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Harvard Law School

Harvard Law School was the first law school in the United States to offer clinical education and today offers more clinical opportunities than any other law school. Your support propels programs covering more than 30 diverse areas of the law, where students gain real-world, hands-on legal experience under the supervision of practicing attorneys.

Contact a member of our team to learn more.

Giving Opportunities

Gifts to Harvard Law School clinics enrich students’ law school experiences and have a ripple effect on the communities supported by our students and faculty. We hope you will partner with us as we strive to build on this legacy and provide the next generation of leaders and advocates with the best possible training in the law.

  • Endowed Clinic

    Make a permanent impact at HLS by endowing a clinical program and supporting a specific area of the law. Opportunities start at $10,000,000.*

     

    *Naming opportunities available

  • Endowed Clinical Professorship

    Provide permanent support for the faculty leader of a clinic. Opportunities start at $3,000,000.*

     

    *Naming opportunities available

  • Endowed Clinical Fellowship

    Create a unique opportunity for students and graduates to spend time in residence as part of a clinical community. Opportunities start at $2,000,000.*

     

    *Naming opportunities available

  • Endowed Clinical Instructorship

    Empower clinical instructors who work directly with students on a variety of critical projects. Opportunities start at $1,500,000.*

     

    *Naming opportunities available

  • The Annual Fund – Clinical Programs

    Provide direct, immediate support where it is needed most by the clinics with a gift of any size.

The twin pillars of the Clinical and Pro Bono Program at Harvard Law School are to provide exemplary legal services to local, national, and international communities and to ensure the continuous education, learning, and growth of the clinical community. Our remarkable students are at the heart of both of these goals. And our students change the world: one classroom at a time, one case at a time, one client at a time. As our clinical students join the broader legal profession, we know their impact and contributions will only grow.

Merry Boak ’12, Assistant Dean for Clinical and Experiential Education and Pro Bono Programs

  • J.D. Participation in Clinics 89%
  • Average Pro Bono Hours 670
  • Annual Clinical Placements 1,184

Learning the Law, Serving the World

Each clinic is tied to a classroom component—students receive clinical credit for their legal practice in clinics and academic credit for the course component. 2L, 3L, and LL.M. students can enroll in clinics.

“My clinical experiences have been my favorite and most rewarding parts of my law school experience. I came to law school to learn how to be a lawyer, and my clinical experiences have taught me just that. When you take a case, you never know how it’s going to turn out, what challenges you are going to face along the way. But with every unpredictable twist and turn that my clients and cases took me on, I learned something new about what it takes to be a lawyer.”  

Stephanie Perez ’23, 2023 recipient of the Ralph D. Gants Access to Justice Award

Harvard Law School currently has 24 in-house clinics—located on campus or in Boston—staffed by clinical professors of law, lecturers on law, clinical instructors, clinical fellows, and program administrators who teach students in the clinic and in the classroom.

In addition, there are 13 externship clinics that place students at outside organizations falling under the clinic’s subject area, where they are supervised by attorneys.

List of HLS Clinics in 2023-2024

  • A-C

    Animal Law & Policy Clinic

    Capital Punishment Clinic

    Child Advocacy Clinic

    Consumer Protection Clinic

    Criminal Justice Appellate Clinic

    Criminal Justice Institute

    Criminal Prosecution Clinic

    Crimmigration Clinic

    Cyberlaw Clinic

  • D-G

    Democracy and the Rule of Law Clinic

    Education Law Clinic/Trauma & Learning Policy Initiative

    Election Law Clinic

    Emmett Environmental Law and Policy Clinic

    Employment Law Clinic

    Family Justice Clinic

    Federal Courts Clinic

    Food Law and Policy Clinic

    Government Lawyer: Attorney General Clinic

    Government Lawyer: Semester in Washington Clinic

    Government Lawyer: United States Attorney Clinic

  • H-L

    Harvard Dispute Systems Design Clinic

    Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinic

    The Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, the nation’s oldest student-run legal services organization

    Health Law and Policy Clinic

    Housing Law Clinic

    Human Rights Entrepreneurs Clinic

    Institute to End Mass Incarceration Clinic

    International Human Rights Clinic

    Judicial Process in Trial Courts Clinic

    LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic

  • M-V

    Mediation Clinic

    Religious Freedom Clinic

    Sports Law Clinic

    Supreme Court Litigation Clinic

    Tax Litigation Clinic

    Transactional Law Clinics

    Veterans Law and Disability Benefits Clinic

Student Practice Organizations

Open to all students, Student Practice Organizations (SPOs) are run by student boards and supervised by licensed attorneys. Participation in an SPO allows students to gain practical legal experience that counts toward their graduation pro bono requirement.

Current SPOs

  • Harvard Defenders 
  • Harvard Law Entrepreneurship Project 
  • Harvard Mediation Program 
  • Harvard Prison Legal Assistance Project 
  • HLS Advocates for Human Rights 
  • HLS Immigration Project 
  • HLS Mississippi Delta Project 
  • HLS Negotiators 
  • Project No One Leaves 
  • Recording Artists Project 
  • Tenant Advocacy Project

Campus Naming Opportunities

In addition to essential support for clinical students and faculty, there are campus spaces for clinics available for naming. Contact our Major Gifts team to learn more about these transformational opportunities.

Clinic Stories