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Continuing Clinical Work ProgramOverview Due to the nature of clinical work, some students may desire to continue working on projects that were not completed during a semester or who want to work at a more advanced level. These students are welcome to apply for continuing clinical credits, which allows a student to continue their clinical into subsequent semesters (and across academic years). Work must be done at the same clinical placement. Independent clinical projects are not eligible for continuing clinical credit. Students must have the consent of the clinical supervisor and clinical faculty director in order for the continuing clinical application to be reviewed. All students who wish to register for a Continuing Clinical must complete and submit a Continuing Clinical Application. The application requires a proposal, the signature of the supervising attorney, and the signature of the Clinical Faculty Director (of the clinic where the continuing clinical work will be conducted). Click here to download a Continuing Clinical Application All signatures must be obtained before submitting the application. Incomplete applications or applications with missing signatures will not be processed or approved. Students will be notified of application decisions by email. Approved students will be automatically registered by the Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs. Applications must be submitted to the Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs in Austin Hall 102 or 109 by the following deadlines:
* For Fall 2008 continuing clinicals, the International Human Rights clinic has an early continuing clinical deadline of May 8, 2008. Fall and Spring :Students may receive 2, 3 or 4 clinical credits in the fall or spring semester. In the fall and spring, every clinical credit is equivalent to 5 hours of clinical work per week during the 12-week term (Fly-out week and Spring break are not clinical work weeks). 2 credits = 10 hours a week Winter: Students will receive 2 clinical credits and must work full time (40 hours per week) during the 3-week winter term. This intensive schedule is necessary for students to attain the minimum number of clinical hours that students must complete in the fall or spring semester (40 hours per week multiplied by the 3 working weeks is equivalent to the minimum 120 hours students must do in the fall or spring). Clinical Credit Note: Only 12 clinical credits can count towards the JD degree. Only 16 credits of combined clinical, cross registration, and written work can count towards the JD degree. Please check with the Registrar's Office for specific questions regarding credits. Students may only enroll in 1 clinical per semester for a maximum of 4 clinical credits (winter maximum is 2 clinical credits). Placement Evaluation: Student exeriences and opinions are extremely important to our continuing efforts to improve the quality of clinical legal education at Harvard Law School and to determine the appropriateness and effectiveness of specific placements. Therefore, at the end of the semester we require all students to complete a Clinical Placement Evaluation, available online through the Public Service Job Database. Students will receive an email from the Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs at the end of the semester with a web link to their personal evaluation. Please wait until you receive an email from the Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs before completing the evaluation, and do not create your own evaluation on the database. If you experience trouble accessing the online evaluation once you receive an email, be sure that you are logging on using your HLS username and password and then clicking on "Evaluate Position" from the menu at the left. If you still cannot access the online evaluation, please email clinical@law.harvard.edu. The Placement Evaluation is a place for students to assess their placement, the supervision received, and the value of the clinical experience. It will help us most by being as frank, specific and constructive as possible. Student responses will in no way affect grading, as the information reported will not be reviewed outside of the Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs until after the semester's grading process has been completed. Note: Please be sensitive to issues of client confidentiality when submitting any written document or evaluation. Client names and any other identifying information should not be included. Continuing Clinical work must be done at the same clinical placement with the same licensed attorney as a clinical supervisor. The supervising attorney designated in the continuing clinical application is responsible for direct supervision of clinical work. The supervisor will receive a Supervisor Handbook from the Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs that sets forth the requirements for defining work expectations and goals, conducting regular meetings with students and evaluating performance. Supervisors are expected to write a detailed evaluation of student's work at the end of the semester for submission to the Clinical Faculty Director and the Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs (see below for more evaluation information). We encourage students to meet regularly with Supervisors for feedback throughout the semester and to initiate an exit interview at the end of the semester to discuss the Supervisor's evaluation. Supervisor Evaluations: Supervising Attorneys are required to provide two written evaluations of students' work, assessing areas such as performance, judgment, ethical sensitivity, relationships, etc. Supervisors must complete a Supervisor Mid-Semester Evaluation, and a Supervisor Final Evaluation. Supervisor evaluations should be submitted to Liz Solar (esolar@law.harvard.edu) by the appropriate deadline. Winter term: Due to the short winter term period, only the Supervisor Final Evaluation is required of the Supervising Attorney. Students still submit the online Placement Evaluation. Student Evaluations: All students must complete a Placement Evaluation at the end of the semester. Students will receive an email link to this online evaluation when it is available. For more information on the Student Placement Evaluation, please see the Student Assignments section above. Grading: The clinical grading method (Pass/Fail or Letter) is determined by the Clinical Faculty Director, and must be uniform for all students in the same clinic. Supervising attorneys recommend a grade to the Clinical Faculty Director, who will take it and the supervisor evaluations into account when assigning the continuing clinical grade. There is a limited amount of funding availble for students participating in a Continuing Clinical during the winter term to offset the cost of travel and lodging. Expenses submitted for funding consideration must be reasonable and necessary for the completion of the clinical project (i.e. airfare and lodging). Students must complete an application for winter funding and submit it at the same time of the Continuing Clinical application. Please note that there are different guidelines and forms for international versus domestic projects. For more information and application instructions, please see our page on Winter Term Funding. If students have additional questions about the Continuing Clinical Work Program, please contact Liz Solar in the Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs, Austin Hall 109, 617-495 3765. |
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© 2008 President and Fellows of Harvard College |
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