Unlike most other law schools, Washington University guarantees every student placement in at least one of the clinical courses during his or her second or third year of law school. Capital Punishment Clinic Students work with faculty and lawyers in the Missouri Public Defenders Capital Defense Unit to assist in the representation of indigent clients charged with crimes subject to the death penalty. Civil Justice Clinic Students represent clients in cases involving paternity, divorce, parole, clemency, and orders of protection. Criminal Justice Clinic Students work with on-site faculty and lawyers in the St. Louis County Public Defender Office, investigating crimes, interviewing witnesses, conducting preliminary hearings, taking criminal depositions, handling misdemeanor trials as first chair lawyers, and serving as second chair lawyers for clients in felony trials. Employment Law Clinic Students work with attorneys at the St. Louis EEOC office or at firms specializing in employment discrimination litigation.
Students also represent workers at unemployment insurance appeals hearings.
Judicial Clerkship Clinic Students work as interns for trial and appellate judges on state and federal courts in Missouri and Illinois. U.S. Attorney Clinic Students work either in the Criminal or Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office in St. Louis.