the lead charge, saving the client months, possibly years of imprisonment. Perhaps most importantly, David and Skylar cared deeply about their client’s case and his wellbeing. At a post-trial meeting, David and Skylar’s client thanked them for their work, commenting that he could see how hard they had fought for him and that he would remember it because it was, in his experience, uncommon.