Clinic and Externship Courses

Clinical Education

Recognizing that acquiring professional skills and values in a real world context is an essential component of legal education, Washington University School of Law guarantees every interested student at least one clinical opportunity during his or her second or third year of law school.

Listed below are clinical courses available to all law students at Washington University School of Law, where every student is guaranteed at least one clinical course.

Appellate Clinic

Students in the Appellate Clinic represent pro se litigants in cases to be heard on appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. [More Info]

Civil Justice Clinic

Students in the Civil Justice Clinic, now located on the first floor of the law school, typically represent indigent clients in cases involving paternity, divorce, parole, clemency, and orders of protection, and serve as "guardians ad litem" for children at risk. [More Info]

Civil Rights & Community Justice Clinic

Students in the Civil Rights & Community Justice Clinic work with community groups and agencies - such as the AIDS Project of Legal Services of Easgern Missouri and Interfaith Legal  Services for Immigrants - to protect the civil rights of workers, immigrants, and individuals with HIV/AIDS. [More Info]

Congressional and Administrative Law Clinic

Students in the Congressional and Administrative Law Clinic spend their final semester in Washington D.C. working as full-time interns for a member of Congress, a Congressional committee, or a federal administrative agency. This clinic focuses on developing skills and perspectives on government practice, and the ethical dimensions of government practice. [More Info]

Criminal Justice Clinic

Students in the Criminal Justice Clinic typically handle criminal defense cases for indigent clients in conjunction withthe St. Louis County Public Defender’s Office. [More Info]

Government Lawyering Clinic

Students in the Government Lawyering Clinic work in the U.S. Attorney's Offices for the Eastern District of Missouri office in St. Louisand the Southern District of Illinois office in East St. Louis.Clinic students in the Criminal Division participate in all facets of criminal investigation and prosecution, including fact investigation, drafting charges, discovery, motion practice, trial preparation, and appellate work. [More Info]

Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic

Students in the Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic, located on the first floor of the School of Law represent clients in state and local administrative proceedings, serve as co-counsel supporting pro bono environmental litigation filed by non-clinic counsel, draft proposed legislation, and comment on proposed regulations, permits, and environmental impacts statements.
[More Info]

Intellectual Property and Nonprofit Organizations Clinic and Center for Law, Innovation & Economic Growth

Students in the Intellectual Property and Nonprofit Organizations Clinic, located on the third floor of the School of Law, will work in one of four program areas: Pro Bono, Business Incubation, Interdisciplinary Innovation, and International Research. Clinic clients include the Missouri Botanical Garden, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers & Accountants for the Arts, Public Intellectual Property Resource for Agriculture, Nidus Center, Biogenerator, Public Interest Intellectual Property Advisors, and Washington University. [More Info]

Judicial Clerkship Clinic

Students in the Judicial Clerkship Clinic work for judges on the Missouri Court of Appeals; the District, Magistrate, and Bankruptcy Courts for the Eastern District of Missouri; the District, Magistrate, and Bankruptcy Courts for the Southern District of Illinois; and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.Students in the Judicial Clerkship will research and write memoranda regarding cases under submission withtheir assigned judge. [More Info]

Summer Externships

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Students Enrolled in Litigation Clinics

Students enrolled in one of the School's litigation clinics are engaged primarily in pre-trial phases of litigation (e.g., initial client interviews, investigation, drafting, counseling, discovery, motion practice, negotiation and/or settlement).Sudents aregiven as much actual courtroom exposure as possible, but there are no guarantees. All phases of student practice are directly supervised by faculty instructors and/or supervisors.Students are encouraged to treat cases and projects astheir own and to assume both the initiative and responsibility for the progress and successful completion oftheir cases or projects. The litigation clinics are designed to help students developtheir skills and perspectives on client advocacy and litigation, and learn a structured, reflective approach to the lawyering process that will assistthem intheir legal studies and legal career.

Clinic Manual

Clinical courses are unlike other law school courses because they involve interaction between students, their clients, their clinical faculty, and their placement office. In some respects, participating in a clinical course is similar to working at a law firm or clerking for a judge: students must know the policies and procedures, and understand what is expected of them.This manual sets out the general guidelines for all clinics, which are also relevant for supervised practica. Individual faculty instructorsprovide specific guidelines as to the expectations for specific clinics. [Click here to view current manual]

updated 7/14/08

 

Clinics and Externships - Common Issues - General Clinic Rules -
General Course Requirements

 

Clinical Education Program

Clinics