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.
Consistent with the mission of Boston College Law School to provide the highest quality integrated graduate and professional education, the Center for Experiential Learning provides a diverse set of experiential learning opportunities–in classroom, clinical, and off-campus legal practice settings–designed to promote development of legal and ethical judgment and essential practice skills as students continue to expand their substantive knowledge base. In accord with the Jesuit, Catholic identity of Boston College, the Center advances a commitment to social and economic justice. Thus, the Center is an essential pillar in the Law School’s mission to support Boston College Law School students not merely in becoming excellent lawyers, but in living lives of excellence–seeking and finding meaningful work in service to others that will enrich their communities and the profession. As the Center catalyzes greater engagement with practice among Boston College law students and faculty, the Center’s activities will promote wider recognition in the legal academy of the role of Boston College as a thought leader in all facets of experiential pedagogy.
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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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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:
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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.
Students begin their first-year spring semester by choosing from a list of experiential elective offerings:
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
Justice and the judicial process, including the nationally known Innocence Program.
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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
Civil Litigation
Civil Litigation: Housing Justice
Civil Rights Clinic
Criminal Justice
Innocence Program
International Human Rights Clinic
Lifer Parole & Medical Release Clinic
First Year
Third Year
Trial Practice
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All things business, from entrepreneurship and innovation clinics to tax and European externships.
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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
Community Enterprise
Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Project Entrepreneur
First Year
Third Year
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Improving society with opportunities in immigration, housing, human rights, health, and more.
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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
Attorney General Program
Civil Rights Clinic
Civil Litigation: Housing Justice
International Human Rights Clinic
Lifer Parole & Medical Release Clinic
First Year
Third Year
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“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.”