Experiential Learning

Practical experience. Professional growth.

A complete legal education brings the law to life, combining traditional classroom methods with practical applications. At òòò½Ö±²¥ Law, first-hand experiences permeate our curriculum, beginning in the first year with six credits dedicated to experiential learning. In their second year, students test their appellate skills through the Wendell F. Grimes Intramural Moot Court competition, which leads to placements on national moot court and mock trial teams during the 3L year.

Opportunities

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Clinics

Real clients + real cases = real world experience. In òòò½Ö±²¥ Law's clinics, students work in all areas of the law—from civil litigation and criminal justice to immigration law and issues affecting women—gaining valuable insight into how a lawyer's approach influences the value, direction, and quality of the legal process.

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Externships

Our Externship programs explore the intersection of theory and practice by combining on-the-ground legal placements with a classroom component that allows students to reflect on their experience under the guidance of expert faculty.

A few examples of externship placements include:

  • ACLUÌý
  • Akebia Therapeutics
  • Beth Israel Lahey Health
  • Boston Red Sox
  • DLA Piper
  • First Circuit Court of Appeals
  • Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights
  • US Department of Justice
  • Wayfair
  • Children's Law Center
  • Equal Employment Opportunity Commision
  • Federal Trade Commision
  • Land Court
  • National Consumer Law Center
  • Securities+Exchange Commision
  • U.S. Attorney's Office

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Advocacy Programs

In our advocacy programs, students gain confidence in the courtroom through competitions requiring them to craft persuasive presentations, develop intellectual agility, and respond effectively to questions under pressure.

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Experiential Learning Courses in the First Year

Students begin their first-year spring semester by choosing from a list of experiential elective offerings:

  • Administrative Practice
  • Consumer Rights Litigation Practice
  • Immigration Practice
  • Intro to Appellate Judging
  • Intro to Civil Litigation Practice
  • Intro to Children's Law Practice
  • Intro to Immigration Practice
  • Intro toÌýState and Local Government Practice
  • Intro to Practice in the Criminal Justice System
  • Intro to Transactional Lawyering
  • Legal Interviewing and Counseling
  • Mobile App Development: Legal Contributions
  • Negotiation
  • Restorative Justice

1L

Get started your first year with experiential learning

100+

experiential learning opportunities, including our award-winning advocacy programs

Global

Choose from placements around the world


Experiential Learning by Sector

Justice and the judicial process, including the nationally known Innocence Program.
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Externships

Semester in Practice
SIP: òòò½Ö±²¥ in DC
SIP: Dublin (Covering Europe)

Sample Externship Programs and Placements
ACLU
Administrative Law (federal, state, and local government placements)
Attorney GeneralÌýCivil Litigation Program
Conservation Law Foundation
Courts: U.S. District Courts, Mass. Supreme Judicial Court, Appeals Court & Trial Courts
Greater Boston Legal Services
Earthjustice
Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights
Massachusetts Department of Revenue
MetroWest Legal Services
Victim Rights Law Center

Clinics

Civil Litigation
Civil Litigation: Housing Justice
Civil Rights Clinic
Criminal Justice
Innocence Program
International Human Rights Clinic
Lifer Parole & Medical Release Clinic

Advocacy Programs

First Year
Third Year

Skills-Based Courses

Trial Practice

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Search by Subject Area

All things business, from entrepreneurship and innovation clinics to tax and European externships.
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Externships

Semester in Practice
SIP: òòò½Ö±²¥ in DC
SIP: Dublin/Europe


Sample Externship Programs and Placements
Akebia Therapeutics
BeiGene
Beth Israel Lahey Health
Foundation Medicine, Inc.
Indigo
Kate Farms
LogicBio Therapeutics
NETSCOUT
Onto Innovation
Progress Software
TripAdvisor
Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Wayfair

Clinics

Community Enterprise
Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Project Entrepreneur

Advocacy Programs

First Year
Third Year

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Search by Subject Area

Improving society with opportunities in immigration, housing, human rights, health, and more.
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Externships


Semester in Practice
SIP: òòò½Ö±²¥ in DC
SIP: Dublin/Europe

Sample Externship Programs and Placements
ACLU
Administrative Law (federal, state, and local government placements)
Conservation Law Foundation
Earthjustice
Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights
New England Legal Foundation
Victim Rights Law Center

Clinics

Attorney General Program
Civil Rights Clinic
Civil Litigation: Housing Justice
International Human Rights Clinic
Lifer Parole & Medical Release Clinic

Advocacy Programs

First Year
Third Year

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Search by Subject Area

Being in the Defender's Clinic allowed me to be responsible for someone who had their livelihood at stake, and to stand up in court and argue for them. It educated me about how to be a practicing attorney...When I'm challenged now with something I don't necessarily have a lot of expertise in, I have the confidence knowing I did something very different — and I was successful at it.
Alex Andalis '09 , Head of Legal, Encoded Therapeutics

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