Independent Clinical Program

Isabel Schayani and Niku Jafarina JD ’19 at WDR in Germany By: Niku Jafarnia JD/MPP ’20 This J-term, I did an independent clinical in Germany,…

By: Solange Etessami, J.D. ’20 Solange Etessami, a 2L at Harvard Law School In the middle of January, the town of Mytilene on the island…

By: Oladeji M. Tiamiyu, J.D. ’20 The Constitutional Review Commission in The Gambia, located in the Greater Banjul Region When democracies endure prolonged crises, a complete…

By: Alex Gazikas J.D. ’17 I spent my January term interning at the Surfrider Foundation, a nonprofit organization in San Clemente seeking to preserve and…

From Harvard Law Today—Niku Jafarnia ’19 spent Winter Term in Amman, Jordan, undertaking an independent clinical with the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP). Her commitment to working with refugees and asylum seekers began in college, when she drew on her Iranian heritage and her fluency in Farsi as an intake volunteer.

By Cameron Pritchett, J.D. ’18—During winter term, I spent three fantastic weeks at the Federal Public Defender in Honolulu, Hawaii, through HLS's Independent Clinical Program. Having spent both my 1L and 2L summers at law firms, this was my first opportunity to see a public interest setting.

By Rachel Corrigan, Berkeley Law Exchange Student—My experience at the KLRC was one of the best experiences I have had in law school. I was surprised by how much responsibility and freedom I was given to conduct research and develop concrete recommendations.

From Hayley Evans, J.D. ’19—Interning for HKIAC was a wonderful experience. Not only did it provide me with an on-the-ground introduction to the work of an arbitral tribunal, but it also allowed me to work with many talented interns, attorneys, and staff.

By Elizabeth Ferrie, J.D. ’19—This January, I interned at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) in Sydney, Australia. I was fortunate to have dedicated supervisors and mentors that provided me with a broad range of experiences to enhance my knowledge of international capital markets.

By Kate Barnekow, J.D. '19—I came to law school because I wanted to help those whose voices are often not represented in the legal system. As a longtime supporter of the animal protection movement, I was thrilled as a 1L to discover HLS’s Animal Law and Policy Program and, subsequently, learn about all of the ways we can help animals.

This winter term, over a hundred students have traveled to 62 cities across the world to pursue clinical projects with a wide range of governmental agencies, non-profits and other organizations. 

By Veronica Saltzman J.D. '19—My internship at the Federal Public Defender Office increased my knowledge of federal criminal law and procedure immensely. I appreciated the opportunity to work with fantastic attorneys and gain experience by working on important tasks and witnessing intense moments during the criminal justice process.

By Michael Perloff, J.D. '17—Before my J-Term internship, I never spent time on Capitol Hill—no prior internships, no family vacations, not even a class trip. This omission was striking because politics fascinates me.

By Hannah Belitz, J.D. '17—I spent this January term interning at HIAS in Israel, an international nonprofit that assists and protects refugees; it was founded in 1881 to assist Jews fleeing pogroms in Russia and Eastern Europe.

By Peter Im, J.D. '18—I spent J-term at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law at a federal bench trial about remedying unconstitutional segregation at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in Maryland.

By Amanda Brown-Inz, J.D. '17—This January, I interned at the National Health Law Program, a public interest organization in Los Angeles that focuses on access to health care for low-income and underserved populations, and specialized issues such as reproductive rights and opioid addiction.

By Isaac Gelbfish, J.D. '17—During J-term 2017 I interned at the Criminal Appeals Bureau (CAB) of the Legal Aid-Society, New York City's largest public defender office. I was fortunate to have amazing supervisors and had the opportunity to work on a number of criminal appeals.

By Jessica Blanton, J.D. ’18 During winter term, I worked for three weeks at Legal Aid of Manasota in Sarasota, Florida. The experience was invaluable,…