The Clinical Guarantee

The Clinical Guarantee

RWU Law guarantees that every qualified student will be afforded a substantial, hands-on clinical experience. Just tell us where you want to go – and we'll help you get there.

An effective, modern legal education requires both a strong academic grounding, and a robust regimen of hands-on experience.

When RWU Law was born a quarter century ago, legal educators were just beginning to build experiential learning into the curriculum. So it’s not a “late addition” for us – it’s built into our DNA.

  • QUALITY AND DEPTH. So while lots of law schools offer a laundry list of one-off experiences and call them “clinics,” RWU Law goes deep – building comprehensive, meaningful clinical experiences that make a real difference, in the community and in your career.
  • CREDIT FOR EXPERIENCE. New York City? Washington, D.C.? London? Tokyo? You choose the location, we’ll set up a unique Semester in Practice Clinical Externship tailored to your needs, virtually anywhere in the U.S. or abroad.
  • OUT IN THE FIELD. Our unique position as the only law school in Rhode Island allows us to offer dozens on externship experiences. You’ll train under the close supervision of lawyers and judges in court, with NGOs, even in corporate counsel offices. Current opportunities include Save The Bay, Fenway Sports Group (The Boston Red Sox), CVS, the Office of the Rhode Island Attorney General, the U.S. District Court, Rhode Island Family Court, the Immigrant Law, Education & Advocacy Project (ILEAP), and many, many more ...
  • 50 HOURS – MINIMUM. Our Pro Bono Experiential Learning Requirement instills the value and habit of providing pro bono legal service to low-income communities and increasing access to justice, while at the same time helping you gain valuable practical legal experience. Many students exceed this requirement several time over.

WE GUARANTEE IT.

Close Course Type Descriptions

Course Types

We have classified RWU Law classes under the following headers. One of the following course types will be attached to each course which will allow students to narrow down their search while looking for classes.

Core Course

Students in the first and second year are required to take classes covering the following aspects of the law—contracts, torts, property, criminal law, civil procedure, and constitutional law, evidence, and professional responsibility.  Along with these aspects, the core curriculum will develop legal reasoning skills.

Elective

After finishing the core curriculum the remaining coursework toward the degree is completed through upper level elective courses.  Students can choose courses that peak their interests or courses that go along with the track they are following.

Seminar

Seminars are classes where teachers and small groups of students focus on a specific topic and the students complete a substantial research paper.

Clinics/Externships

Inhouse Clinics and Clinical Externships legal education is law school training in which students participate in client representation under the supervision of a practicing attorney or law professor.  RWU Law's Clinical Programs offer unique and effective learning opportunities and the opportunity for practical experience while still in law school.