The Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race & Justice at Harvard Law School is a research and advocacy center that seeks to reimagine civil rights and racial justice for the 21st century. The Institute’s advocacy work is anchored in its Race & Law Clinic, which offers Harvard Law students the opportunity to do hands-on litigation and advocacy in a variety of civil rights areas, including electoral reform and democracy, technology and race, and equal protection, racial equality, and anti-discrimination. The aim is to develop, teach, and practice a movement-oriented lawyering and advocacy approach that builds toward a renewed and effective civil rights regime designed to address present and future conditions.
Clinical work may include federal and state litigation projects, advocacy and technical assistance, and strategy development opportunities. Under the supervision of the Clinic Director, the Strategic Litigation and Advocacy Director, and the Houston Institute’s Faculty Director, clinic students will work on every aspect of the clinic’s litigation and advocacy strategies, which may include litigation tasks such as investigations, meeting and retaining clients, engaging in lay and expert discovery, briefing and arguing dispositive motions, pre-trial preparations and trial practice, and appellate processes; advocacy tasks such as amicus briefs, model legislation, legislative testimony, and policy advocacy; technical assistance tasks such as developing relationships with communities and community organizations, providing education, resources, and other support to communities, and attending coalition meetings; and strategy tasks such as brainstorming and designing campaign strategies, producing strategy memoranda, and developing briefing materials for strategic partners, all in service of developing innovative and pragmatic approaches for building a durable civil rights regime for the 21st century.
As an interdisciplinary clinic and center, students will also be exposed to emerging theories and methods in law, policy, social science, and community organizing, including how to communicate them to a legal audience and beyond. The work of the clinic is conducted in partnership with law firms, advocacy and community organizations, civil rights organizations, other legal clinics, and more.
How to Apply
In the 2025-2026 academic year, the Race & Law Clinic is offered in the Spring semester. You can learn about the required clinical course component, clinical credits, and the clinical application process by reading the course catalog description and exploring the links in this section.
Interested students should apply using this form no later than October 17, 2025. On the form, you’ll upload each of the below documents as a PDF:
- Resume/CV
- Writing Sample
- Statement of Interest: Why are you interested in this clinic and its work? How does your experience relate to the work of the clinic?
For more information about the Race & Law Clinic, please attend our Fall 2025 meet-and-greet sessions taking place on Monday, September 15 (in-person) and/or Wednesday, October 1 (virtual). Please visit the below links for more information.
Meet the Instructors
