Programs
Judicial and Clinical Externships
The Office of Public Service is responsible for the coordination and administration of the Judicial and Clinical Externship programs. Students can receive academic credit for clinical externships by working for a non-profit public interest office or government agency. Students also receive academic credit through an externship with a judge.
Clinical Programs
The USC Law Clinic Program offers participating students the opportunity to gain valuable legal skills while working on compelling public interest and pro bono cases that feature real-life clients.
Law students receive rigorous, on-the-ground instruction on the salient black-letter law and legal issues and, perhaps more significantly, intensive training on the practical tools required to advocate for effective policy and client advocacy. Moreover, the Clinics also offer the chance to learn about and develop direct, and often cross-cultural, client interaction skills, with the goal of becoming a thoughtful, professional, and respectful advocate.
The OPS encourages all USC Law students to participate in a Clinic during their time at USC Law. For more information on the USC Clinical Programs click on the links below.
Employer Legal Advice Clinic
The Employer Legal Advice Clinic assists local nonprofit agencies in complying with state and federal employment and labor laws. More Info.
Immigration Clinic
The Immigration Clinic provides legal representation and advice to undocumented, and often indigent, immigrants who are seeking political asylum, relief under the Violence Against Women Act, and other claims for relief from deportation or removal from the United States. It also strives to work in collaboration with social workers, psychologists, doctors, and other community health providers to address holistically the range of needs often present in those who are fleeing violence, persecution, and sexual/domestic violence. More Info.
Intellectual Property and Technology Law Clinic
The Intellectual Property and Technology Law Clinic provides law students with the opportunity to represent the public interest in cutting-edge issues of intellectual property and technology law issues. Through the hands-on experience of representing clients in various forums, students learn professional responsibility, counseling and advocacy skills, substantive law, and procedural rules related to their projects, and examine the concept of the public interest in intellectual property and technology law. More Info.
Post-Conviction Justice Project
The Post-Conviction Justice Project provides legal assistance to people who have been convicted of crimes and have exhausted their right to a court-appointed attorney. The clinic represents California federal and state inmates in post-conviction issues ranging from parole board hearings to petitions for writ of habeas corpus. More Info.
Small Business Clinic
The Small Business Clinic provides basic corporate legal assistance to small businesses, entrepreneurs, and non-profit organizations that cannot afford to pay market rates for legal services. The SBC provides an opportunity for these businesses to implement legal protections and business structures available within our legal system and to obtain guidance in complying with a variety of legal requirements. More Info.
Mediation Clinic
The Mediation Clinic gives students hands on experience with what many view as the essential task of lawyering - helping people solve problems creatively, effectively, and efficiently. After training and certification, each student in the Mediation Clinic mediates six or more civil harassment and small claims cases pending in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. More Info.
