ASU Law Clinic

First Amendment Clinic

Experiential learning for practical skills in First Amendment law

The First Amendment Clinic gives students experience in many aspects of a First Amendment law practice. The clinic’s workload is different every semester, due to the wide range of matters we will take on. Students have defended libel and invasion-of-privacy suits, litigated First Amendment-based civil rights claims, argued to unseal court records, fought to make state and federal government agencies release documents, written friend-of-the-court briefs in a wide array of cases, provided pre-publication assistance for authors, helped authors obtain interviews with controversial prisoners, and fought for changes in government policies.

Students can enroll for four, five or six credits. Two credits will be given for the graded seminar portion, and either two, three or four credits will be pass/fail for the client component.

The clinic trains students to be First Amendment litigators and advocates by discussing all the ways that free speech rights come up in courts. We try to give students experience in the topics of law involved, in the more direct practice of litigating claims through conducting discovery and pre-trial motions and in dealing directly with clients, opposing counsel and courts.

Student attorneys are certified to practice in the clinic by the Arizona Supreme Court. Clinic students will be involved in all aspects of a legal practice, particularly emphasizing interviewing and counseling clients, drafting and filing legal briefs, pleadings and motions and representing clients in court.

Students are expected to spend a minimum of between 180-270 hours in the Clinic during the one semester.

Fall or Spring Semester – up to 20 hours per week, depending on credits taken. No externships during the semester and outside work only with prior approval from the director of the Clinic.
Summer Semester – up to 27 hours per week, depending on credits taken. No other classes, externships or outside work during the semester.

Included in those hours is a mandatory seminar class of a minimum of five hours per week.

The First Amendment Clinic is a one semester course. Enrollment limited to 10 students.

Credits: four/five or six total credits - two graded for seminar AND two/three or four, pass/fail for client component. Students should pick the amount of credits they wish to enroll for. Four total credits will require 180 hours of course and client work over the semester. Five credits will require 225 hours, and six credits will require 270 hours.

Pre- or Co-Requites: Professional Responsibility, Evidence, Criminal Law and Civil Procedure

Students can apply to return in subsequent semesters to take additional credits and continue to work on clinic cases.

Clinic application deadlines

Students may apply via Atlas during the application period listed below.

**IMPORTANT!** - Externships and Clinics – Students who have applied for an externship or clinic and been accepted may decline upon offer without consequence. However, once a student has accepted an externship or clinic, any student who drops the externship or clinic without prior approval by the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs will be subject to the 12-month ban.

Clinic projects, news and resources

First Amendment blog

Explore the First Amendment Clinic Blog, where we share insights, updates and stories from our work defending free expression, press freedom and the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment.

Explore blog

Clinic leadership

Gregg Leslie

Executive Director, First Amendment Clinic
Professor of Practice

James Weinstein

Faculty Advisor; Professor of Law

Aaron Baumann

Legal Fellow, First Amendment Clinic

Hear from our stunts

Rafael Reyes

First Amendment Clinic student

"A lot of students looking for experience choose between an internship or externship and a clinic. All I can say is that if I had externed, I would have been lucky to draft a brief in a case and have a lot of editorial discretion in that project. At the First Amendment Clinic, not only did I appear in court for the first time, but I got to argue a case before the Supreme Court of Arizona. In terms of experience, clinics are second to none."

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Experiential learning for practical skills in First Amendment law

Objectives

Learning outcomes

Time commitments

Course information

Returning students