Clinical placements are in local District Attorneys’ offices, where students represent the Commonwealth, prosecuting non-jury criminal cases in district court. Students are likely to handle:
- arraignments;
- bail hearings;
- pre-trial conferences;
- motion hearings; and
- trials
Students are directly responsible for assisting with prosecuting a docket of cases (under the supervision of an assistant district attorney), and will need two full days free (9 am to 5 pm) in their schedules for this clinical placement. Placements are coordinated through the Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs during the summer months. Reasonable travel expenses are paid by OCP.
How to Register
The Criminal Prosecution Clinic is open to 3Ls only and is offered in the Fall-Winter semester. You can learn about the required clinical course component, clinical credits and the clinical registration process by reading the course catalog description and exploring the links in this section.
Meet the Instructor

Jack Corrigan
Director; Lecturer on Law
Bar Admissions
- Massachusetts, United States
Education History
- A.B. Harvard University, 1981
- J.D. Harvard Law School, 1987
In the News
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A commitment to the truth
By Anoush Baghdassarian, J.D. ’22 I came to law school because I believed in the law as a tool for justice. More specifically, I believed in the law as a vehicle for truth. I wrote as much in my personal statement to Harvard Law School: “When I began my human rights work, I saw the
May 24, 2022
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Anoush Baghdassarian ’22 receives the 2022 Andrew L. Kaufman Pro Bono Award
By Olivia Klein Anoush Baghdassarian ’22 is the recipient of the 2022 Andrew L. Kaufman Pro Bono Award. Graduating with an unprecedented 4,000 pro bono hours during her time at Harvard Law School, Baghdassarian is a stand-out student in the clinical and pro bono community. Having participated in a variety of clinics spanning international human
May 19, 2022
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Prosecuting a Jury Trial
By: Joseph Rosenberg, J.D. ’19 “An hour-and-a-half?” I repeated over the phone. “But the trial is starting now!” Today, I was prosecuting an operating under the influence (OUI) jury trial, but the state trooper who arrested the defendant had forgotten. Now he was on the way, his day off interrupted. I relayed this information to
June 27, 2019