Lawyering Skills Center

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Clinics, Externships & Simulation Courses

The Lawyering Skills Center was established in 1991 to bring under one heading all of the New York Law School clinical and skills courses: clinics where students represent or work with actual clients under the direct supervision of full-time faculty or attorneys; externships where students are placed in the offices of practicing attorneys or in judicial chambers; and simulation courses where students interact with actors or others in a variety of lawyering situations. Since 1991, all of these forms of experiential learning have increased significantly and are now an integral part of the NYLS curriculum.

Beginning with the first-year required course called Lawyering, every student is given the opportunity to apply her or his legal reasoning and analysis skills in the context  of a simulated interview of a client, then in an interview of a witness and finally in a session in which they counsel a client. This course is a ground-breaking and innovative way to introduce students to the tasks that lawyers are asked to perform. Building on the Lawyering course, the Lawyering Skills Center offers advanced simulation courses, an extensive Externship Program, and a rich array of clinics.


Clinics

Under the direct supervision of full-time faculty (often working closely with practicing lawyers) upperclass students prepare through extensive simulated practice sessions before meeting clients, interviewing witnesses or appearing in court. Students may work on real cases in the clinics. For a list of the clinics and their course descriptions, please see the list on the right-hand navigation bar.


Externships

The Externship Program enables second and third-year students to earn two or four credits by working in carefully selected law offices and completing related assignments at the Law School. Students in the four-credit program also participate in a weekly seminar introducing them to legal practice issues through the use of readings, simulations, discussion and video.

Judicial Externships
Upperclass students can earn academic credit by working with judges and their law clerks. Here also, the classroom work includes readings, video and discussion. Students are placed with state and federal judges and federal magistrates in New York City and surrounding jurisdictions.

Law Office Externships
Upperclass students can earn academic credit by working with attorneys in corporations, law firms, government offices, and public interest organizations. They participate in transactions, litigation, and policy work in almost every area of law.


Simulation Courses

Second and third-year students may take Negotiating, Counseling and Interviewing (NCI); Trial Advocacy; Advocacy of Criminal Cases and Alternative Dispute Resolution. In these upperclass courses, the students have the  opportunity to perform extensive simulated exercises (often recorded) and receive direct professorial feedback.



 

Newsletters (Past Issues)

December 2009, NYLS Take Action

Lawyer Skills Events

Meet Our Clinicians

Frequently Asked Questions

CONTACT INFORMATION

Lawyering Skills Center
185 West Broadway
New York, NY 10013-2960

Susan D'Ambra
Administrator of the Lawyering Skills Center
T: 212.431.2388
F: 212.966.2053
E: susan.dambra@nyls.edu
Office: 208, C Building


Antonella Milevski 

Administrator of Lawyering
T: 212.431.2186
F: 212.966.2053
E: antonella.milevski@nyls.edu
Office: 106, B Building


Lauren Porretta
Administrative Assistant
T: 212.431.2179
F: 212.966.2053
E: lauren.porretta@nyls.edu
Office: 107, B Building

Clinics
Chester Hawkins
Administrator of Clinics
T: 212.431.2313
F: 212.966.2053
E: chester.hawkins@nyls.edu
Office: 209, B Building


Simulation Courses
Daniel Fishman
Administrator of Simulation Courses
T: 212.431.2181
F: 212.966.2053
E: daniel.fishman@nyls.edu
Office: 107, B Building

Contact Information for EXTERNSHIPS:

Office of Professional Development
5th Floor of “A” Building

Law Office Externships
Moreen Mitchell
Associate Director
T: 212-431-2884
E: moreen.mitchell@nyls.edu

Culley Johnson
Assistant to the Associate Dean for Professional Development
T: 212-431-2347
E: mulley.johnson@nyls.edu

Judicial Externships
Cynthia Weissman
Associate Director
T: 212-431-2377
E: cynthia.weissman@nyls.edu

Wanda James
Coordinator for Career Planning and Public Interest Programming
T: 212-431-2192
E: wanda.james@nyls.edu