{"id":17641,"date":"2015-12-14T15:09:56","date_gmt":"2015-12-14T20:09:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/?page_id=17641"},"modified":"2026-07-09T14:14:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T18:14:30","slug":"how-to-apply","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/about\/offices\/clinical-experiential-programs\/how-to-apply\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Apply for Clinics, Practicums &#038; Externships"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clinics, externships, and practicums offer students an opportunity to gain practical lawyering skills and have a real-world impact. These courses satisfy the BU Law requirement that every JD student must take at least six experiential learning credits.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>How do I apply for 2026-2027?<\/b><\/h4>\n<p class=\"cvGsUA direction-ltr align-start para-style-body\"><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">Interested in <\/span><strong><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-strikethrough-none text-decoration-underline\">clinics and\/or practicums<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-strikethrough-none text-decoration-none\">? Email <a href=\"mailto:lclinic2@bu.edu\">lclinic2@bu.edu <\/a>if you missed the application period (March 2-20, 2026) to inquire if any spots are available.<\/span><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-strikethrough-none text-decoration-none white-space-prewrap\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"cvGsUA direction-ltr align-start para-style-body\"><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">Interested in an <\/span><strong><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-strikethrough-none text-decoration-underline\">externship<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-strikethrough-none text-decoration-none\">? <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you&#8217;d like to pursue an externship placement, please complete our <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/forms\/d\/e\/1FAIpQLScJMpGZpm4OteMGgs8bFhxM4WUEsZMjL5osECliJimcUQEYCQ\/viewform?usp=publish-editor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Externship Program Interest Form<\/a>. <\/span>We work with <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">with students to identify and secure placements for fall and spring on a rolling basis. Once an externship placement is accepted, students must notify the Externship Program by emailing <a href=\"mailto:extern1@bu.edu\">extern1@bu.edu<\/a>. <\/span><\/span>C<span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-strikethrough-none text-decoration-none\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ontact <a href=\"mailto:extern1@bu.edu\">extern1@bu.edu<\/a> to learn more.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul><\/ul>\n<p><strong>Upcoming Dates &amp; Important Application Information<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 2026-2027 application period for clinics and practicums has closed. The Externship Program uses a separate interest form and will work with students to find placements on a rolling basis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"cvGsUA direction-ltr align-start para-style-body\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have any questions, please email <a href=\"mailto:lclinic2@bu.edu\">lclinic2@bu.edu<\/a>. The February 2026 Clinical and Experiential Programs Information Session recording is available in case you missed it: <a href=\"https:\/\/echo360.org\/media\/0c61348d-05ca-4932-8ef2-67fe03abd8ea\/public\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Link to recording<\/a>.<\/span><i><\/i><\/p>\n<ul><\/ul>\n<p><strong><em>For general questions regarding our programs or the application process, please contact <a href=\"mailto:lclinic2@bu.edu\">lclinic2@bu.edu.\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Ways to Learn More<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Clinical and Experiential Programs Information Session<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/echo360.org\/media\/0c61348d-05ca-4932-8ef2-67fe03abd8ea\/public\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Link to recording<\/a> from 2\/12\/26<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Contact Us! Learn more about our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/about\/offices\/clinical-experiential-programs\/contact\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">offerings and the experiential faculty who teach them.<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul><\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul><\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul><\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul><\/ul>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">What if I missed the deadline to apply for clinics or practicums?<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/p>\n<p>If you missed the deadline, please contact Clinical and Experiential Programs at lclinic2@bu.edu. We continue to accept applications until the clinics are full, although students applying after the deadline may not be guaranteed their first choices. You can continue to pursue externship placement opportunities on a rolling basis.<\/p>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">What is the difference between a clinic, externship and a practicum?<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Experiential classes cement doctrinal knowledge by allowing you to apply these principles in the context of live cases, projects, or scenarios. They also help to prepare you for the bar examination by exposing you to subjects tested and allow you to develop lawyering skills likely to be tested on the Next Generation Bar Examination. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Experiential offerings also prepare you to practice law by providing opportunities to develop lawyering skills, like trial advocacy, negotiation, client counseling, and more. You have the opportunity to go deep or wide across areas of law to develop lawyering skills that will transfer to your career as a lawyer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Clinics<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> offer students the chance to engage directly with clients or projects under the supervision of a full-time faculty member. Clinics generally feature a small seminar with a 8-t0-1 student\/faculty ratio, allowing students to receive detailed feedback and reflect as they gain critical lawyering skills. Clinics can be year-long or semester-long.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Practicums<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> provide students with the opportunity to engage with clients and projects under the supervision of a faculty member, who usually works at an offsite placement. Practicum faculty teach a seminar connected to the fieldwork that provides students with opportunities to learn lawyering skills and reflect upon their fieldwork.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span>Externships<\/span><\/b><span class=\"apple-converted-space\"><span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span>provide students with the opportunity to work under attorney supervision in the field in diverse placements, from criminal law to corporate counsel to environmental law. Students must participate in a seminar taught by BU faculty, where they learn about lawyering skills and reflect upon their fieldwork. The seminar is for graded credits, and the fieldwork course is for ungraded credits. The Externship Program includes both part-time and full-time opportunities (Semester in Practice and the NY Pro Bono Scholar Program are full-time).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<h4><strong>Welcoming All<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>We warmly welcome all applicants and remind students that Boston University policy prohibits discrimination against any individual on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status, and acts in conformity with all applicable state and federal laws. This policy extends to academic programs, including School of Law\u2019s Clinics, Practicums, and Externships. The Program works with students and BU\u2019s Office of Disability &amp; Access Services to arrange reasonable accommodations as appropriate.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"button-primary\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/about\/offices\/clinical-experiential-programs\/how-to-apply\/ask-a-question\/\">Ask a Question<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Clinics, externships, and practicums offer students an opportunity to gain practical lawyering skills and have a real-world impact. These courses satisfy the BU Law requirement that every JD student must take at least six experiential learning credits.\u00a0 How do I apply for 2026-2027? Interested in clinics and\/or practicums? Email lclinic2@bu.edu if you missed the application [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6977,"featured_media":0,"parent":89936,"menu_order":6,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"bu-publication":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/17641"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6977"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17641"}],"version-history":[{"count":61,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/17641\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":126253,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/17641\/revisions\/126253"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/89936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=17641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}