Clinics

At TJSL, we believe strongly in providing our students with ample opportunities to develop and hone their lawyering skills in "real world" scenarios where they serve real clients and/or real employers. Students who take advantage of our Clinical Programs don't have to wait until after graduating and taking the bar to experience real lawyering. Students who participate in these opportunities benefit in numerous ways, including building their resumes and getting a taste of different areas of practice.

For instance, you can earn academic credit serving as an extern at law firms, government agencies, corporations and public interest organizations. In fact, our Externship Program is consistently ranked in the top 20 among U.S. Law schools. You also can discover first-hand what it is like to be a lawyer by working in one of our several "live-client" clinics, serving small businesses and entrepreneurs, artists and inventors, or struggling veterans.

We are proud of the work our students perform through these clinics. TJSL is one of only 11 law schools in the nation and the only law school in California to have both a USPTO certified Patent Clinic and Trademark Clinic, allowing students to help creative clients protect their works. The students working in our Veterans Legal Assistance Clinic have helped more than 500 formerly homeless veterans with their legal needs. We also now offer a Veterans Self-Help Legal Clinic where our students work with licensed attorneys to provide assistance to veterans who are representing themselves in legal matters.

Through our highly successful Mediation Program, students resolve real disputes for real clients in Small Claims Court. We also have a new Small Claims Clinic where students help individuals learn how to represent themselves in Small Claims Court. In our new Employee Rights Self-Help Clinic, students provide information and resources to individuals who are representing themselves in employment-related cases.

Learn more about our Clinical Programs: