Cardozo field clinics provide students with real-world experience in partnership with many leading New York and New Jersey law offices. On the vanguard of legal education, field clinics build on Cardozo’s innovative clinical history and dedication to social justice. They are overseen by Rebecca Rosenfeld, Director of the Externship Program.
The New York region is home to a vast array of legal enterprises, and Cardozo’s field clinics offer students a working connection to major legal institutions. Field clinics help students who are eager for real-world experience gain an edge in a new legal landscape in which employers expect graduates to be practice-ready. At the forefront of legal education, field clinics enable students to work collaboratively in a focused area of law at the elbow of accomplished, experienced practitioners who provide intensive instruction and supervision. Students work in law offices while at the same time attending seminars taught by their supervising attorneys. This combination of practical and theoretical skills can be transformative.
Host organizations are selected for cutting-edge excellence in their area of practice and for a devotion to teaching. Students are matched by interest and experience with dynamic nonprofit and government law offices where they will work part-time for a semester or year. Depending on the placement, students will develop powerful advocacy and critical-thinking skills by assisting with impact litigation, prosecuting and defending their own cases, drafting and commenting on legislation, helping formulate policy initiatives, and engaging in rigorous research, writing and legal analysis.
Cardozo Law Field ClinicsCardozo’s field clinics provide important real-world experiences that allow students to build connections within the New York City legal community.
Students work in law practices around New York under a supervising attorney, and they meet with that supervisor in a seminar format to combine theory with practice.