To prepare for real world legal practice, students represent clients in our clinics, gain work experience in externships, and use simulation courses to practice the kinds of skills that lawyers use every day.

Externships

Earn academic credit while working under a practicing attorney. Externships allow novice lawyers to immerse themselves in a specific area of law. Students have countless externship opportunities available to them throughout the state and across the country to best match their career interests and goals. Over the last three years our students have participated in externships at employers including the Alaska and Oregon Innocence Projects, Dutch Bros., the Federal Public Defenders (in both Oregon and Alaska), the Oregon Supreme Court, and many others.

Clinical Law Program

The clinics are hands-on programs involving students in legal work representing real clients under the supervision of experienced attorneys. We currently offer three clinic programs:

CRIMINAL DEFENSE CLINIC

This clinic offers students the opportunity to build critical legal skills by working closely with clients and building confidence in the courtroom. Students will build skills in oral and written advocacy by reviewing discovery, writing motions, and - for many - appearing at contested hearings and jury trials before local courts.

IMMIGRATION CLINIC

We offer the only immigration law clinic in Oregon. Our Immigration Clinic empowers students to represent clients who are confronting serious immigration challenges. Students gain practical experience including conducting several interviews with clients, assisting clients with filing asylum applications, preparing in-depth briefs, completing research and analysis, and representing clients at administrative hearings or before the Immigration Court.

TRUSTS & ESTATES CLINIC

In this clinic, students work with clients who need to plan for their families and their future. Students may prepare client letters, wills, trusts, durable powers of attorney, life insurance and retirement beneficiary forms, advance medical directives, and other estate planning documents. Students will also gain experience interviewing and counseling clients, gathering information about property ownership, drafting documents, and assisting clients in executing them.

“I feel the clinic has given me the practical experience I needed to feel empowered in pursuing a potential career. I had a balance between the independence in handling my own caseload and the guidance from my professor in teaching us how to become the most effective and impactful attorney we can be for our client.”

- Alondra Duran JD ’23