Legal Clinics

Clinical education is a cornerstone of the curriculum at UCI School of Law because of the school’s focus on hands-on learning. In the spring semester of the two-semester Lawyering Skills course, all first-year students will gain experience in a legal clinic setting, where they will conduct intake interview of actual clients for the Legal Aid Society of Orange County, the Orange County Public Defender, or the Public Law Center.

In addition, all students are required to complete at least one semester of clinical education, either in a Law School clinic or at a clinical placement that is approved by the Associate Dean of Clinical Education and Service Learning. This shall involve a live client or other real-life practical experience, appropriately supervised and designed to encourage reflection by students on their experiences and on the values and responsibilities of the legal profession, and the development of one’s ability to assess his or her performance and level of competence.

In May 2009, the Law School announced the first of several planned legal clinics. The school received a $2 million grant from an anonymous foundation of global reach to start an environmental law clinic. Dean Erwin Chemerinsky said he was “delighted” that the law school’s first clinic will be dedicated to protecting the environment.

"This environmental law clinic will provide our students with an incomparable, hands-on experience, allowing them to learn up close what environmental lawyers do on a day-to-day basis," said Chemerinsky. "It will also provide students with the opportunity to help protect the natural resources of Southern California, enhancing the contribution of law in promoting sustainability on earth."

Aerial coastal view