A. Why should I enroll in a clinic?

A clinic is an opportunity to put theory into practice.  Clinics offer a student the opportunity to perform all the tasks of a lawyer under the direct and intensive supervision of a member of the law school faculty.  Clinic students represent clients and grapple with the substantive legal issues, strategies, and ethical and interpersonal issues inherent to lawyering.  In working on their cases as the lead “lawyer” but with close supervision, students learn in a guided but self-directed manner that allows greater reflection on aspects of representation, how to improve their skills, and how to tackle new legal problems.  The skills students learn and practice – such as interviewing and counseling clients, negotiating with opposing counsel and other parties, legal research and writing, navigating complex systems to further their clients’ interests, and courtroom advocacy – are transferable to any legal environment.  Finally, students will represent clients who otherwise would not have access to the legal system.

            B. In addition to representing clients, what will I do in a clinic?

All of the clinics hold weekly seminars taught by a member of the Clinical Faculty.  Although class content varies, generally the curriculum focuses on the lawyering skills and ethical framework necessary to effectively represent each clinic’s clients.  Weekly seminar attendance and active participation are required.

In addition to the weekly seminars, students will have regular individual meetings with their Clinical Professor to obtain feedback and supervision on their cases.  Students will be expected to take initiative in seeking answers to their clients’ legal problems.  This process of the student first finding the relevant information, thinking through its implications, and then bringing it to the professor for feedback intended to guide the student towards a better understanding of the law is known as “self-directed” or “active” learning. 

Students should expect to work a minimum total of 15 hours per week including the seminar and weekly supervision meetings.  The type of work varies from clinic to clinic but generally this involves work on cases, preparation and execution of out of class simulations, and class preparation.  Students should be aware that the 15 hours a week is a minimum and workloads can be quite intense throughout the academic year.  Also, the requisite hours often cannot be scheduled in advance (for example, 5 hours on Thursdays, the rest over the weekend) because the timing of the work is client and court driven.  Because of the intense and uncertain demands of a clinic, students engaged in outside employment should speak with the relevant Clinical Professor before enrolling to discuss whether they will have the necessary time and flexibility to participate. (*Please note: The Evening Landlord-Tenant Clinic has different time requirements.)  

            C. How will I be graded?

Students will receive a detailed set of written Grading Guidelines describing the criteria that will be used to assess their performance throughout the year and on which their grade will be based at the end of the year.  They also will receive both mid-year and end-of-year evaluations from their Clinical Professor.