There’s the theory of law, and then there’s the practice of law. Many law school experts say it’s a student’s experience with the latter that can get them employed upon graduation, especially when the job market for lawyers is not strong.
Practicum classes are one way students can get hands-on learning that will make them more marketable, experts say. In these semesterlong or yearlong courses, students who are usually in their second or third year can assist with real cases while also expanding their network.
In a practicum, law students work under the supervision of attorneys and professors in a non-lawyering role as they work on cases. They might write research memos, draft contract provisions or interview clients, says Jennifer Gundlach, a senior associate dean for experiential education and clinical professor of law at Hofstra University’s Deane School of Law.
Practicums often have a limited number of students because of the high level of attention each student receives, experts say. Some may have as few as eight or 12 in a class. Practicums typically include a classroom component that allows students to analyze what they’re learning on the job. Law students may spend a few hours a week working on a case or related work for a practicum, experts say.
The type of practicums offered can vary widely from school to school, but at most institutions the work involved gives students keen insight into a specific area of law and what it’s like to practice.
Aspiring J.D.s who work side-by-side with a lawyer might get a reference for a job or other kinds of help with getting their foot in the door with a future employer, she says.
As law school applicants decide which school will be the best fit for them, they should consider how a school’s practicum offerings match their career goals, experts say.
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Georgetown Law Center has recently increased its practicum offerings, says Jane Aiken, the associate dean for experiential education. The school had maybe two or three around 2010 or 2011, she says. Now it has more than 30.
One of the more popular practicums at Georgetown is the corporate legal department practicum, says Aiken. Students are placed in a corporation’s legal department to learn how to act as an organization’s in-house counsel and also complete a seminar, where they discuss necessary skills for being an effective in-house counsel and ethical rules that come with the job, among other topics, says Aiken.
At Loyola Law School Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University, the practicum offerings can change depending on the school year, says Jean Boylan, the associate dean for clinics and experiential learning.
“We’re constantly offering new ones,” she says.
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The school offered about seven or eight this past spring, including a new veterans law practicum, she says.
Others cover topics such as civil litigation and business planning, In the bankruptcy law practicum, she says, students learn about bankruptcy issues and work in public interest organizations, providing services to underserved communities.
Practicums are similar to law school clinics, and experts say it’s important for students to know the difference before signing up.
“The clinics are more competitive,” says Aiken, when comparing clinics with practicums at Georgetown. Clinics can have an even smaller class size because students are usually taking on the full throttle of a court case, while under the guidance of a legal expert. In other words, the clients are solely the clients of the school’s law school clinic, as opposed to a practicum, where clients belong to another organization or attorney.
“The student is considered to be the lawyer,” says Gundlach, from Hofstra. In a clinic, students might spend 25 hours a week working on a case and have to represent clients in court, handle appeals and respond to sudden turns in a case. At Hofstra, students might earn two credits for a practicum and six credits for a clinic.
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When prospective students are deciding how a school’s experiential learning options may fit their needs, it’s important to ask lots of questions — preferably with an experiential education dean or director of clinical programs, says Gundlach. The details of how one school defines its clinical and practicum offerings may differ from another school’s.
“It’s complicated,” she says.
“Really ask questions about who’s teaching it, whose clients are they, what’s the nature of the supervision,” she says. They can also ask if they’ll be doing work on behalf of somebody else, Gundlach says.
For Gundlach, the most important thing is the depth and breadth of experiential education at a law school. When it comes to law, “you really don’t learn it until you’re doing it and you’re applying it.”
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