There are many different avenues to gain real-world experience in law through Wake Forest. In addition to supporting students with summer employment through the Office of Career & Professional Development, Wake Forest offers a robust experiential learning program:
Externships: Externships are like an internship, but with academic structure. You essentially go to work for an organization that has agreed to structure the work experience to help you meet several learning objectives. In addition to the work experience, you are required to complete a course component that usually consists of seminars, guest lectures, and reflection papers. Our Director of Field Placement can help you find the externship that's right for you, or work with you to develop an externship of your own.
Clinics: A clinic is a course that you take in which your professor is a licensed attorney with expertise in the area of law in which the clinic specializes. As a clinical student, you work on real cases that help you gain practical skills while earning credit and helping the community. For instance, in our Appellate Advocacy Clinic, students write appellate briefs that are used in real cases and students have delivered oral arguments in both the 4th Circuit and the Supreme Court in North Carolina. Our clinics include:
Appellate Advocacy
Environmental Law & Policy
Innocence and Justice
Intellectual Property
Medical-Legal Partnership
Veterans Legal Clinic
Pro Bono Project: The Pro Bono Project creates opportunities for all law students to serve those in need by advancing equitable access to justice to marginalized or low-income communities and individuals, with a focus on North Carolina. These opportunities empower students in real-life situations to develop their legal knowledge and practical lawyering skills and to provide compassionate and inclusive education. In all its endeavors, the Pro Bono Project promotes ethical standards and devotion to service at Wake Forest Law and in the legal profession.