Clinical Programs

An important hallmark of a Hastings legal education is the exposure students get to experiencing and learning from lawyering firsthand in

• In-house and Out-placement Clinics
• Externships
• Skills-based Simulation courses

In clinical legal education courses, students gain insights into what is expected of them as lawyers and how to maximize their abilities to learn from their experiences. They also confront issues of social justice and have opportunities to contribute to the common good. More than 20 members of the full-time Hastings faculty, plus adjuncts, regularly teach in the clinical education curriculum.

The breadth of clinical electives at Hastings means that most students are able to get the clinic, externship, or simulation course of their choice.

Clinics

Each clinic enrolls from 8 to 24 students per semester. Each year there are approximately 150 places for students in the in-house and out-placement clinics.

In-House Clinics

Full-time Hastings faculty serve as both the student's supervising attorney and classroom teacher which yield a close integration of theory and practice as well as a strong mentoring approach to legal training.

• Students represent real clients under the supervision of faculty members.
• Students attend an accompanying seminar, where discussions feature examples from and brainstorming about client cases.
• In-House Clinics at Hastings
  • Civil Justice Clinic (CJC) Individual Representation Clinic (handling cases in employment law, housing law, and disability law)
  • CJC Community Economic Development Clinic
  • CJC Group Advocacy and Systemic Reform Clinic
  • CJC Mediation Clinic
  • Refugee and Human Rights Clinic

Out-Placement Clinics

• Students work primarily in governmental and non-profit law offices under direct supervision of practicing attorneys.
• Faculty members conduct an accompanying seminar that focuses on relevant substantive law and legal skills.
• Out-Placement Clinics at Hastings
  • Criminal Practice Clinic
  • Environmental Law Clinic
  • Immigrants' Rights Clinic
  • Legal Externship Program
  • Legislation Clinic
  • Local Government Law Clinic
  • Workers' Rights Clinic

Judicial Externships

Hastings has one of the most extensive judicial externship programs in the country. Students work with federal and state court judges at the trial and appellate levels. Hastings' location in San Francisco's Civic Center is within a few blocks of state and federal courts. Each year, about 120 students spend a semester as an extern.

Simulation Courses

Courses are taught by both full-time faculty members and adjunct faculty members who are practicing attorneys. In-class exercises give students real-life situations and simulate different advocacy, counseling, and/or transactional planning roles.

Each year there are approximately 275-300 places for students in these courses; enrollment is typically 16-24 students per section. Most students are able to get the simulation course of their choice.

• Appellate Advocacy (Civil)
• Contract Writing and Analysis
• Mediation
• Negotiation and Mediation: Process and Practice
• Negotiation and Settlement
• Pre-Trial Practice (Civil)
• Problem Solving and Professional Judgment in Practice
• Roles and Ethics in Practice
• Trial Advocacy I
• Trial Advocacy II
• Trial Objections