Capital University Law School Offers Practical Experiences

If you are looking for practical experience in the field of law, there are many opportunities around the law school.  Learning isn't always done in a classroom.  Check out the variety of ways you can earn credit towards graduation, while getting real-world experience.

Externships
Capital University Law School’s expansive externship program offers varied opportunities for CapLaw students to earn academic credit for experience in the legal field. These site experiences with courts, government agencies, non-profits and in-house counsel offer practical experience helping attorneys perform real legal work. Alumni often serve as site supervisors and mentors for the externs. 

General Litigation Clinic
Capital University Law School’s Legal Clinic provides no-cost legal services to a variety of individuals who would otherwise be unable to afford legal representation. The Clinic also provides students with the opportunity to develop and enhance their client counseling skills and professional ethics by representing indigent clients under the careful supervision of law professors and staff attorneys. In addition to providing a valuable service to the community, students experience directly the excitement of legal practice. There is no more exhilarating feeling than standing up in court before a judge to advocate for your client. The comprehensive nature of the clinic immerses each student in the human drama inherent in actual client representation.

Mediation Clinic
Mediation clinic is a clinical experience for students who have completed the Mediation class. Students will mediate disputes in a variety of settings including Small Claims Court and the Municipal Court. Additionally, students will mediate disputes referred directly to the clinic. Students must have completed the first year evening courses and Mediation before enrolling in this 3 credit-hour clinic. In addition to some classroom work involving general skills training in the techniques needed to conduct a mediation, students will spend a majority of the time conducting actual meditations at the Franklin County Municipal Court and the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division, Juvenile Branch.
Externships

Moot Court
The Moot Court Program at Capital University Law School is the student-run appellate advocacy honors society. Members of the Moot Court Program receive the practical experience of drafting appellate briefs and developing strong oral advocacy skills, intellectual flexibility, the ability to function well under pressure, and the self-confidence necessary to be successful advocates. Competitors, also known as “Mooters”, travel all over the United States to compete in regional and national competitions. Additionally, members of the Moot Court Program are eligible for two credit hours in the semester in which their competition takes place. 

Volunteer Income Tax Association (V.I.T.A.)
VITA is sponsored by the ABA and the IRS. As a VITA volunteer, you will gain practical training in taxation and an opportunity to develop client counseling skills. At the same time, you will be serving the community. Understanding tax matters may be helpful in a number of areas of the law; consequently, we all stand to benefit. VITA provides free income tax service (preparation of tax returns) during the tax season for the economically challenged, handicapped and the elderly. VITA serves the community, fosters good will and a community presence, provides practical experience (and training) in taxation for student volunteers to develop "client counseling skills," and fosters an active campus relationship with the ABA.

Pro Bono Recognition Program
Capital University Law School's Pro Bono Recognition Program helps students connect with volunteer opportunities at courts, non-profits, and government offices. Those who contribute 50 or more hours to approved projects during the course of their law school career are recognized with Pro Bono Legal Honors. Students participating in the pro bono program gain valuable practical experience in the legal field and network with judges and attorneys while starting on the path to a career-long commitment to giving back. 

Family & Youth Law Center (FYLaw) 

The Family and Youth Law Center at Capital University Law School (FYLaw) works within child welfare, adoption, and juvenile justice systems to support positive outcomes for children, youth, and families.  Established in 1998 as the National Center for Adoption Law & Policy, FYLaw  partners with local, state, and national agencies and organizations in collaborations aimed at improving the laws, policies, and practices associated with child protection, adoption, and juvenile justice systems. 

Mock Trial

Mock Trial is a student organization where students develop and apply the principles of trial advocacy during a simulated trial that is based on fictitious facts and evidence. The Mock Trial team learns how to conduct a trial from start to finish. Students are taught how to think and act like a trial lawyer. They plan, draft and present opening statements, direct examinations, cross-examinations and closing arguments. Mock Trial also teaches students how to object to evidence properly, how to handle objections raised against them, as well as how to handle various courtroom procedures like entering evidence or impeaching witnesses. These experiences are unlike anything that can be taught in a classroom because students learn to deal with the unexpected, just like they will have to do in practice.