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Clinical Program Overview

The Clinical Program offers a fabulous opportunity to gain legal experience under the supervision of seasoned attorneys, while earning credit. Many public service and government employers look for clinical experience on your resume as it represents both a commitment to public service and the development of actual practice skills. Clinical placements offer you the opportunity to try out additional practice settings and explore new areas of the law which you may not have been able to do otherwise.

Harvard Law School has one of the most diverse clinical legal education programs in the country. More than 56 clinical courses (some with required and some with optional clinical components) are offered each year. In addition to the courses with clinical placements, the Trial Advocacy Workshop offers simulated skills training. The practice component of clinical courses involves the placement of students in dozens of settings: legal services offices, criminal defense organizations, state and federal agencies, district attorney offices, public interest organizations and some private law firms. Placements are available in substantive areas such as administrative law, children's rights, community economic development, criminal defense and prosecution, employment rights, environmental law, gender violence, government benefits, human rights, immigration and asylum law, and juvenile justice. Students may also develop a clinical work project at a placement site of their choice through the Independent Clinical Work Program.

HLS has established civil and criminal practice education centers for students to gain actual experience in conjunction with clinical courses offered at the school:

In addition to these in-house clinics, a variety of externship placements are available to students through several clinical courses. These placements include:

The Human Rights Program, the Civil Rights Project, the Child Advocacy Program and the Berkman Center for Internet and Society also offer a growing number of clinical opportunities. Four student practice organizations (Harvard Defenders, Harvard Mediation Program, Prison Legal Assistance Project and the Tenant Advocacy Project) are student-run, extra-curricular agencies that provide a variety of civil and criminal legal services to low-income communities.

Students should think about integrating clinical work into their law school plan to sample different practice settings, develop skills and build a public service track record during law school. While most clinical offerings are only available to students as 2Ls and 3Ls, there are many volunteer clinical options in student practice organizations which 1Ls can get involved in from the beginning of law school.

The HLS Office of Clinical Programs counsels students on course and placement selections; develops, monitors and evaluates clinical placements; and oversees and coordinates the curriculum-based clinics, externship placements and student practice organizations. Clinical instructors and staff of the various clinical programs are also available to counsel and advise students. Work that students do for clinical credit will satisfy the mandatory pro bono work requirement. Volunteer work through a student practice organization may also satisfy the requirement. For more information about Clinical Programs, students should contact the Office of Clinical Programs by phone, (617) 495-5202, or in person (Austin 102).