Academic Programs

USF graduates are sought after by employers because they are ready to practice law. Beyond the classroom, a number of USF programs give students the opportunity to put their education in to practice while also servicing the local and global community.

The Judicial Externship Program and the Civil and Criminal Externship Program place students in positions at local courts, law firms, legal departments, and public interest and government agencies. Through the USF Advocacy Programs, students gain a sense of the rewards and challenges of practice after law school. Students may take part in advanced moot court competitions, provide guidance to 1Ls as moot court case counsel, join the USF Inn of Court, and participate in the Intensive Advocacy Program, a two-week intensive course that focuses on litigation and trial techniques. Summer study and internship opportunities bring students to the American South to defend death row inmates, to Dublin and Prague to study European law, and to internships around the globe through the Center for Law and Global Justice. In addition, the Academic Support Program, which is designed to enhance academic readiness for the study of law, ensures that students receive the assistance they need to succeed on their educational paths.

Professor Shatz | JD, Harvard University
"At USF, we believe that students learn to be good lawyers only by using classroom learning in a practice setting, in one of our many clinical programs or summer internships."