» Clinics

Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law’s legal clinics provide students with the opportunity to attain real-world experience by working on actual cases under the supervision of clinical specialists and seasoned practitioners. In addition to classroom training sessions, students engage in hands-on fieldwork with clients, research projects, document preparation, brief writing, and court appearances. Several of these clinical programs provide pro-bono services to members of the community in need of legal aid. 

Students in a courtroom

Criminal Defense Clinic

Offered in partnership with the Orange County Public Defender’s Office, our Criminal Defense Clinic is a unique opportunity for students to gain real-world experience working closely with public defenders in a courtroom setting, defending felony and misdemeanor cases.
Students in a courtroom

Criminal Prosecution Clinic

Offered in partnership with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, this clinic provides a unique opportunity for students to work directly with Assistant District Attorneys in the courtroom, assisting in the prosecution of felonies and misdemeanors.
Dispute Resolution Discussion

Dispute Resolution for Juveniles Clinic

The Dispute Resolution for Juveniles is a clinic based on the tenets of Restorative Justice, an approach to criminal justice that aims, through reconciliation with the victim, to repair the harm caused by the offender’s criminal behavior.
Advanced Dispute Resolution for Juveniles Discussion

Advanced Dispute Resolution for Juveniles Clinic

The Advanced Dispute Resolution for Juveniles Clinic is a clinic based on the tenets of Restorative Justice, an approach to criminal justice that aims, through reconciliation with the victim, to repair the harm caused by the offender’s criminal behavior.

Elder Law Clinic

The Elder Law Clinic and Alona Cortese Elder Law Center provide free legal services to low income seniors throughout the County of Orange. Students learn key aspects of elder law while obtaining hands-on experience representing real clients. The center works closely with local legal aid organizations and pro-bono attorneys to maximize services provided to seniors.
Woman showing three people something on a table

Entertainment Contracts Law Clinic

The Entertainment Contracts Law Clinic provides students with a unique opportunity to work directly with independent filmmakers, serving as production legal counsel for feature length motion pictures. Under the supervision of veteran entertainment law faculty, participating students set up corporations and LLCs, file for copyrights, and draft all production-related contracts.
Students Discuss Cases in the Homeless Policy Practicum

Homeless Policy Practicum

Official records indicate that 5,718 residents of Orange County lacked stable housing in May of 2022 with unofficial estimates much higher. The Homeless Policy Practicum is an experiential course in which students will learn and evaluate strategies for overcoming the issues that keep housing for all out of reach.
Woman explaining something to a group of three people

Mediation Clinic

The Mediation Clinic allows students to develop and use mediation skills through frequent practice with actual clients under the supervision of a mediation professor and mediators in the Superior Court. Students gain hands-on experience with real litigants in a variety of different areas, mediating approximately 700 cases each year.
Advanced Mediation Clinic Session

Advanced Mediation Clinic

The Advanced Mediation Clinic provides an opportunity for students who have completed a semester in the Mediation Clinic to continue mediating court cases. Students in the advanced clinic seek ways to expand their mediation skills by working with mediation practitioners and exploring various techniques employed in mediation.
3 people at a table discussing something

Tax Law Clinic

The Tax Law Clinic is the oldest clinical program at the Fowler School of Law. The program offers both trial and appellate tax clinic opportunities to our students. Through the program, students have served thousands of taxpayers, saving millions of dollars in taxes since launching in 1997.
Tax Procedure and Administration Clinic case discussion

Tax Procedure and Administration Clinic

The clinical component of the Tax Procedure and Administration course allows students to handle actual tax controversy cases for taxpayers on a pro bono basis before the IRS and in U.S. Tax Court under special rules of student practice. Students learn the practical application of tax procedures and handle all aspects of their cases, including trial if necessary.
Books on Holocaust Justice

Ukrainian War Law Practicum

Offered in partnership with Michael Bazyler’s UMACT Project, this immersive clinical practicum focuses on the international law issues and humanitarian crisis arising from the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. This is the first such legal program offered at any law school in the United States.