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.
December 2009, NYLS Take Action
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
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