Should you take an SMU Law Clinic? Absolutely! Moreover, may I recommend the Family Law Clinic as a particularly great experience? In many ways, taking a SMU Law Clinic is what you make of it. It can be a wonderful experience (it certainly was for me) – a person can learn and grow while getting real-world experience with actual clients who are experiencing real-life difficulties. On the other hand, working in the clinic can be incredibly rigorous. It is often full of deadlines and some late nights as you struggle to balance the clinic workload, your work from other classes, and maintaining a personal life with your friends and loved ones. In many cases, both of these sides are true—clinic is wonderful and challenging. Student attorneys may find themselves celebrating victories at times and pouring over files with their third cup of coffee at other times. This is what real world lawyers do too!w
For some, they will come out of a clinic experience eager for the day that they can work with clients again. Others may leave the experience with the realization that a particular area of law is definitely not for them which is invaluable awareness. Nonetheless, the one thing that is certain about Clinic is that every student who takes a clinic will learn, will struggle, will get things wrong, and will learn how to represent a real client before graduating. On the other hand, for some people, it may not be the right time to take a clinic. Aside from the ‘statutory’ requirements of the clinics (such as the completion of 50% of your law school credits), clinic also requires time and commitment as do the practice of law. It requires a person to realize (1) they are a student, and that everything (yes, everything) must be run by the actual attorney first—this is part of your professional responsibility; (2) that these are real clients who have real needs and who deserve time and attention and diligent work, even when you are tired or otherwise busy; and (3) that it’s okay to ask for help, but make sure you’ve tried to do it yourself first (everyone needs help sometimes, but a law student shouldn’t need to be spoon-fed). If you don’t think you can devote the time and attention to ethically represent your client under the close supervision of an outstanding clinical faculty, clinic may not be for you. If you’re not willing to struggle, maybe even sometimes fail, clinic may not be for you. If you’re not willing to be a zealous advocate for your client, clinic may not be for you. But, if you’re read this far, if you’re still interested, you should definitely sign up for a clinic.
Written by: Victoria Jones, 3L