The Independent Clinical Program gives students who are interested in a specialized area of the law or field of practice that is not currently offered in the existing clinical curriculum an opportunity to design a custom placement that will meet their individualized learning goals.
To participate in an independent clinical, students must secure a placement at an organization where they can work under the supervision of a licensed attorney. Students must also secure an HLS faculty sponsor, who will review the student’s final writing product, supervisor evaluation at the end of the term, and submit the final grade. To enroll, an application must be submitted to OCP; you can find instructions and sample project proposals below.
Policies
Remote Work Policy
Remote clinical work shall be permissible if the organization’s primary or sole method of operating is a remote or hybrid work environment (ex. you cannot work remotely if the majority of the office is working in-person). Even if the organization advertises remote student positions, students may only work remotely if the entire office’s primary mode of operation is remote. As part of the application process, the supervisor and student must attest to the working operation of the office and demonstrate that the remote independent clinical will be a successful academic, skill building, and mentorship experience. Students who have already worked with an organization, in-person, for at least three weeks (e.g. summer internship or winter term) may apply for a remote independent clinical over fall and spring term.
For fall and spring terms, students receive either 2 clinical credits for working 8 hours per week or 3 clinical credits for working 12 hours per week.
Over winter term, students receive 2 clinical credits. Winter term 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.
Independent Clinicals:
Are for clinical credit only and must be uncompensated.
Do not count towards the experiential learning requirement.
Cannot be taken in conjunction with another clinic (including advanced clinicals).
May count towards the HLS pro bono requirement. Please consult the necessary requirements to receive HLS pro bono credit if you intend on using the work towards this requirement.
Are graded Credit/Fail based on the student’s submission of reflection essays, academic/reflection paper, and supervisor’s placement evaluation.
Work on political campaigns is not eligible for clinical credit, but may count toward the pro bono requirement if it meets certain criteria (see section I(K), Section I(L), and Section III(B)(4) of the HLS Handbook of Academic Policies).
J.D. students in active F-1 student status cannot participate in Domestic Independent Clinicals because these opportunities are not eligible for CPT authorization.
Overlap with Existing HLS Clinics
Students interested in developing an independent clinical placement where there is an existing clinic must first discuss their proposal with an OCP advisor who will consider the following:
if the student has already taken the corresponding clinic with potential subject matter overlap OR has attempted to register in the corresponding clinic but has been unsuccessful in securing placement
if the proposed placement organization is different than our own externship placements and partner organizations;
if there are no legal or ethical conflicts with the proposed placement organization and our own clinical program; and
if the work to be undertaken requires sophisticated academic instruction to ensure success.
Pre-Approved Placements
OCP has pre-approved a limited number of independent clinical placements with organizations that have quality supervision and a commitment to providing an excellent educational experience. Students are required to apply to the organizations, which have their own separate application processes. When selected by the organization, students must promptly submit their independent clinical application in accordance with the required guidelines. All of the pre-approved placements are subject to change.
What qualifies as an independent clinical placement?
Both domestic and international placements must involve legal work supervised by a licensed attorney and may include direct client services as well as broad based advocacy.
Students may work at:
legal services organizations
public interest and other nonprofit organizations
criminal defense agencies
governmental agencies, or
the judiciary
To set up your independent clinical placement, you must first secure an organization where you will be working during fall, winter, or spring semester. We encourage you to research organizations that match your individualized learning goals. If you are unsure about which organization you’d like to work with, you can search Helios for information about organizations or do a broader search by subject matter.
Restrictions
Group projects (students going to the same placement with the same project) involving more than 3 students are not permitted. Group projects involving 3 or fewer students must be extremely strong to be approved. Each student must submit a separate proposal indicating their specific plans and how their individual participation is essential to the project.
Work on political campaigns is not eligible for clinical credit but may count towards the Pro Bono Graduation Requirement if it meets certain criteria.
Approval for projects in the private sector is extremely limited and is determined on a case-by-case basis. Private sector projects must be done on a pro bono basis and focus solely on matters related to the public interest. Students may not receive compensation for any work that results in clinical credit.
2. Make an Advising Appointment
You must attend an advising appointment with a member of the Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs to discuss your ideas about placement settings, supervising attorneys, faculty sponsors, and the details of the work you will be proposing. You should schedule this appointment as early as possible in the semester.
After you meet with an OCP advisor, students must secure a placement organization with a Supervising Attorney who will be responsible for directly supervising their work. You should send the supervising attorney the Supervising Attorney Form to review and sign. You will then submit the signed form with your application.
It is essential that students develop their project proposals in collaboration with their prospective supervisor. This will help ensure that students propose work that is realistic, focused, and in line with the mission of the placement organization.
Students are required to meet regularly with their supervisors for feedback throughout the semester and to initiate an exit interview at the end of the semester to discuss the final evaluation.
Supervising Attorney must:
Be an appropriately licensed attorney;
Be employed by the Placement Organization and on-site during the placement;
Submit a Final Evaluation of the student’s work at the end of the semester, together with a recommendation regarding whether the student should receive a Credit or Fail grade for the placement; and
Not be the same person as the Faculty Sponsor.
If the placement is remote or hybrid, your supervisor will be asked the following:
To attest whether the primary method of operation for their organization is a remote or hybrid working environment;
to describe what strategies/processes you will put in place to ensure a successful remote supervision experience for the student.(For example, using multiple means of communication; scheduling shorter meetings of greater frequency; using a shared assignment tracker; facilitating relationship building through assigning mentors; meeting with future students in advance of starting work; inviting students to attend on-line team educational workshops and/or involving them in internal strategy calls);
to describe the technology the organization will employ to ensure effective remote supervision, communication, and workflow. (For example, the organization has video conference call technology; secure file transfer; and the technical means for the student to remotely access the organization’s files);
to describe how the project(s) the student will be working on is conducive to remote work. (For example, the student’s projects will be research, policy, or strategy-based projects vs. direct in-person client services with significant court appearances).
OCP will email supervisors a handbook setting forth the requirements for defining work expectations and goals, conducting regular meetings with students, and evaluating performance.
4. Secure Faculty Sponsor & Develop a Paper Topic
Students must find a faculty to sponsor who will monitor their reflection essays and final reflection/academic paper. They are required to meet with their faculty sponsor ahead of time to discuss their proposed placements, work, and paper.
You should send the faculty sponsor the Faculty Sponsor Form to review and sign. You will then submit the signed form with your application.
Faculty sponsor must:
Be a permanent HLS Faculty member or a Lecturer on Law (LOL) who is part of the Clinical Program and is teaching in the semester in which the student will be earning independent clinical credits. For winter term students, the faculty sponsor may be appointed to teach in spring term, only, because the independent clinical paper is due on the last day of spring term. The winter term independent credit/fail grade will be submitted after spring term concludes. Faculty sponsors cannot be a non-clinical Lecturer on Law or a Visiting Professor of Law;
Have expertise in the area of law pertaining to the independent clinical placement;
Have no personal or professional conflicts in taking on the role of sponsor;
Assist students in developing the topic for their reflection/academic paper;
Review the reflection/academic paper at the end of the placement;
Advise on and review weekly reflection emails from the student providing general (but not confidential) information about their work and reflecting on their experience;
Review the Supervising Attorney’s evaluation of the student, weekly reflections, and final paper to determine the appropriate grade; and
Submit the credit/fail grade to the Registrar’s Office once the paper has been received and reviewed. If an extension is granted, it is essential to submit the grade as “EXT” and inform OCP of the extension.
5. Write Project Proposal
The Independent Clinical Project Proposal should be detailed, focused, and realistic (i.e., for a winter term project, it must be work that can be completed in three weeks). This project proposal should be developed through discussions with your Supervising Attorney, the Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs, and your HLS Faculty Sponsor.
Describe your placement organization and its mission.
Outline your proposed project including your anticipated responsibilities and activities.
If you are proposing a group project with 1 or 2 other students, please describe how your individual participation is essential to the project and what your proposed individual contribution will be to the project. NOTE: A group project with more than 3 students is not permitted.
If you worked with the organization before, please note when and in what capacity you worked with the organization and indicate how you will build on your previous experience with the organization.
Statement of Interest
Explain how your proposed independent clinical project is different from practice opportunities available at HLS in the clinical program.
Explain your interest in this subject area.
Describe how your proposed independent clinical will advance your academic and professional goals.
Final Academic/Reflection Paper (see Student Responsibilities for full description of final writing product options)
Explain why you chose your faculty sponsor and how the faculty member’s area of expertise will assist you with your project.
Provide a description of your proposed 15 page academic paper topic that relates to some aspect of the work of the placement organization or the field of practice OR the 8-10 page final reflection paper on your experience. In the reflection paper option, students should reflect on what occurred in their placement experience, the lessons they learned from those experiences, and how those lessons will inform their practice moving forward.
NOTE: The academic paper cannot be work product the student produces during the placement, and must involve some original research and analysis of policy or practice.
Remote and/or Hybrid Work: If the placement is remote or hybrid, you should also include the following information in your Project Proposal:
Identify in your project proposal if your placement organization’s primary method of working includes remote or hybrid work;
State if you plan to work remotely or plan to have a hybrid (in-person and remote) schedule. If you plan to work remotely, describe how you plan to work with your supervisor to get appropriate supervision in a remote environment. If your work plan is hybrid, please describe your proposed schedule for in-person v. remote work;
Describe your plan for creating an adequate work environment to ensure you can meet your professional and ethical responsibilities. This plan can include your plan for keeping confidential documents secure; your plan for disposing of confidential printed documents from the placement at the end of your placement (note: secure data shredder documents are available in the clinical wing of WCC); your plan for securing a private place for Zoom meetings or phone calls where confidential information will be discussed; and any other important elements of how you plan to successfully engage in your remote/hybrid work.
6. Gather Your Forms
Incomplete applications will not be considered until all of the necessary forms are submitted. Projects submitted after the deadline will also not be considered.
You will need to attach the following to the online application.
If your independent clinical project involves human subject research please review the Guidelines from the Committee on the Use of Human Subjects. Research is broadly defined, and it is essential to determine the need for review by the Committee well in advance of the due date, as seeking necessary approvals can be very time consuming. The Law School liaison at the Committee can assist the student to determine whether the project requires review, and assist with the committee process.
7. Submit Application
Once you have all of your forms, click here to submit your application.
OCP approves applications based on the strength of the proposed project and the appropriateness of the placement as an educational opportunity. Students may be denied approval if their application is incomplete or the project is not deemed appropriate for academic credit.
For information about receiving travel funding for your domestic independent clinical, please visit our Clinical Travel Funding page. Funding for international placements goes through International Legal Studies.
Student Responsibilities
1. Submit Weekly Reflections
A basic premise of clinical legal education is that learning comes about through the self-conscious application of reflection to actual experience. There will be many opportunities for reflection during the implementation of the project. To learn experientially, you must be an active participant and observer of the concrete experiences at your placement and reflect on these observations and experiences. All students are required to submit the following:
Students must submit weekly reflections via email to their Faculty Sponsor and to the Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs at clinical@law.harvard.edu. These reflections will not be shared with Supervising Attorneys. Emails should contain a discussion of the work performed (without revealing privileged or confidential information) together with a reflection about the experience. The weekly reflection essays, final writing product, and supervisor’s evaluation will determine the final grade as credit/fail.
Option A: Students may agree to submit via email a 15-page academic paper. The paper must include original research and involve some type of policy and/or practice issue related to the placement, or some analysis of the organization. Students could use this work product to fulfill half of Option 2 for the HLS Writing Requirement.
Option B: Students may agree to submit via email an 8-10 page reflection paper that builds on the weekly reflection responses completed throughout the placement. The reflection paper is an opportunity for students to give serious attention to drawing out what they have learned from their placement experience, not only about the law and legal practice, but insights gained about themselves as well.
Reflection Paper Assignment Details:
“Learning through reflection . . . is an essential learning process for students to master to engage in future professional learning. . . . To engage in reflection, students need analytical skills . . . and the willingness and courage to closely examine work for successes and failures, strengths and weaknesses. They also must be able to use the products of their reflections to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to handle new situations.” – “Transforming the Education of Lawyers: The Theory and Practice of Clinical Pedagogy”
In order to transform the independent clinical experience from a legal assignment to an educational experience, students will reflect on what occurred in their placement experience, the lessons they learned from those experiences, and how those lessons will inform their practice moving forward. Please choose 2-3 of the following prompts to reflect on:
What skillsets did you develop during your independent clinical experience with your placement organization? Why were these skillsets critical to your work and how do you imagine you will use them in the future? What do you need to focus on to hone or further improve this skillset in the future?
What skillsets or mindsets were critical to your (or others) success at the placement that surprised you? What was a skillset or mindset you did not appreciate as important to legal practice until you worked at this placement? What will this mean for your educational and professional journey moving forward?
When did you or others at your placement experience a mistake or a failure? An outcome that didn’t go your way? A mistake in the appropriate approach? A missed deadline? What did you and/or the team learn from that mistake? How will it change your practice?
What did you learn and observe about the legal practice or legal field in which you were placed that you didn’t know before? Why was that learning novel and/or important during your time at the placement? How does it change your thinking about this area of practice or the legal field going forward?
What challenging ethical issues arose during your time, particularly when different ethical values might be in tension with one another? Were the Rules of Professional Conduct implicated (if applicable) and if so, how? How were those ethical tensions resolved and what do you think about the resolution? Would you approach the ethical issue differently in the future and how?
How has this independent clinical experience changed or affected your own professional identity? Has you potential professional pathway changed? Has it remained the same, but evolved in a new way or potential approach?
What was the workplace culture like at your independent clinical placement? Did anything surprise you? What about the culture did you like and what did you not? How does this shape your view of the type of workplace culture you would like to find or build in your future workplaces?
How did your organization prioritize work/life balance and supporting employees in managing their workload while also caring for their mental and physical health? Did you think this organization’s approach was successful? What are your ideas for how these issues could be prioritized by an organization?
How did diversity, equity and/or inclusiveness look like for your organization or institution? Based on your observations, how did this influence the organization’s work and its interactions with outside clients and organizations? How did this affect you personally?
Another reflection about your experience, what you have learned, and how it implicates your future professional practice, identity, and trajectory.
These reflections can build upon reflections from the weekly submissions throughout the placement, but must provide new or further developed insights on the reflections provided. The reflection essay may not copy any of the weekly reflections verbatim. No confidential or privileged information should be shared.
Paper Submission Deadlines:
Fall 2022: December 3 (midnight) Winter 2023: April 21 (midnight) Spring 2023: April 21 (midnight)
3. Complete Evaluation
Students’ experiences and opinions are extremely important to the continuing efforts to improve the quality of clinical legal education at Harvard Law School and to determine the appropriateness and effectiveness of specific placements. At the end of the semester, students are required to complete a placement evaluation to assess the placement organization, the supervision received, and the value of the clinical experience. Please be as frank, specific, and constructive as possible.
The clinical evaluations are completed online through Helios. Responses do not affect grading, as the information reported is not reviewed outside of OCP until after the semester’s grading process has been completed. The placement evaluations are for student use only. A student who completes the evaluation may choose not to have the student’s name revealed. The evaluation is not shared with the placement organization.
Ethical and Professional Responsibilities
Ethical Rules
You must comply with the applicable Rules of Professional Conduct in the jurisdiction in which you’re engaged in an independent clinical project.
Respect Confidentiality
You are obligated to preserve client confidentiality under the Rules of Professional Conduct. You must pay particular attention to client confidentiality when submitting weekly reflections to your faculty sponsor and OCP, final paper, and evaluation, and must make sure that you do not reveal client or organizational confidences, including any identifying information or case strategy.
Check for Conflicts of Interest
Before finalizing any placement, discuss any potential conflicts of interest with your supervisor, including any prior knowledge of the client or matter and any legal work you may have accomplished on behalf of an opposing or related party.
Diligence
You are expected to provide competent legal work and/or representation under the supervision of your supervising attorney. Competent representation requires the legal knowledge, skill, thoroughness, and preparation reasonably necessary for the legal work and/or representation. If any personal or academic problems arise, you must be sure to coordinate with your supervisor to manage the problem and ensure the client’s matter is addressed appropriately with the highest level of professionalism.
Respect Harvard Law School Independence
When representing or communicating with individual clients or with outside organizations you must identify yourself as a law student/legal intern of your placement organization. While it may be appropriate to say that you attend Harvard Law School, it is not appropriate or accurate to suggest to a client that he or she is being represented by Harvard Law School or Harvard University. Students must understand that their work does not reflect the judgment or opinions of Harvard Law School and that Harvard Law School does not direct or supervise their project.
