Semester in Practice

The Semester in Practice is an experiential course in which students intern full-time in a law firm, corporate law department, government agency, or Law School clinic. As students will be required to learn and integrate substantive law with practical skills, including drafting, client relations and advocacy, the course serves as a bridge from law school to practice. With significant responsibility over real cases, students will develop confidence in variable lawyering situations and learn to appreciate their individual strengths and to acknowledge their weaknesses as lawyers. The field placement will challenge them to navigate workplace issues such as time management, workplace culture, collaborative work, and to balance work and personal obligations and interests. Students must be self-directed, which will lead to lifelong learning. In addition to interning full-time (on average 41.5 hours per week, over 13 weeks), students participate in a weekly seminar in which they will hone relevant lawyering skills and discuss the practice and ethical issues that arise in their placements. Each student will produce a major piece of legal writing and submit periodic journals. Interested students must apply for the Semester in Practice during the spring prior to their final year and must have met all graduations requirements by the end of the fall semester.