Clinical Programs

USC's clinical training programs are designed to develop lawyering skills of the highest quality. USC Law offers two types of clinical training: classroom courses that include simulated exercises, and supervised casework with actual clients. Through classroom exercises, students use hypothetical case materials in simulated law office and courtroom settings, with actors playing the roles of clients and witnesses. Then, students learn legal skills and principles by working on actual cases for real clients under the supervision of faculty member. The following clinical programs combine classroom exercises with client representation.

Fall/Winter 2012 USC Law Clinical Perspectives Newsletter Click to read the most recent issue of USC Law Clinical Perspectives Newsletter.

• Immigration Clinic

  The clinic provides pro bono representation to clients in a variety of immigration cases including asylum, applications for relief under the Violence Against Women Act, and other applications for relief from removal.

• Intellectual Property and Technology Law Clinic

  A joint project of USC Law, the USC Annenberg Center for Communication, and USC Information Services Division, the clinic represents clients in a wide-ranging set of projects related to cutting-edge issues in intellectual property and technology law.

• International Human Rights Clinic

  The International Human Rights Clinic gives students the opportunity to work on projects and cases, both local and international, which confront the most pressing human rights concerns of our day. Under the supervision of Clinic Director Professor Hannah Garry, students seek justice on behalf of victims, hold perpetrators of serious human rights abuses accountable and work towards progressive development of the law. Through this experience, students acquire knowledge and skills for effective international lawyering and human rights advocacy while supporting the critical work of human rights advocates and organizations worldwide.

• Mediation Clinic

  In the Mediation Clinic, students learn the dispute resolution skills required to become professional mediators, and then apply those skills by mediating actual court cases.

• Post-Conviction Justice Project

  The clinic represents California federal and state inmates in post-conviction issues ranging from parole board hearings to petitions for writ of habeas corpus.

• Small Business Clinic

  The Small Business Clinic provides basic corporate legal assistance to entrepreneurs, small businesses and non-profit organizations, ranging from entity selection and formation to contract drafting.