Experiential Education

Students in Courtroom

Essential Hands-On Practice

Carolina Law provides its students with many robust opportunities to not only think like a lawyer but also do as a lawyer. Both inside and outside the classroom, students will be able to apply their legal knowledge in real, tangible situations and immerse themselves in the many ways to practice law.  

Our experiential education begins in the 1L year in your Research, Reasoning, Writing, and Advocacy courses, where students will gain foundational lawyering skills. Students will then build upon this strong base through simulation classes, externships, and clinics.  

Carolina Law is fortunate to have 11 in-house clinics where students can work directly with clients on a wide range of legal problems from handling litigation, transactional and policy matters from start to finish. All eleven of our in-house clinics are staffed by a full-time faculty member. Our externship program also provides students with multiple different options to earn academic credit by working at one of 125 different sites covering over 20 different practice areas.  

Additionally, students may gain hands-on experience and further hone their legal skills through our extra-curricular opportunities such as participating in one of Carolina Law’s competition teams, like our award-winning Moot Court or Trial Team, and by engaging in one of the many projects offered by our Pro Bono Program. By doing pro bono projects, students can work on real cases and be supervised by practicing attorneys. They provide meaningful service to the community while also gaining work experience for resumes and legal references and connections.  

Through our experiential education opportunities, Carolina Law students are able to learn through the practical application of the law while often impacting the lives of people in the broader community, which can be life-changing for both student and client. 

Learn more about these options below.