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Experiential Learning
Experiential learning centers on providing students with hands-on opportunities to understand how the law works in action, with real clients on real problems. These opportunities typically occur in the public interest or as pro bono projects for no fee, and under the close supervision of faculty. So in addition to gaining invaluable real-world experience in the actual practice of law, students at the University of California, Irvine School of Law will provide service in the public interest—addressing gaps in our justice system and assisting those with the greatest need in our community. Such service, as well as an emphasis on experiential learning, will be at the core of our mission.
Experiential learning at UCI Law will be greatly enhanced by the school’s commitment to developing its clinical education program. The law school’s innovative curriculum includes a requirement of participation in a legal clinic for its upper-level students.
The law school’s first of several clinics will be its Environmental Law Clinic, which will further the public interest in environmental law, environmental health and environmental sustainability. The clinic will allow students to work with trained lawyers and law professors while they do environmental legal and policy work.
“This environmental law clinic will provide our students with an incomparable, hands-on experience, allowing them to learn up close what environmental lawyers do an a day-to-day basis,” said Erwin Chemerinsky.
> UCI School of Law receives $2 million grant to start Environmental Law Clinic
“We can do a better job of
preparing lawyers for the practice of law. There are many facets to this. At UC Irvine School of Law every student will have a clinical experience or the equivalent. It would be unthinkable to have a medical school where medical students never see a patient. But at most law schools, only a relatively small percentage of students ever have hands-on experience working with actual clients, helping them solve real legal problems. At this law school, every student will have these kinds of supervised opportunities to learn by doing.”
Erwin Chemerinsky
Founding Dean
“For decades, the legal
profession has called for significant reform in legal education, particularly in addressing a lack of preparation for the actual practice of law. As a startup law school, UC Irvine has a meaningful opportunity to really change the nature of how lawyers are educated – building on the best of the traditional approaches while ensuring that law students develop hands-on experience with real clients on real cases and issues. And at UCI we’ll be able to really integrate service learning and the development of practical legal skills into the curriculum.”
Carrie Hempel
Founding Faculty and Associate Dean of Clinical Education and Service
Learning Programs
“The UC Irvine School of Law’s
public interest emphasis and Erwin Chemerinsky’s commitment to experiential learning will help ensure that the next generation of lawyers in our community has a deep understanding of and a strong commitment to a critically important idea – that in order for our justice system to remain one of the cornerstones of our democratic society it must be accessible to all, regardless of economic status. Through helping to solve real world, everyday problems faced by those in Orange County’s low-income community, UC Irvine School of Law students will be able to put into practice what they’re learning. We’re very excited about this outstanding ’win-win’ opportunity for UCI and its students, the Public Law Center and the communities we serve.”
Ken Babcock
Executive Director and General Counsel, Public Law Center
“As a civil rights and legal
services organization, we are thrilled that a law school dedicated to promoting public service will open in our community. We look forward to collaborating with the UC Irvine School of Law to mentor new public service lawyers and to improve access to justice for Southern California’s diverse communities.”
Karin Wang,
Vice President, Programs
Asian Pacific American Legal Center