Education, in practice
At Iowa Law’s clinics, students don’t just observe attorneys—they become them. Under faculty supervision, students take on meaningful responsibility as advocates for real clients, building skills that translate across legal practice areas, from client interviewing and case theory development to cultural competence and resilience. With primary responsibility for their clients at every stage of the legal process, students learn not only how to practice law, but how to develop their judgment and grow into confident, capable attorneys.
Choose your practice area
Iowa Law offers a range of clinic courses, split into three independently operating law firms: the Legal Clinic, a cohort of five clinics; the Human Rights Initiative, created in partnership with the University of Iowa Center for Human Rights; and the Nonprofit Structure and Strategy Clinic, created in partnership with the Larned A. Waterman Nonprofit Resource Center.
The Legal Clinic
Community Empowerment Law Project
Advance racial, economic, and social justice in Iowa through collaborative representation of organizations, communities, and government entities in transactional and policy matters.
Federal Impact Litigation Clinic
Represent immigrants and immigrant organizations, litigating civil cases in federal court at the intersection of immigration, civil rights, and administrative law.
Federal Criminal Defense Clinic
Represent indigent individuals charged with federal crimes in the US District Courts of Iowa and engage in post-conviction and decarceration litigation in the US Courts of Appeals for the Eighth and Sixth Circuits.
Immigration Advocacy
Represent juveniles and adults in deportation/ removal proceedings and affirmative applications, including humanitarian relief, legal permanent resident status, and naturalization, and advocate on legal and policy issues affecting the civil rights of immigrants and their communities.
Technology Law
Represent organizational clients on questions related to how technology affects the lives of real people. This could include litigation, legislative advocacy, public education, seeking or analyzing public records, or pursuing policy change.
Human Rights Initiative Clinic
Professor Hope Metcalf
Created in partnership with the University of Iowa Center for Human Rights.
Receive hands-on experience in international human rights law in a clinic that partners with human rights organizations across the globe. Support the rule of law and fundamental rights that are necessary to a vibrant, peaceful, and democratic society.
Nonprofit Structure and Strategy Clinic
Professor June Tai
Created in partnership with the Larned A. Waterman Iowa Nonprofit Resource Center.
Provide legal services to Iowa-based nonprofit organizations, including assisting with formation and governance, transactional research, legal health assessments, and community education workshops.
“The legal clinic gave me a jump start in all the skills relevant to practice, but learning under the extremely capable clinical faculty also helped realize that I have what it takes to stand up to high-pressure situations.”