Caruso Law Clinic and Externship Programs Continue to Grow in the Pandemic Age

The Pepperdine Caruso School of Law Clinical Education Program provides students with opportunities to practice law, work with clients, learn from expert faculty, observe the work of lawyers and courts, grow as professionals, and seek justice in our communities. Despite the challenges imposed on experiential learning by the COVID-19 pandemic, Caruso Law faculty, students, and clients have embraced the flexibility offered by technology in order to continue the pursuit of education, professional formation, and access to justice.

Assistant Dean of Clinic Education and Global Programs Jeffrey Baker noted, "Law practice is never static; we are never immune from disruption. In this age of crisis and transition, our clinical faculty approaches every challenge, detour, mistake, and experiment as an opportunity to teach and learn."

This fall, students and faculty served clients from Skid Row to the Ninth Circuit, from state courts to the IRS, from the US to four other continents, through litigation, mediation, transactions and every step of client-centered advice, counsel, and advocacy.

The Clinical Program will continue to expand this spring. Under the direction of Eric Rassbach and in collaboration with Jones Day, Caruso Law is launching a new Religious Liberty Clinic with a creative civil rights practice. It will be the tenth clinic at Caruso, adding important new dimensions to the mission and experience through outstanding collaborations and a national practice.

Each of the clinics offers a unique scope and style of practice, affording students incomparable opportunities to develop as professionals and serve clients and communities in great need. Through clinics, practicums, and an expansive externship program, Caruso Law students thrive in practice during law school and advance access to justice locally, nationally, and globally.

To read a complete report on each of the ten clinics–including the new Religious Liberty Clinic launching Spring 2022 semester–and externship programs in Los Angeles, Washington DC, London, and beyond, please visit the website.