Education

The Earthrise Student Experience

Earthrise Law Center provides two opportunities for rising 2L, 3L and LLM Lewis & Clark Law students: the academic year clinic and the summer clerkship.

The Earthrise Clinic

Earthrise Law Center offers a 3 credit per semester clinic during the fall and spring semesters. Students enrolled in the clinic during the school year work on actual environmental cases under the supervision of Earthrise’s three clinical professors. Students are assigned to work on a variety of cases across a broad spectrum of environmental issues utilizing statutes such as the Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Endangered Species Act. They delve into the details of a case, present the facts to the class and collaboratively devise winning strategies. The matters on the docket provide students with the opportunity to work on litigation on in depth, complex, and environmentally important lawsuits. Students will interact directly with clients and make connections that will benefit their future careers. The clinic represents an array of environmental organizations seeking to prevent or reduce pollution and protect wildlife, habitat, and ecosystems. 

The close one-on-one and small group relationships fostered by our 1:3 or 4 faculty-to-student ratio encourages strong student development in fundamental lawyering skills, including:

• Problem Solving
• Legal Analysis and Reasoning
• Communication
• Legal Research
• Factual Investigation
• Organization and Management of Legal Work
• Litigation Strategy

Each week, students are expected to attend and participate in a 2-hour classroom component, meet with a supervising attorney, as well as work 10 hours outside of class on average each week on cases as assigned. Grading is currently on a pass/no pass basis, but Earthrise may adopt the grading system currently used for externships. Class attendance is mandatory. Depending on the work in the clinic, there is a possibility that a WIE paper can be completed. Prior professor permission and consent is needed. Talk to an Earthrise professor for more information. Students who enroll in Earthrise also are eligible to take Earthrise Ethics, a two-semester, one credit per semester course that satisfies the Professional Responsibility graduation requirement.

Unlike an externship, enrolling in the clinic fulfills a student’s “highly specialized” requirement and professional responsibility credits, if they take Earthrise Ethics.

To learn about How to Enroll in the Earthrise Clinic, click here. 

To learn about Earthrise’s Tomorrow’s Advocates Summer Clerkship program, click here.