Clinics

What is a clinic?

Law school clinics provide students with hands-on legal experience under the supervision of attorneys who are not only great practitioners but also trained in individually mentoring students.

HLS Clinics:

• Give students the opportunity to practice law under the supervision of attorneys who are experts in their field of practice; Students receive regular feedback on their work throughout the clinical placement
  
• Provide a range of hands-on experience, including interviewing, counseling, and advising clients; representing clients in court; conducting legal writing and research; investigating and analyzing facts; contributing to policy; developing negotiation skills; and collaborating with other students and attorneys
  
• Have a class component – students receive academic credit for the course and clinical credit for the practice component
  
• Fulfill the pro bono requirement (most clinics)
  
• Include public and private sector placements
  
• Are open to 2L, 3L, and LLM students

With clinical placements in more than 30 areas of the law and the opportunity for students to create their own independent projects, HLS has more clinical opportunities than any law school in the world. 

Note: In order for students to practice law, they must be practicing under the auspices of an existing clinic or student practice organization. Learn more at the Dean of Student's page "Opportunities for Student Practice".

Clinics at a Glance

Capital Punishment Clinic
Works with death penalty resource centers primarily in the southern United States. More...

Child Advocacy Clinic
Through external organizations, represents children in advocacy cases and promotes systemic change through impact litigation and legislative reform. More...

Criminal Justice Institute
Handles misdemeanor and felony cases in court and represents juvenile clients in administrative and school hearings. More...

Criminal Prosecution Clinic
Places students at local District Attorney offices to represent the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in prosecuting non-jury District Court criminal cases. More...

Cyberlaw Clinic
Engages in cutting-edge Net issues including governance, intellectual property, privacy, and content control. More...

Disability, Veterans, and Estate Planning Clinic (WilmerHale Legal Services Center)
Represents indigent clients in a variety of subject areas, all with a focus on enhancing financial stability, fostering asset accumulation, and improving access to healthcare. More...

Education Law Clinic of the Trauma Learning Policy Initiative
Provides representation to families in special education cases on behalf of children who have experienced adversity and pursues systemic remedies to improve the educational system. More...

Employment Law Clinic
Through external organizations, focuses on enforcing state and federal laws that prohibit discrimination, harassment, and retaliation based on race, sex, disability, and other protected characteristics. More...

Emmett Environmental Law and Policy Clinic
Pursues litigation and legislative reforms in a wide spectrum of environmental issues. More...

Family, Domestic Violence, and LGBT Law: Litigating in Family Court Clinic (WilmerHale Legal Services Center)
Offers legal assistance on divorce, domestic violence, paternity, child and spousal support, adoption, and guardianship. More...

Food Law and Policy Clinic of the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation (WilmerHale Legal Services Center)
Aims to increase access to healthy foods, prevent diet-related diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes, and assist small farmers and producers in participating in food markets. More...

Government Lawyer: Attorney General Clinic
Places students at the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office. More...

Government Lawyer: Semester in Washington Clinic
Students work full-time in Washington, D.C. on policy, legislative, and regulatory matters at a variety of federal agencies and legislative offices. More...

Government Lawyer: United States Attorney Clinic
Focuses on federal prosecutorial work with placements at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Boston. More...

Green New York
Works in conjunction with the New York City Law Department to address the legal problems that New York City confronts in undertaking the efforts of PlaNYC, an ambitious urban agenda that involves a major focus on environmental issues. More...

Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinic
Represents applicants for U.S. refugee status, asylum cases, and related protections in conjunction with Greater Boston Legal Services. More...

Harvard Legal Aid Bureau
A civil legal services office run by students who represent low-income clients with housing, family law, and other legal issues. More...

Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinic
Involves dispute resolution skill-building to prepare students for complex, multilevel negotiations. More...

Health Law and Policy Clinic of the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation (WilmerHale Legal Services Center)
Works on national and state law and policy initiatives aimed at increasing access to quality, comprehensive health care for poor and low-income individuals and families, especially those living with chronic medical conditions. More...

International Human Rights Clinic
Teaches the vital issues, institutions, and processes of the human rights movement by actively promoting the rule of law, documenting abuses, and conducting fact-finding missions. More...

Judicial Process in the Community Courts Clinic
Students work with individual justices of the District Court, Boston Municipal Court, Juvenile Court, and Housing Court Departments of the Massachusetts Trial Court. More...

Making Rights Real: The Ghana Project
Works with the Ghana Legal Resources Center on social and economic rights for a high-poverty population. More...

Post-Foreclosure Eviction Defense/Housing Law Clinic (WilmerHale Legal Services Center)
Represents tenants facing evictions, often through litigation in the Boston Housing Court. More...

Predatory Lending/Consumer Protection Clinic (WilmerHale Legal Services Center)
Defends homeowners against foreclosure and litigates against predatory lenders. More...

Shareholder Rights Clinic
Assists public pension funds in improving governance arrangements at publicly traded firms. More...

Sports Law Clinic
Places students at external organizations including legal departments of major leagues or sports franchises and with law firms and lawyers doing sports law in representing individual players or teams/leagues. More...

Supreme Court Litigation Clinic
Works on cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, federal courts of appeal, and state supreme courts in conjunction with law firms in Washington, D.C. More...

Transactional Practice Clinics
Provides legal services to small businesses, nonprofit organizations, real estate parties, community development corporations, or individuals and companies in the arts and entertainment industry. More...

Clinics Ending in 2011/2012 Academic Year

Federal Debt Collection Clinic
Focuses on the federal government's debt collection policies and works in collaboration with the U.S. Department of the Treasury. More...

Additional Clinical Opportunities

Continuing Clinical
Allows students to continue their clinical work into subsequent semesters (and across academic years). More...

Independent Clinical
2L, 3L, and LLM students can design a clinical placement in subject areas not covered by existing clinics. More...