2019-2020 Registration Guide

Experiential Learning Definitions and Requirements ABA Standards 303 and 304 require all students entering law school beginning in Fall 2015 to complete six credits of experiential courses in order to graduate. 1. A Law Clinic: In a Law Clinic, students are provided with substantial lawyering experiences that involve advising or representing actual clients. Law Clinics include direct supervision of the students’ performance by faculty; opportunities for performance, feedback from faculty, and self-evaluation; and include a weekly seminar. Most full-year Clinics are offered for ten credits, six of which count towards this experiential requirement. Part-time Clinics and “Law Labs” are offered for fewer experiential credits (students should consult the course description for each part-time Clinic or Law Lab for the exact number of experiential credits offered). 2. An Externship : An externship includes a field placement that provides students with a substantial lawyering experience that is reasonably similar to that of a lawyer advising or representing clients or engaging in other lawyering tasks, as well as a classroom component or other means of faculty-guided reflection. An Externship also includes direct supervision of the students’ performance by faculty and/or a site supervisor; opportunities for performance, feedback from faculty and/or site supervisor, and self-evaluation. Students in Externships will sign a written agreement outlining the terms of their Externship and their educational achievement will be evaluated by a faculty member. Externships are offered for between 1 and 5 credits. 3. A Simulation Course (see next page): Simulation courses include a classroom instructional component in which students are provided substantial experiences similar to those of lawyers advising or representing clients or engaging in other lawyering tasks in a set of facts and circumstances devised or adopted by faculty. Simulation courses also include direct supervision of the students’ performance by faculty, multiple opportunities for performance, and self-evaluation. Simulation Courses are offered for between 1 and 3 credits. Can credits earned for trial team, moot court and other simulation based competitions qualify as a simulation course or count towards the required experiential credits? Experiential courses fall into three categories:

No, unless these activities are part of or accompanied by a required classroom component.

Does Pro Bono or other work experience count?

No, only activities that are credit bearing count.

Can one course satisfy the Legal Writing Requirement and experiential credits?

No, one course cannot satisfy both the upper level writing requirement and the experiential learning requirement.