Duquesne University Thomas R. Kline School of Law

Clinics, Externships, and Pro Bono

Confirmation of our commitment to public service is found in the nearly 27,000 hours of legal service that Duquesne University Law students have provided through law clinics, externships, and pro bono programs, during the past year.

Clinics

Duquesne Law faculty and experienced attorneys instruct, support, and supervise law students as they participate in live client experiences and appearances in court.

The Tribone Center for Clinical Legal Education enables Duquesne students to serve the community while working for credit and receiving practical legal education.

Clinical opportunities include:

• Civil Rights Clinic
  The Civil Rights Clinic offers income-qualified clients legal assistance with record expungements. Students also assist individuals with completing the complex Pennsylvania Board of Pardons' clemency application and complete filings with the Board.
• Family Law Clinic
  Students in the Family Law Clinic work under the supervision of a family law attorney to represent income-qualified clients with cases involving domestic abuse, divorce settlement, child support, and child custody.
• Federal Litigation Clinic
  The Federal Litigation Clinic focuses on the litigation of actual cases pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Many of the cases involve the representation of inmates in cases that the federal courts have identified as potentially meritorious.
• Wills and Healthcare Decisions Clinic
  This clinic focuses on assisting low-income clients with Wills, Living Wills, Advance Directives, Memoranda regarding Conduct of Funeral and Burial or Cremation and Durable Power of Attorney matters.
• Unemployment Compensation Clinic
  The Unemployment Compensation Clinic provides representation to low-income clients before unemployment compensation referees in hearings and appeals to the Board of Review.
• Urban Development Practicum
  The Urban Development Practicum provides a range of legal services associated with real estate development occurring in several distressed communities in Greater Pittsburgh.
• Veterans Clinic
  This clinic assists veterans accepted into the Veterans Court of the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. Eligible students are certified by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to appear in court. The clinic trains law students in a holistic approach to the law focusing on the problem-solving philosophy and recidivism-reducing techniques.
• Youth Advocacy Clinic
  The Youth Advocacy Clinic provides a unique opportunity for students to represent children in both delinquency and education matters.

Externships

In partnership with the legal community, the externship program enhances our strong academic tradition by incorporating real-world experiential learning into the curriculum to cultivate skilled and knowledgeable students ready to join the workforce with the competencies, knowledge, and professionalism to excel.

Single Semester Externship Placements

The School of Law offers one-semester and summer-session externship placements in county, state, and federal judicial offices; city, state, and federal government agencies; legal aid and non-profit organizations; and private practice or in-house counsel settings.

Available opportunities include:

• Government externships
  Students at government placements gain criminal law exposure through assisting public defenders and prosecutors and work in the legal departments of federal and state agencies in matters related to employment, tax, and environmental law, among others.
• Judicial externships
  For judicial externs, opportunities are available to work with both the federal and state courts at trial and appellate court levels.
• Non-Profit externships
  Non-profit externs serve legal aid providers and in-house legal departments of large and small non-profit organizations in matters ranging from child welfare to environmental protection, immigration, housing protection, and health law.
• Private-sector externships
  Students interested in private practice can gain experience in various fields, including civil litigation, family law, estate planning, immigration, bankruptcy, alternative dispute resolution, general commercial law, and more.

Yearlong Externship Programs

Yearlong externships feature on-site placement combined with classroom instruction and classroom credit.

Available opportunities include:

• Criminal Prosecution Program
  The Criminal Prosecution Program provides students with an on-site externship at the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office and classroom instruction in criminal law.
• Pennsylvania Innocence Project
  Duquesne Law students have a unique opportunity to work as externs or volunteers with the Pennsylvania Innocence Project. The statewide program works to exonerate those convicted of crimes they did not commit and prevent the innocent from being convicted.
• Public Defender Program
  This year-long externship program is designed to provide students with an understanding of the process of criminal defense while offering practical, hands-on experiences with actual persons accused of a crime in district courts and the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County.

Pro Bono

Pursuant to the School of Law’s mission of service, students are encouraged to participate in pro bono activities, including assisting with a court information hotline, offering wills clinics to the community, assisting with protection from abuse cases, and participating in the name change project. Students also regularly partner with various local legal service providers and pro bono attorneys who offer low-cost or no-cost legal assistance to the community.

Students interested in an international experience may participate in Study Abroad programs in Ireland and Europe.

• Duquesne has outstanding ABA-approved summer programs in Human Rights Law, Law of the E.U., and International Arbitration in Dublin and Belfast, Ireland.
• The European Law program allows students to study at the University of Cologne in Germany and experience the different cultures in Cologne, Strasbourg, and Luxembourg. This three-week program offers modules in European Public Law, Corporate Governance, and European Intellectual Property Law. Students will also benefit from optional international externship placements after the conclusion of summer coursework.

Students who wish to acquire a multidisciplinary background may choose from a variety of joint degree programs, concentrations and specializations, and the Business Essentials for Lawyers Micro-Credential program.

Joint Degree Programs

The School of Law offers the following joint-degree programs for students who wish to acquire a structured, multidisciplinary background:

• JD/MBA
• JD/MS-Environmental Science and Management
• JD/MA-Healthcare Ethics
• JD/MA-Philosophy
• JD/MA-Divinity

Concentrations

By providing students with an opportunity to focus on specific practice areas, the concentrations play a role in achieving the School of Law’s learning outcomes, focusing on developing student knowledge, skills, and professional identity.

Optional concentrations for law students are available in four areas of practice:

• Business Law
• General Practice
• Government
• Litigation

Business Essentials for Lawyers Micro-Credential Program

Offered in collaboration with Duquesne's Palumbo-Donahue School of Business, the innovative program provides business acumen and financial tools to serve lawyers in modern practice. Credits earned in the program also may be used toward earning a joint JD-MBA degree.