When Alma Monreal was granted a new trial in the death of her newborn daughter, it was a victory for the defendant and the KU School of Law.

Monreal was granted a new trial in Ford County Court thanks to the help of the Paul E. Wilson Defender Project at KU. The project was started by Paul Wilson in 1965 as a way to help prisoners who might otherwise not have legal representation. And while some like Monreal get second chances at justice, the KU law students get invaluable lessons.

Monreal's case is a fine example of how the program works. Inmates who have been convicted of a crime and have had their convictions affirmed on appeal write to the program. Students review the cases to look for mistakes by counsel or evidence that may not have been introduced at trial. Sometimes they view good work; other times, they find stunningly deficient legal work.

"If we think there's something there, we do a couple of things," said Jean Phillips, director of the project. "We either file it pro se and request legal counsel, or we sign it on and litigate it for (the defendants)."

The program, staffed by 15 to 20 students and three attorneys, gives the aspiring practitioners of law a chance to interview witnesses, attorneys and others involved in cases. They also get the chance to review real interrogations, police reports and experience the law at work in a way that can't be done in a classroom.

The project meets two of the law school's major goals, including the school's public service mission.

"We have the ability to correct some wrongs," Phillips said.

It also teaches students to be better lawyers by offering them a chance to view others' mistakes and to make their own while they can be caught, as opposed to making them while practicing law on their own.

The project can't take on all the applications it receives every year. Sometimes, as in Monreal's case, glaring errors by attorneys exist. Other times, the work was solid. Either way, students learn.

"The unique thing about the project is it gives students a chance to go back and look at the record, to see good and bad work. It just gives them an opportunity to put what they learn in motion," Phillips said.