Clinical Program

Students are integral to the Clinical Program’s mission to advance racial, economic, and social justice.

The program includes 15 clinics — seven at the law school and eight at the East Bay Community Law Center — led by faculty members with deep subject matter expertise and a passion for teaching and justice. Through clinic seminars, students gain a solid foundation in law and practice, while hands-on client work helps them build critical lawyering skills.

Founded in 1998 with a generous gift by the Bernard E. and Alba Witkin Charitable Foundation.

Death Penalty Clinic

Seeks justice for people facing the death penalty.

East Bay Community Law Center

Offers free legal services in eight areas to low-income community members.

Environmental Law Clinic

Advocates for environmental health and environmental justice.

Global Rights Innovation Lab Clinic

Advancing justice through data science, transforming advocacy with digital tools.

Human Rights Clinic

Promotes justice and human rights at home and abroad.

Policy Advocacy Clinic

Pursues non-litigation strategies to address systemic racial, economic, and social injustice.

Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic

Tackles the complexities of technology-related law to support the public interest in technology law and policy.

Social Enterprise Clinic

Builds collective power by representing social enterprises in transactional matters.

Clinic News

Policy Advocacy Clinic Celebrates a Decade of National Success Ending Juvenile System Fines and Fees
According to data from reform states, juvenile courts no longer charge youth and families more than $61 million in fees each year, and they have discharged a staggering $783 million in debt.
Pressure From Climate Change Driving Migration in Central America, Human Rights Clinic Report Finds
The changing climate’s growing impact is acting as a powerful threat multiplier — exacerbating violence, exclusion, discrimination, and weak state protection and spurring migration from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
‘Hope and Promise’: How a Berkeley Law Team Helped Uncover the Truth About the Assassination of Berta Cáceres
Human Rights Clinic Director Roxanna Altholz ’99 relied on support from the law school as she and two other international law experts probed the 2016 murder of the Honduran environmental activist.
Faculty, Staff, and 3L Student Honored at Association of American Law Schools Annual Meeting
The New Orleans gathering brought laurels for Field Placement Program Director Sue Schechter, Clinical Professor and Environmental Law Clinic Director Claudia Polsky ’96, Instructional & Educational Technology Librarian Kristie Chamorro, 3L Virginia Frausto-Elizarraraz, and the late Professor Philip Frickey.
Expanding Impact and Advancing Justice: Eight New Hires Join Berkeley Law’s Clinical Program
The group brings diverse expertise in data science, immigration, and criminal, family, and transactional law, expanding the program’s reach and bolstering its mission to advance racial, economic, and social justice.