Brittany Stringfellow Otey

Biography

While attending Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, Professor Otey served as a note and comment editor on both the Pepperdine Caruso Law Review and the Dispute Resolution Law Journal. She participated as a member of the nationally-acclaimed trial advocacy team and volunteered at the Pepperdine Legal Aid Clinic at the Union Rescue Mission.

Upon graduation, Professor Otey clerked at the Orange County District Attorney's Office, before going into private practice in Long Beach, California. Practicing primarily family law, and wills and trusts, Professor Otey continued to take pro bono cases from the Pepperdine Legal Aid Clinic.

Professor Otey has directed the Pepperdine Legal Aid Clinic since 2003. The Clinic serves individuals struggling with homelessness and poverty, primarily serving those living in the skid row area of Los Angeles. Staffed by Pepperdine law students, the Clinic provides assistance in a variety of civil legal matters, including post-incarceration reentry, family law, income tax, consumer law, and public benefit controversies. In addition, the Clinic presents legal education programs to various social service organizations and community groups. Professor Otey also teaches the accompanying legal aid clinical course and externship seminar.

Professor Otey's research focuses on preparing Millennial students for legal practice. Her article, Millennials, Technology, and Professional Responsibility: Training a New Generation in Technological Professionalism, 37 J. LEGAL PROF. 199 (2013), addresses the practical and ethical ramifications of law practice technology. Her second article, Buffering Burnout: Preparing the Online Generation for the Occupational Hazards of the Legal Profession, 24 S. CAL. INTERDISC. L.J. 147 (2014), addresses the effects of long term exposure to the difficult clients and client stories in legal aid service, and examines the significant potential impact these may have on millennial lawyers.

Education

• J.D., Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law, 2001
• B.A., Westmont College, 1997