Office of the Mental Health Advocate

Recipient of the 2010 Debra Blum Award

Reginald Bernard McClendon was the recipient of the 2010 Debra Blum Scholarship to the New York Law School online Education Program in Mental Disability Law.

Mr. McClendon is an Assistant Public Defender with the Macon Judicial Circuit, GA, and is also assigned to the Mental Health Court, in Bibb County, GA. He had the following to say about the Program:

“I very much enjoyed the Mental Health Law Survey class. It was a comprehensive roadmap of the subject that reviewed the history of mental health law and outlined future questions. The class, while challenging, was also interesting and informative. Professor Friedman is extensively knowledgeable about Mental Health Law and his first-hand knowledge of many of the cases and statutes is a substantial teaching aide. Another major benefit of the course is the diversity of the students. Classmates included lawyers, judges, mental health practitioners, and current law students. We were encouraged to share experiences and ideas throughout the course. The course has already began to inform my representation of mentally ill clients and prepared me to more effectively assist my colleagues with their questions. I would encourage anyone involved in Mental Health Law to take advantage of this opportunity”.