Law School Clinics: 5 Tips to Succeed in Your Clinical Course

First-year law school courses feature a familiar drill: you read cases, answer your professor’s in-class questions, and prepare for exams. A law school clinic course is different—it thrusts you into hands-on lawyering. You’ll work on a real case, interact with clients, draft practice-oriented documents, and maybe even go to court. Here are 5 ways you can hit the ground running in a clinical course.

The typical clinical course spans a single semester, but most legal issues will not reach a complete resolution during that short time frame. Simple landlord-tenant disputes can turn into protracted litigation, immigration appeals last for years, and divorce cases drag on. As a result, you may be staffed on a case that’s already in progress. You’ll need to learn about the client and his or her goals, investigate what steps have been taken by previous clinic interns, and map out a plan for progress. Clients appreciate smooth transitions and steady progress toward resolution of the issue.

In addition to working on cases in progress, clinic interns often handle initial consultations with clients. Visiting a legal clinic can be intimidating for clients. Many have never interacted with law students or lawyers. The initial client interview sets the stage for a successful relationship. Be friendly, and focus on listening. Let the client explain the problem to you, and avoid making assumptions.
 

Even though you’re not an attorney yet, you generally must comply with the rules of professional conduct in your work as a clinic intern. Attorneys are subject to a vast number of ethical rules, but here are a few foundational obligations to keep in mind. Generally, you’ll be obligated to keep information relating to client representation confidential. You’ll also need to be sure to keep your clients adequately informed about the status of their matters. Finally, you must offer your clients competent representation, which leads to the next tip.

In your clinical course, you’ll be taking on an array of new responsibilities, including handling a client relationship and drafting documents. This is not the time to go it alone. Lean on the professors and volunteer attorneys who staff your clinic. Soak up the opportunity to learn from experienced mentors.

Fascinating legal work awaits in your clinic. Law students take on everything from expunging criminal records to incubating entrepreneurs’ new businesses. No matter the focus of your clinic, you’ll learn valuable skills that you can transfer to a future career. Whether you plan a career in public-interest law or another area, clinic experience builds fact-investigation, research, and advocacy skills that are attractive to legal employers. Clinic experience also polishes legal writing skills, providing early preparation for bar exam success.

But skills aren’t the only benefit of a clinical course. For many students, the clinic experience brings the human side of legal work into focus. You’ll connect with real clients, appreciate their struggles and goals, and learn to build relationships founded on trust.