Each student comes with different strengths and weaknesses, and it is the clinical program's goal to help students think critically about who they are and who they want to become as lawyers. In the clinics, faculty members guide students through this transition from student to professional, leading them in a thoughtful, purposeful, and reflective manner. Faculty members work with students to master their lawyering skills and to prepare them for a lifetime of learning, another reason Syracuse clinical programs are recognized nationally. Students are encouraged to enroll in at least one clinic or externship course during their second or third year. Students may enroll in any one of a variety of clinics and externships, each specializing in a different area of law.
Students work on cases in small teams, much like real lawyers do.
The recent addition of Winifred MacNaughton Hall provides a new clinic wing that looks and operates like an actual law office. The clinic wing is adjacent to a new formal courtroom. I Provides representation to clients primarily in the areas of civil rights, including cases involving education, employment discrimination, and disability rights. Public Interest Law Firm II Provides representation primarily in related areas including public benefits, welfare reform, and criminal justice issues. Children's Rights and Family Law Clinic Student attorneys in the Children's Rights and Family Law Clinic represent children and their families in federal and state court proceedings and before administrative agencies.