Student Opportunities
Students may take both clinical offerings during their time at Northwestern Pritzker Law, and may also pursue an academic concentration in appellate law by choosing a focused array of courses and senior research.
Federal Appellate Clinic
In the Federal Appellate Clinic, students research, brief, and argue cases in federal appellate courts across the country. In certain instances, where a case involves significant federal issues or interests, students will also participate in state appellate court work. Our cases generally focus on immigration, criminal sentencing and post-conviction issues, and qualified immunity, although other topics and matters may be covered as well.
We litigate in courts across the country, assisting clients in vulnerable situations by providing them with exceptional and dedicated legal service. Our overarching goal is to tell our client’s stories and to be their voice in the legal system. Our representation rivals and exceeds the quality of the nation’s best appellate firms.
Supreme Court Clinic
Students in the Carter G. Phillips/Sidley Austin LLP Supreme Court Clinic work under the direction of three faculty members, who have collectively argued nearly one hundred cases before the Supreme Court, and in conjunction with attorneys from Sidley Austin LLP. In their work, students undertake research projects, including drafting briefs seeking a writ of certiorari, merits briefs, and amicus briefs. Student case teams typically meet on a weekly basis, simulating the environment of a top-tier law firm.
Our cases cover a wide variety of legal issues. In the past year alone, the Clinic filed briefs covering reproductive rights, immigration, criminal procedure, sentencing, habeas, and the First Amendment. We work with organizations of all shapes and sizes, with the common goal of providing excellent appellate advocacy.
Academic Appellate Law Concentration
Northwestern Pritzker Law is the first law school to offer a federal appellate clinic, a Supreme Court clinic, and an appellate concentration together for comprehensive training in the theory and practice of appellate law. This concentration is designed for students interested in pursuing careers as appellate lawyers or for those who would like to focus more heavily on their legal research and brief-writing skills during law school. The program consists of a series of required and elective courses as well as several recommended extracurricular activities. Sample Appellate Concentration.