Practicums
Learn in Authentic Settings
Briefing a case in class is one thing. Sitting across from a client, preparing a witness, arguing a motion, or working directly with people and communities affected by the legal system is another. At Drexel Kline School of Law, practicums and experiential courses place you in those moments. You’ll work under close supervision, but the responsibility, by design, is yours.
Alongside clinics and co-op programs, these experiential offerings expand the ways students engage in applied legal work at Drexel Kline.
Work That Builds Judgment
Participants take on defined projects, not just observational roles. You may advise clients, draft filings, investigate facts, prepare for hearings, appear in court, and reflect with faculty or field mentors on what you did and why it matters. That reflection piece is built in, so you can connect assignments to judgment and your future career.
Course Options
Here are some of the experiential offerings available, each connecting students to real-world legal, civic or justice-focused work:
- Pennsylvania Innocence Project: Review records and research claims of wrongful conviction. Students analyze case files, assess trial and appellate records and help identify legal or factual issues that may shape post-conviction litigation.
- Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project: Teach constitutional law to local high school students while preparing them for a moot court competition. Students develop lesson plans, lead classroom discussions and work directly with young people to explore legal rights and civic participation.
- Comparative Penal Reform: Examine incarceration and reform efforts through engagement with correctional systems in Pennsylvania and Scandinavia. Students compare approaches to punishment and rehabilitation using observation, structured dialogue, and reflection across different correctional environments.
- Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program: Take a weekly seminar held inside a correctional facility, bringing law students and incarcerated participants together to study criminal justice. Students often say the course reshaped their perspective on the criminal justice system.
- Mediation Practicum: Serve as a mediator in landlord-tenant eviction matters through the City of Philadelphia’s Eviction Diversion Program (EDP). After training in mediation skills and Pennsylvania law, students observe and then mediate real disputes under faculty supervision, with structured reflection built into the course.
- Field Practicum: Build a for-credit placement with a lawyer, judge or organization aligned with your goals. Some students have created placements in government offices or nonprofits that later became career pathways.
Responsibilities Day to Day
Expect real assignments, steady feedback and regular time set aside for debriefing. You may prepare documents, meet with clients, ready a case for hearing or appear in court—with faculty supervision and guidance. The goal is real responsibility, not just shadowing.
When to Enroll and What to Expect
Many students begin as early as their 2L year, after completing their first-year courses. Some placements, particularly those operating under Pennsylvania’s student practice rules for representing clients in court, may require students to have completed three semesters of law school. Prerequisites vary by course or placement, but expectations are clear from the start.
How Drexel Kline Helps You Choose
Faculty and program leaders can help you assess fit and readiness for particular offerings. Individualized guidance is central to Drexel’s experiential learning approach.
Skills That Stay with You
Legal work is unpredictable and time-bound. These courses teach you to handle uncertainty, counsel clients and move from research to action. Many discover a new practice area or decide to pivot after direct experience.
Where These Experiences Fit In
Practicums can be combined with clinic and co-op placements to create a cohesive set of experiences across your time at Drexel Kline.