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Elon law school's new legal clinic is just around the corner in downtown Greensboro, but it can reach a long way into the life of the community.

Law students will help draft wills for low-income residents and provide mediation services in juvenile justice cases.

Elon officially opened its Clinical Law Center at 210 W. Friendly Ave. Wednesday. While the location is only a few steps from the school's front door at 211 N. Greene St., the initiative represents "the next step in the development of Elon University School of Law," Dean George Johnson said.

"This is a great moment in the evolution of our legal education program in Greensboro," added Margaret Kantlehner, an associate law professor who will supervise the Wills Clinic.

The development "so reflects the values and purposes of the institution," said Gerald Francis, executive vice president of Elon University. Those include both "engaged learning and civic engagement."

Wills Clinic clients will be referred by Habitat for Humanity of Greater Greensboro. The legal work may not be difficult but the life stories clients bring could be challenging for students, Kantlehner said. It also might give them the satisfaction of using their legal training to help others.

The Juvenile Justice Intervention and Mediation Clinic may be more interesting and yield a greater long-term impact.

It will begin "small and slow," said Tom Noble, a visiting assistant law professor and the clinic's director. Initially, it will work with high school students in Guilford County Schools' Central Region, which covers parts of Greensboro and Jamestown. Later, it's expected to expand to the entire district and to Alamance County.

Some of her principals are already set to make referrals, Central Region Superintendent Terry Worrell said. Cases can cover anything from fights to theft to verbal disputes, Noble said. A key requirement will be the willingness of all parties -- offenders and victims -- to find a resolution that works for everyone.

The program will "practice the principle of restorative justice," Noble said: Who has been harmed? What responsibilities accrue from that harm? How can the damage be repaired? It's not about guilt, but accountability.

Mediation can't deal with serious crimes that must be addressed by the courts. But for young people who make mistakes that they're willing to acknowledge and correct, it may offer a chance to avoid becoming "ensnared and engulfed by the juvenile justice system," Johnson said.

"Our clinic will be working to lower the juvenile delinquency rate in this region," Noble said. If it does, schools, families and neighborhoods will gain.

Eleven law students are ready to begin and eventually, "We hope to train a small army of juvenile justice mediators," Noble said.

Elon may show that a small army of law students can make a difference in Greensboro, a few steps at a time.