How to Apply for Clinics, Practicums & Externships
Clinics, externships, and practicums offer students an opportunity to gain practical lawyering skills and have a real-world impact. Every student is required to take at least six experiential learning credits to graduate from BU Law. Experiential classes cement doctrinal knowledge by allowing you to apply these principles in the context of live cases, projects, or scenarios. They also help to prepare you for the bar examination by exposing you to subjects tested and allow you to develop lawyering skills likely to be tested on the Next Generation Bar Examination. Experiential offerings also prepare you to practice law by providing opportunities to develop lawyering skills, like trial advocacy, negotiation, client counseling, and more. You have the opportunity to go deep or wide across areas of law to develop lawyering skills that will transfer to your career as a lawyer.
How do I apply for 2025-2026?
The 2025-2026 application period for clinics and practicums ended March 21, 2025. If you missed the deadline, please email lclinic2@bu.edu.
The Externship Program will continue to accept applications on a rolling basis. You can access the Externship Program Application Form here. We still encourage students interested in externships to apply early since some placements have deadlines beginning in late March.
Important Application Information
You can view our recent Introduction to Clinical and Experiential Programs Info Session presentation here.
- Please reach out to our experiential faculty members with any specific course related questions.
- BU/MIT Student Innovations Law Clinic
- Civil Litigation and Justice Program
- Naomi Mann (Access to Justice Clinic)
- Jade Brown (Consumer Economic Justice Clinic)
- Connie Browne (Civil Litigation Clinic)
- Madeline Meth (Appellate Clinic)
- Criminal Law Clinical Program
- Externship Program
- Kate Devlin Joyce
- Cecily Banks (Corporate Counsel)
- Immigrants’ Rights and Human Trafficking Program
- International Human Rights Clinic
- Legislative Policy & Drafting Clinic
- Racial Justice and Movement Lawyering Clinic
- Compassionate Release Practicum
- Environmental Law Practicum
- Health Justice Practicum
- Mental Health Litigation Practicum
- Prison Education Practicum
For general questions regarding our programs or the application process, please contact lclinic2@bu.edu.
Ways to Learn More
What if I missed the deadline to apply for clinics or practicums?
What is the difference between a clinic, externship and a practicum?
Welcoming All
We warmly welcome all applicants and remind students that Boston University policy prohibits discrimination against any individual on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status, and acts in conformity with all applicable state and federal laws. This policy extends to academic programs, including School of Law’s Clinics, Practicums, and Externships. The Program works with students and BU’s Office of Disability & Access Services to arrange reasonable accommodations as appropriate.