FAQs

Students are eligible to enroll in clinic in their second year once all prerequisites have been taken, but enrollment priority is given to third year students who apply.

Students often report that clinic is one of their favorite experiences in law school. Students in clinic represent real clients in actual cases and projects (not simulations or role-playing exercises). Students take a lead role in the client representation, learning valuable lawyering skills such as interviewing, counseling, negotiation, drafting legal documents, legal research and analysis, and oral advocacy. Students work under the supervision of full-time faculty members who are not only leading lawyers and scholars in their fields, but also dedicated teachers. The small student to faculty ratio ensures that students will receive extensive personalized feedback, training, and mentoring. Participating in a clinic is a unique opportunity to learn not only how to think like a lawyer, but how to actually be a lawyer!

A lottery for clinics and externships is held during registration in February. The lottery is open to rising 2L & 3L students. Rising 3Ls receive priority for clinic enrollment. Rising 2Ls will be placed on a wait list for externships. For current Carolina Law students interested in registering for the clinical programs lottery, please visit the Clinic & Externship Registration page on My Carolina Law for more details.

Interested students must attend an informational meeting, after which they may register for the lottery online, ranking their program selections in order of preference. Many clinics require pre- or co-requisite courses, so students should plan their course schedules accordingly. Please visit each clinic’s webpage for more details. Students may not simultaneously enroll in a clinic and externship, but students may take a clinic in one semester and an externship in a different semester. 

Student enrollment in a clinic, or in externship field placements which require certification, is contingent upon the student’s ability to be certified as a legal intern pursuant to the North Carolina State Bar Rules Governing Practical Training of Law Students.

Students may not simultaneously enroll in a clinic and externship, but students may take a clinic in one semester and an externship in a different semester. 

These clinics handle direct intake from clients who are seeking assistance:

• Community Development Law Clinic (Institute for Innovation)
• Intellectual Property Clinic (Institute for Innovation)
• Military and Veterans Law Clinic
• Startup NC Law Clinic (Institute for Innovation)

Clients seeking assistance from the Military and Veterans Law Clinic should contact the Clinical Programs at (919) 962-2888. Clients seeking assistance from an Institute for Innovation Clinic should call (919) 445-0695.

These clinics only accept cases that are referred to us by an organization or agency with which we have a referral agreement:

• Civil Legal Assistance Clinic
• Critical Race Lawyering Civil Rights Clinic
• Domestic and Sexual Violence Clinic
• Economic Justice Clinic
• Immigration Clinic
• Youth Justice Clinic

The clinic can only give legal advice to individuals and groups who are clients of the clinic.

Yes. Please see the Legal Help section. Para español, refiérese a la página Asistencia Legal.

Yes. Although law students provide most of the legal services provided through the clinic, all work is carefully supervised and checked by the faculty supervisor, who is a licensed attorney.

No. The clinic provides legal services to clients free of charge.