Clinics & Externships

And Clinic?

Clinics offer another opportunity for real-world, experiential learning, in which you will acquire fundamental lawyering skills by assuming primary responsibility for representing clients, supervised directly by a law school professor. Each clinic acts like a small law firm within the law school. You will have regular weekly classes and participate in simulations, in which you will learn the basic skills of client representation, ethical considerations and the relevant law. For more information on clinics, see The Clinical Program.

Some students prefer to take a clinic before entering an externship, as they may develop a more comprehensive approach to client representation and the reflective practice of law in a clinical course. Having gained these skills, the student can then apply them to their learning about a particular type of law practice in any specific externship. Other students may choose to develop some of their practical skills in an externship, prior to taking on primary responsibility for a case in a clinic setting.

Please note that you may not take more than one clinic and/or externship in any one semester. You may not take more than a combined total of sixteen(17) clinic, externship, and practicum credits, or more than a total of 14 credits of clinic, externship, and practicum credits in one academic year.  Finally, a student may not take more than a total of six externship/practicum credits.  For a detailed description of the limitations, please review the Academic Rules and Policies: Clinic/Externship Limitations section.