Law students develop their legal skills and know-how through a robust curriculum that includes diverse experiential opportunities. It takes both knowledge and practice to become the lawyer that the world needs.

At Iowa Law, skills training is built into all three years of the law school experience.

It all starts in your first year with our highly ranked legal writing program, where you’ll learn how to craft persuasive arguments and advocate for clients. You will also have the opportunity to participate in the Citizen Lawyer Program’s pro bono projects, which allow you to volunteer with a nonprofit or government legal agency as early as your first semester.

In the summer between your first and second years, the Summer Legal Placement program offers opportunities to extern in a wide variety of settings.

In your second and third years, you can hone your writing, advocacy, and client skills through participation in our Law Clinic, which is structured as its own law firm with six distinct practice areas that give you the opportunity to represent individual and organizational clients in litigation, transactional work, and policy advocacy.

Or, consider venturing outside the law school and working with a judge, nonprofit, government agency, or corporate counsel office in a field placement locally, or anywhere in the US or even internationally. If your career plans include government, politics, or policy work, look into our semester-long field placement program in Washington, D.C. 

Other experiential learning options include trial advocacy, moot court, and a wide range of other simulation courses—all designed to give you hands-on experience that prepares you for your career.