The Restorative Practices Field Placement offers students a placement in a nonprofit organization, government agency, or law office that uses restorative practices or principles in their work, usually as one of the tools or approaches in their work in a legal or legal-adjacent area. Partnerships have been developed with the New York City Law Department, Family Court Division, New York Peace Institute, Center for Justice Innovation, and others, where students work to build restorative practices into the resolution of criminal charges or assist with casework on conflict resolution or community building in schools, in the workplace, within families, or other settings. The placement requires 140 hours of work in the placement organization for two credits, plus a one-credit seminar which meets roughly every other week over the course of the semester. In the seminar, students will focus on how (and when) restorative practices can be integrated into legal or quasi-legal systems and settings; how concepts of professionalism and professional responsibility can be affected by, incorporated into, or work with restorative practices; the potential role of a lawyer or judge in restorative practices; the importance of lawyers and judges understanding restorative principles and practices; and more.

Approved for the Experiential Learning Requirement. Enrollment is limited. Application is required. The application can be found in Student Resources on the NYLS Portal.

Recommended for the following Professional Pathways: Civil Rights/Civil Liberties; Criminal Defense; Criminal Prosecution

3 Credits: 2 credits for the supervised placement (Pass/Fail); 1 credit for the seminar (Graded)