GGU Law Home
Clinical Programs
Golden Gate has one of the most extensive clinical legal education programs in the country. Students earn academic credit while working under the supervision of a full-time faculty member and a practicing attorney.
Information
* Externship Clinic Info Sheet
* How to Find and Secure a Placement
* Sample of Criminal Litigation Placements
* Sample of Civil Field Placements
* Sample of Environmental, Family, Youth, Real Estate as well as other placements
* Clinics & Externships: Course Descriptions and Contact Information
* Information for Prospective Supervising AttorneysHandbooks
* Student Clinic Handbook
* Supervising Attorney HandbookApplications
* Externship Application
* Judicial Externship ApplicationFAQ
* Externship Clinic Program Frequently Asked Questions
»
»
The on-site clinics operate as law offices within the School of Law, providing legal representation to low-income individuals and community groups who would not otherwise be able to afford legal counsel. Environmental Law and Justice Clinic (ELJC)
Clinic Director: Associate Professor Helen Kang
Students provide direct representation to community groups and environmental organizations in low-income and minority communities disproportionately impacted by environmental degradation. ELJC contact information Women's Employment Rights Clinic
Clinic Director: Professor Marci Seville
Supervising Attorney: Hina Shah, Visiting Professor and Clinical Staff Attorney
Students represent clients in employment disputes including unemployment insurance appeals, race and sex discrimination, sexual harassment, family and medical leave, and wage and hour claims. WERC contact information LLM 306 Pro Bono Tax Clinic
Clinic Director and Professor: Kimberly Stanley - Associate Dean & Director of LLM Tax (contact kstanley@ggu.edu)
The Pro Bono Tax Clinic provides students with the opportunity to assist low-income individuals in certain tax disputes before the California Board of Equalization ("BOE"). Under the direct supervision of a BOE attorney, the students provide legal assistance with claims involving Renter's Assistance Credits, California Residency issues, and Head of Household status, among other issues. The students meet regularly with a BOE attorney who instructs them about the relevant law and assists them in the development of their clients' factual and legal arguments. The students draft procedural letters, legal memoranda and briefs that are submitted to the BOE. Students may also have the opportunity to argue the client's case at a BOE hearing.All GGU JD's and LLM Tax students are eligible to participate in the Pro Bono Tax Clinic. There is no prerequisite for this course, although Federal Income Tax or Characterization of Income & Expenditures is recommended. Students can earn up to a maximum of 2 units for participation in the Clinic. All units can transfer to the LLM Tax degree. Capital Post-Conviction Defense Clinic
Civil Field Placement Clinic
Consumer Rights Clinic
Criminal Litigation Clinic
Environmental Law Clinic
Environmental LLM Externship
Family Law Clinic
Judicial Externships
Homeless Advocacy Clinic
Real Estate Clinic
Youth Law Clinic
Advanced Legal Clinic
In field placement clinics, students work under faculty supervision and the supervision of judges and attorneys in government agencies, law offices, counsel offices, and judges' chambers. Students also attend a seminar to share experiences and insights and to focus on the substantive nature of their work. The Externship Supervisor and Extern Agreement form may be downloaded.
LAW 896J Externship: Capital Post-Conviction Defense Clinic (Fall)
Faculty supervisor: Professor Susan Rutberg (contact: srutberg@ggu.edu)
Students attend a weekly seminar and work on capital cases at the California Appellate Project, a non-profit serving the largest population of condemned individuals in the country. Students research and draft pleadings and investigate post-conviction claims for death row inmates. To apply mail, fax, or email a completed externship application form, listed above, and a resume to the attention of Patricia Kern, Deputy Director of the California Appellate Project (CAP), 101 Second Street, Suite 600, San Francisco, California 94105; fax: (415) 495-5616. LAW 896A Externship: Civil Field Placement Clinic (Fall, Spring, Summer)
Faculty supervisors: Adjunct Professors Jennifer Wyllie-Pletcher (contact: jwpletcher@yahoo.com and David Ammons (contact:dwammons@sbcglobal.net)
Students work in private or non-profit law offices, government agencies, or business legal departments as law clerks, working on civil litigation or engaging in transactional work. Students also attend seminar class meetings. Students may work in a wide variety of areas such as civil rights, corporate law, entertainment law, family law, intellectual property law, international law, and personal injury law. LAW 896R Externship: Consumer Rights Clinic (Spring)
Faculty supervisor: Marie Appel (contact: marie@consumerlaw.ws)
The CRC is a collaboration with the Bar Association of San Francisco's Volunteer Legal Services Program at the BASF offices, a few blocks from the Law School, at 301 Battery Street, San Francisco. Students learn interviewing and counseling skills, as well as substantive consumer law, and assist attorneys in providing advice, counseling and limited legal representation, including drafting letters and basic pleadings such as answers and claims of exemption. Clinic clients face debt collection lawsuits and related issues. With instructor approval, students seeking a third unit, and certified by the State Bar, may be able to perform additional limited client representation, such as drafting and arguing motions in court. (Priority registration for Evening Part-Time students). LAW 896F Externship: Criminal Litigation Clinic (Fall, Spring, Summer)
Program Director and Spring Faculty Supervisor: Professor Susan Rutberg (contact: srutberg@ggu.edu); Fall and Summer Faculty supervisor: Adjunct Professor Susan Leff (contact: leffs@hotmail.com)
Students work as law clerks in a variety of trial and post-conviction prosecution or defense agencies supervised by experienced criminal lawyers and faculty. Students certified by the California State Bar may appear in court under supervision. Students also attend a weekly seminar to explore broader criminal justice issues and to learn from guest practitioners and each other. LAW 834I Externship: Environmental Law Clinic (Spring)
Faculty supervisor: Professor Alan Ramo (contact: aramo@ggu.edu) or Adjunct Professor Brian Orion (contact: borion@enviroadvocates.com)
Students work in government agencies, public interest groups, or environmental organizations engaged in environmental practice. LLM 375E Externship: Environmental LLM Externship (Spring)
Faculty supervisor: Professor Alan Ramo (contact: aramo@ggu.edu)
LLM Environmental students work at an organization, agency or firm engaged in environmental law. LAW 837D Externship: Family Law Clinic (Fall, Spring)
Faculty supervisor: Adjunct Professor Florence Sinay Phillips (contact: florences@sbcglobal.net)
This externship is designed to address a vastly underserved population: low income persons and families with urgent family law issues. Students will be placed with non-profit organizations, government agencies, and private attorneys specializing in Family Law, to handle all aspects of Family Law cases at all stages, from client interview to representation at court hearings, assisting in trials, and writing legal briefs. LAW 896C Externship: Judicial Externships (Fall, Spring, Summer)
Faculty supervisors: Profs. Susanne Aronowitz and Leeor Neta (contact: saronowitz@ggu.edu or lneta@ggu.edu)
Students work in judges' chambers at all levels of state and federal courts with a full range of judicial assignments including courts handling civil trials, family and juvenile law, bankruptcy, law and motion, criminal law, and appellate matters. LAW 824D Externship: Homeless Advocacy Clinic (Spring)
Faculty supervisor: Adjunct Professor Katie Danielson (contact: kdanielson@sfbar.org)
Students learn counseling, interviewing, and negotiating skills through simulations, then act as advocates for real clients through the Homeless Advocacy Project, which is sponsored by the Bar Association of San Francisco. LAW 883 Externship: Real Estate Clinic (Fall-Transactions; Spring--Litigation)
Faculty supervisor: Professor Roger Bernhardt (contact: rbernhardt@ggu.edu)
Students work in law firms that specialize in, or do considerable work in, real estate. Working under the direct supervision of attorneys, students interview clients, draft pleadings and motions, and participate in trial preparation and trials. On the transactional side, they draft provisions for leases, sales contracts, closing papers, loan documents, and other real estate instruments. LAW 896Y Externship: Youth Law Clinic (Fall, Spring)
Faculty supervisors: Adjunct Professor Stephen Rosenbaum or Adjunct Professor Abigail Trillin (contact: srosenbaum@ggu.edu or Abigail@lsc-sf.org)
Students work in non-profit law offices, government agencies or private offices as law externs, engaged in litigation, administrative hearings, ADR (alternative dispute resolution) or other advocacy on behalf of children or youth. Students also attend seminar class meetings, with an emphasis on reflective lawyering, professional responsibility, skills and practice issues. Students may work in a wide variety of substantive law areas such as juvenile justice, dependency, education, disability, mental health and/or civil rights. LAW 896m Externship: Advanced Legal Clinic (Fall, Spring)
Faculty supervisor: Professor Susan Rutberg (contact: srutberg@ggu.edu) Students who have completed one or more Externship clinic in prior semesters and who wish to work again in the same field of law. The first class meeting will be arranged via email at a time convenient for all enrollees. At that first meeting, the instructor will set three more meetings over the course of the semester that do not conflict with students' schedules. Must have Externship Program Director's permission to enroll.
