Clinical Policies and FAQs

Additional Policies

• Professional Responsibility and Remote Work

  Please see our Student Tips for Working Remotely for details on our guidance and recommendations for externship and independent clinical remote work environments. Watch the Successful Remote Externships panel to hear insight from students who successfully completed remote externships during the Fall 2020 semester about making the most of your remote clinical experience.

  HLS requires all students participating in clinics and student practice organizations participate in an on-line ethics training which focuses on confidentiality, conflicts, and competence.  Please make sure you complete this training in a timely manner.

  In addition to the topics addressed in the on-line ethics tutorial we want to highlight confidentiality in the remote environment. First, we recommend that you seek out and actively engage in any ethics training/professional responsibility training available to you from your clinic/SPO or external placement.  Second, we recommend you check in with your supervisor about your ethical obligations with a particular focus on the unique aspects of confidentiality in a remote environment.

  Some issues to pay particular attention to if you live in a shared space include but are not limited to:

  • Find a private area in your shared space to take calls or use headphones;
  • Conduct conversations (including video-conferencing) with and about clients in a way that maintains client confidentiality;
  • If possible, set up a separate work area;
  • Maintain a “clean desk” policy so that you are not leaving work exposed;
  • Speak outside of the range of a listening device (e.g., Alexa);
  • Use password protected file sharing, especially if you are working on a shared computer;

  In addition to the issues raised by shared work spaces, you must understand how to do the following:

  • Know your obligations concerning how to safeguard and manage high risk confidential information;
  • Save and transfer electronic files while protecting confidentiality;
  • Protect client or organization data by not saving it on your desktop/laptop hard drive;
  • Use a computer with anti-malware software to prevent the loss or corruption of data;
  • Avoid the use of public internet or free wi-fi when performing client or organization activities that involve access to or transmission of confidential or sensitive data, unless you are connecting over VPN;
  • Use strong passwords to protect your data and devices;
  • Use VDIClinics virtual desktop or have your personal device encrypted and certified;
  • Protect Level 4 security information by not sharing it over the phone, voicemail, text, and email -use HLS Secure and Large File Transfer instead;
  • Shred waste paper that contains any confidential client information;
  • Review some of the relevant articles related to technology and legal ethics; e.g.,
    • Stacey A.L. Best, Assistant Bar Counsel, ​Lawyers in Crisis: Ethical Guidance for Remote Work and Dealing with COVID 19
    • Heather LaVigne, Assistant Bar Counsel, ​From Technophobe to Technolawyer: A Lawyer’s Duties Related to Technology Competence and Prevention of Inadvertent Disclosure
• Ethics Tutorial

  All students participating in Student Practice Organizations (SPOs), clinics, and independent clinicals are required to do an online interactive ethics tutorial.  The ethics training content was developed by a committee of clinicians and is focused on competence/diligence, confidentiality, and conflicts of interest. This training is intended as a baseline introduction to some key ethical duties as you embark on your journey as a student attorney practicing law; it is intended to supplement the ethics training that you receive in your SPOs and clinics.

  Students are required to do this training only once.  In the fall, winter, and spring, the Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs (OCP) will contact students who are participating in an SPO, clinic, or independent clinical and haven’t previously completed the training to provide instructions and a link to the tutorial.

  In addition, if you are working remotely, you are required to review our page on Professional Responsibility and Remote Work to understand particular issues related to protecting confidentiality in the remote environment.

  Questions about this requirement should be directed to OCP at clinical@law.harvard.edu/ (617) 495-5202.

  If you are interested in pro bono work, please contact us if you would like to be enrolled in the online ethics training.

• Who can participate in a clinic?

  J.D. students in their 2L and 3L year as well as LL.M. students can participate in clinics.

  Due to Massachusetts rules on representing clients in criminal proceedings, 2 clinics require students be in their 3L year: the Criminal Justice Institute and the ITA Prosecution Perspectives Clinic (Criminal Prosecution Clinic).

  Some clinics have additional course requisites or require U.S. Citizenship for security clearance purposes.

  • See Clinical Registration for J.D. students
  • See Clinical Information for LL.M. students
• Do all clinics have a clinical course component?

  Yes. Most clinical courses are 2-credit seminars that meet once a week for 2 hours.

  The majority of clinical courses are restricted to students who are currently enrolled in the associated clinic since the clinic and course are meant to be taken during the same semester. However, there are a few clinical courses that do not follow this model. Please check the clinic’s description in the HLS Course Catalog to see what the required clinical course component is.

• Are there any pre-requisites for clinics?

  Few clinics have pre-requisites, but if you are looking to do a clinic that includes criminal proceedings, Evidence or Trial Advocacy Workshop are most likely pre-requisites or co-requisites.

  The clinic description in the HLS Course Catalog will list any pre or co-requisites.

  The Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinic requires that students have taken the Negotiation Workshop before they are eligible to enroll.

• If the semester ends and I want to keep working with a clinic, what options do I have?

  Students who have taken a clinic can arrange to continue their clinical work into a subsequent semester or another year by applying for an Advanced Clinical placement.

  The application requires the approval of your direct clinical supervisor and the clinic’s faculty director.

  Advanced clinical students do not take an additional clinical course component.

• Do clinic grades count towards Latin Honors?

  Yes – grades earned through a clinic will count towards Latin Honors.

  If a student receives permission by the Assistant Dean of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs to exceed the clinical credit maximum of 16 clinical credits, any credits earned above the 16 will not count towards Latin Honors. All independent clinical projects (and occasional Credit/Fail graded clinics) do not count towards Latin Honors.

• Does my work in the clinic satisfy the HLS Pro Bono Graduation Requirement?

  Almost all clinics satisfy the HLS Pro Bono Requirement. There are a handful of clinics that may have a mix of pro bono and non-pro bono projects.

  You can read the Pro Bono Graduation Requirement or contact us with specific questions.

• How and when do I register for clinics?

  J.D. students register for most clinics every year in late March or early April through a preferencing process in Helios.

  Students register for the entire upcoming academic year – fall, winter, and spring semesters.

  Some clinics are offered on a by-application basis. Students apply to these clinics according to the rules and deadlines stated in the clinics’ course catalog description.

  LL.M. students also participate in many of the same clinics as J.D. students but have their own clinical application process.
  Please see the information here.

  Once clinical registration preferencing results have been released, students are able to add and drop clinics through Helios.

  Students who are on the wait-list for clinics will receive automated wait-list offers if and when space becomes available.

  See Clinical Registration

  See By-Application Clinics

• How long does add/drop last for clinics?

  As soon as registration preferencing results are released, add/drop period opens for clinics.

  Students may choose to drop from a clinic up until that clinic’s drop deadline, which is stated in the clinic’s course catalog description.

  Students may also add themselves to clinics with open seats at any time up until the clinic’s drop deadline.

  Clinic waitlists tend to move significantly between the initial registration preferencing and the next academic year, especially for the spring semester of the upcoming year.

• If I drop from a clinic, can I stay in the required clinical course?

  If you were enrolled in the class as a direct result of your clinic enrollment (i.e. the class is either for clinical students only or you enrolled in the class under a reserved clinical seat) then you must also drop the class.

• I received a clinic waitlist offer and cannot accept it – help!

  There are a few reasons that you may not be able to accept the clinic waitlist offer.

  • Check to make sure that you have enough room in your schedule for the clinical credits and the clinical course component credits. J.D. students may not enroll in more than 16 credits in both the fall and spring semesters (and may not exceed 3 credits during winter term).
  • You may be enrolled in another clinic during that semester. Students may only take one clinic at a time, so if you are enrolled in a different clinic in the same semester as the waitlist offer, you will need to drop your current clinic enrollment before being able to accept the waitlist offer.
  • You may have already taken the clinic. Students who have enrolled in a clinic once may not enroll again through Helios. Students interested in continuing their work with a clinic they have already participated in should apply through the Advanced Clinical program.

  If you continue to have problems accepting your clinical waitlist offer, please contact us!

• What if I want to drop a clinic after the clinic’s drop deadline?

  Clinics line up clients, cases, and projects well before the semester begins, and depend on their enrollment numbers to determine how many cases to take. Thus, clinics have add/drop deadlines that are always earlier than the regular course add/drop deadlines. Dropping after the clinic’s add/drop deadline results in a “Withdrawal” (WD) notation on your transcript. Students will not receive any credit for partial or incomplete participation prior to withdrawing.

• How do clinical credits work?

  In a clinic, you earn academic credits (clinical credits) for the work you complete. The majority of clinics allow you to elect 3, 4, or 5 clinical credits, although some clinics have a set number of clinical credits. Each clinical credit equals 4 hours of clinical work per week or 48 hours per semester.

  Terms available	Clinical Credits	Hours of work per week	Hours of work per semester
  Fall, Spring	2 clinical credits	8 hours/week	96 hours
  Fall, Spring	3 clinical credits	12 hours/week	144 hours
  Fall, Spring	4 clinical credits	16 hours/week	192 hours
  Fall, Spring	5 clinical credits	20 hours/week	240 hours

  Over winter term, students receive 2 clinical credits. Students must be in residence working full-time at their placements, from the first day of winter term through the last day of winter term.

• How do I change the number of clinical credits I am enrolled for?

  Students can change their clinical credits in Helios up until the clinic’s drop deadline. Once the add/drop deadline has passed, students may request a change to their clinical credits by emailing Maggie Bay in the Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs.

  Each semester has a deadline, about a month into the semester, by which students must request any changes to their credit enrollment. More information about changing your clinical credits can be found here: https://hls.harvard.edu/dept/clinical/clinical-credits

• I noticed that clinics do not have set time-blocks. How is my clinical work schedule determined?

  Once students have been assigned a direct clinical supervisor, they will work with that supervisor to establish a clinical work schedule that fits with the rest of their academic schedule. Some clinics may have more detailed requirements about when (and where) the clinical work must be done.

• Do I have to make up clinical work for holidays or vacation weeks?

  You are responsible for consistently working the required number of hours each week throughout the semester, with exceptions for certain holidays and spring break week. During these excused absences, which you should coordinate in advance with your placement supervisor, you are required to ensure that all casework is covered and that clients are aware of your absence. Any unplanned hours missed from your weekly schedule of clinical work must be made up within a reasonable period of time on a schedule developed in conjunction with your clinical supervisor.

• Does transportation time count toward my clinical hours if I have to travel to my clinical placement?

  Travel time does not count towards your clinical hours requirement.

• What are the differences between an In-House clinical placement and an Externship clinical placement?

  In-House clinics are located on-campus in Cambridge or Jamaica Plain neighborhood in Boston, and are staffed by HLS employees: Clinical Professors of Law, Lecturers on Law, Clinical Instructors, Clinical Fellows, and program administrators who teach students in the clinic and in the classroom.

  Externship clinics have a slightly different format. Students enrolled in an externship clinic are placed at a variety of outside organizations that fall under the clinic’s subject area. Your direct clinical supervisor is most likely a licensed attorney at the organization you are working for. The director of the externship clinic serves as the instructor for the clinical course component. Students engage in clinical work on-site at the organization they have been placed with.

  The Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs coordinates placements for most externship clinics.

• Where can I view the pro bono hours that I’ve earned though my clinical placement?

  All your clinical placements will be listed in Helios in the “Clinical and Pro Bono” and then “Summary” menu option.

  Pro bono hours for your clinical placement are automatically calculated based on the number of clinical credits that you completed. OCP does not capture hours beyond the clinical credit hours.

• The supervisor listed on my clinical position is inaccurate – how do I edit the position to reflect the correct information?

  If you notice an error in the information listed in your Clinical and Pro Bono Summary in Helios, please contact us so that we may correct the information.

  Please do not complete the evaluation until the information listed is accurate!

• How do I view student evaluations of past clinical placements?

  Student evaluation of clinics are available in Helios in the under the “Clinical and Pro Bono” menu option. Once on the Helios Organization Search screen, you can choose to filter by “Clinic” and select the clinics you’d like to view.

• Do I need to complete an evaluation for my clinical placement?

  Yes. Our office collects these evaluations as a way to monitor and improve students’ clinical experiences.

  As the office that oversees the entire clinical program, we are always looking for student feedback about what works and what doesn’t work, and where there may be opportunities for new ideas or programs.

  We also collect these evaluations to provide future students candid information about the realities of clinical work, which can help them as they navigate the registration process and offer insights particular to the student experience.

• How do I complete my evaluation?

  You will receive an email when you have an evaluation to submit. There will also be a notification on your HELIOS homepage. These confidential evaluations help the Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs learn which organizations offer good experiences. Supervisors do not have access to view them. Under Clinical and Pro Bono, choose Summary. Under Your Positions click the Evaluate link.