Student Admissions
Students participate in clinic orientation before the start of classes, after which they are sworn in to practice law as a Student Practitioner under the supervision of a Clinic Professor. Clinic students are assigned civil or criminal cases with jurisdiction in municipal, state, federal and/or administrative courts. Student Practitioners are expected to represent clients from the point of their case assignment through final disposition or the end of the course, whichever comes first.
Representation includes, but is not be limited to, client interviews, fact investigation, informal and formal discovery, drafting and filing of pleadings, legal research, writing of fact and legal memoranda, communications with opposing counsel, court appearances, including trial and appellate work, and law office management. Student Practitioners must devote a minimum of 15 hours per week to clinic class and case work in this course.
Standard participation is two full semesters during the fall and spring semesters of the 3L year; however, certain sections of Law Clinic are offered for one semester only. For each semester of Law Clinic that a student successfully completes, he or she will earn five credit hours, letter graded, three skills credits, and five hours of experiential learning credits.
Prerequisite: LAW L770 Lawyering III
Frequently Asked Questions
We encourage students to research the various clinical sections offered and meet with clinical faculty to discuss your interests. Enroll in skills classes that will help with live-client representation, such as, client interviewing, trial skills, discovery, soft skills, litigation, research, writing and communication.
Students must apply to the Law Clinic in the spring semester of their second year of law school. Because students are placed on a first-come, first-serve basis, students are encouraged to apply once the application is available in the early Spring semester.
Standard participation is two full semesters during the fall and spring semesters of the 3L year; however, certain sections of Law Clinic are offered for one semester only. Students should prepare for an exciting experience with the understanding you will be placed in a full immersion live-client clinic.
As a general rule, the Clinic requires a two-semester commitment. The following one-semester clinics are, however, available:
- Criminal Defense (Fall or Spring, Prof. Mitchell)
Because Law Clinic is one of the most popular enrollment options at Loyola, we encourage students to apply as soon as the application is available in the Spring. Clinic administration will let students know by April whether they are accepted to the law clinic. Once accepted, students must attend an orientation in August to learn clinic office procedures, be sworn in, and receive their cases. If accepted, students are presumed obligated to enroll in the course and complete two semesters (unless the student is in a 1-semester option section), as placements are limited.
Yes, the Clinical Seminar satisfies the Law and Poverty requirement. To learn more about the Law and Poverty requirement, experiential requirement, and skills requirement, please visit the bulletin.
Yes. Successfully completing two semesters of the Clinical Seminar fulfills the Skills graduation requirement.
Students are required to have successfully completed Lawyering III and be in good standing with an overall GPA of at least 2.0. Students must pass a character and fitness check and update their post-admission law school file with the dean's office regarding any character and fitness issues. Students must have completed at least four full-time semesters or have senior status, at least 55 credit hours.
The application will ask for information on courses taken and section preferences. The following questions are included on the application.
1. Please prepare a brief statement below indicating why you wish to participate in the Clinical Program.
2. What do you want to know about the practice of law?
3. What experiences do you want from clinic? What do you want to learn from clinic?
Students will also have to upload a resume (PDF version only).
The 2024-2025 application for clinical legal education will be available on the Law Clinic's website on Friday, January 12, 2024 at 9 a.m.