Clinical Programs

A legal education begins in the classroom but does not end there.

Since 1969, the Clinical Program at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University has helped students develop the legal expertise and professional judgment they need to bridge the gap between a law degree and practicing law. In the clinics, students engage in challenging and rewarding legal cases for real clients, and many students find their clinical experience to be the high point of their law school education. For these reasons, retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor has cited clinical experience as one of the most important aspects of legal education.

Our program offers a wide variety of experiences through the ten clinics: Civil Litigation, First Amendment, Immigration, Indian Legal, Patent, and Post-Conviction as well as the four outside clinics: Innovation Advancement, Lodestar Mediation, Public Defender and Prosecution.

Under the direct supervision of faculty and practicing attorneys, most clinics provide opportunities to take direct responsibility for clients in a law practice setting. In addition to providing legal services, each clinic has a classroom component where students explore issues of proficiency and ethics, lawyer-client relationship; alternative dispute resolution, and the attorney’s role as an advocate in the justice system.

Clinical courses are an integral part of a balanced legal education. In today’s competitive legal environment, students with clinical experience have a decided edge in finding rewarding positions in their chosen fields.