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Pepperdine | Caruso School of Law

Experiential Learning

Experiential Learning in the trial courtroom at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law

Translating Theory to Practice

It is the goal of Pepperdine Caruso School of Law that all of our students graduate practice-ready. We offer co-curricular experiential learning that includes clinical work, externship experience, study abroad, and mentoring opportunities that are unique to our school. The presence of the world's top dispute resolution program -- the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution -- and its rich curriculum of hands-on, outcome-focused training is just one example of a unique learning environment built on the simple question, What works?

Pepperdine Caruso School of Law was recently ranked 10th in the country for "Practical Training", the top-ranked school in California.

Clinical Education at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law

Clinical Education Program

In our Clinical Education Program, students practice law under the supervision of law professors with real clients and high stakes, in a rigorous learning environment. This includes externships and practicums, in which students gain skills that will transfer directly to their future careers.

Advocacy Programs at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law

Advocacy Programs

Since 1972, our well-developed advocacy program has competed at the highest level. This important, time-honored law school tradition helps students to hone advocacy and public speaking skills while participating in mock appellate proceedings.

Global Justice students in Uganda

Global Justice

Our Sudreau Global Justice Program touches all corners of the globe through its initiatives in international human rights and religious freedom, advancement of the rule of law, and global development. Through these three main initiatives, students and faculty collaborate to seek justice and create a lasting impact in some of the world's most vulnerable places.

International Learning Opportunities at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law

Global Programs

Our overseas and exchange programs include sites in London and Augsburg. These programs offer students unparalleled experiential learning opportunities to study the foundation of American law, while living in exciting cities abroad.

Parris Institute at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law

Parris Institute for Professional Formation

The Parris Institute focuses on our first-year students and is dedicated to developing the professional skills, stamina, and focus necessary to build a thriving law career.

three judges sit on a bench in the Appellate Courtroom

Judicial Clerkship Institute

Each year, we bring law students from across the country to our campus for the Wm. Matthew Byrne, Jr., Judicial Clerkship Institute (Byrne JCI), in which they gain distinctive, comprehensive training by federal judges.

Experiential Learning at Straus Institute

Through Straus Institute's award-winning dispute resolution education, students learn the skills to negotiate, mediate, and arbitrate through lectures, discussions, simulated exercises, mock arbitrations and mediations, and various moot court competitions.

Students in the LLM and MDR program have the opportunity to mediate real cases through dispute resolution clinics.