Clinical Legal Education
Clinical Courses
- Business Law Clinic
- Child and Family Law Policy Clinic
- Civil Practice Clinic
- Community and Economic Development Clinic
- Criminal Practice Clinic
- Domestic Violence Clinic
- Intellectual Property and the Arts Clinic
- International Law Practice Lab
- Juvenile Practice Clinic
Related Courses
Clinical Faculty
- Susan L. Kay - Associate Dean, Clinical Legal Education
- Michael B. Bressman
- Laurie Hauber
- Alex Hurder
- Michael A. Newton
- Yolanda Redero
Clinical Legal Education
Vanderbilt's clinical legal education program provides students an opportunity to represent clients and handle legal cases through the Vanderbilt Legal Clinic, which is located at the law school, or complete substantive research to support international institutions, domestic government agencies and international tribunals under the close supervision of a member of the law school’s clinical faculty.
After introductory classes that address basic lawyering skills, including client and witness interviews, legal research, fact development, negotiation, case preparation and trial and appellate practice, clinic students spend much of their time on their casework or research. Vanderbilt’s clinical programs allow students to gain an understanding of the legal system and its participants and an appreciation of issues of professional responsibility.
Clinical courses are offered for academic credit on a pass/fail basis, and students may enroll for one or two semesters.
Clinics involve a significant time commitment. On average, clinic students are expected to devote approximately eight hours per week to casework, although workloads vary considerably during the semester with a substantial time commitment required when a case becomes particularly active.
