Curriculum Guide · Courses

Professor Plerhoples

J.D. Practicum 1128 | 4 credit hours

The objective of this practicum is to explore the transactional lawyer’s role as counsel to U.S.-based and international social entrepreneurs. In the 10-hour weekly experiential component, students will research issues and advise social entrepreneurs affiliated with Ashoka, a leading nonprofit organization which supports and funds social entrepreneurs around the world. Students will typically develop a portfolio of 1-2 projects across the semester supervised by the professor. Projects will include provision of transactional legal services to established social entrepreneurs as well as conducting an assessment of the legal needs of the growing number of U.S.-based and international social entrepreneurs and creating solutions to fill the gap in legal services.

In the 2-hour weekly classroom component, students will explore models of social entrepreneurship—i.e., the use of innovative solutions to address society’s most pressing problems—which includes a close examination of social and environmental impact measurements. In this way, the classroom component will orient students to the expectations of a transactional law practice—the successful transactional lawyer understands his or her clients’ business and operations in order to more effectively serve them. Students will discuss their experiential work through project rounds and seminar readings.

Prerequisites: Students must complete the required first-year program prior to enrolling in this course (part-time and interdivisional transfer students may enroll prior to completing Criminal Justice, Property, or their first-year elective).

Students may not concurrently enroll in this practicum course and a clinic (except Street Law) or another practicum course. Students may concurrently enroll in this practicum course and an externship.

Students who wish to receive credit for the Externship Seminar and a practicum course that has the same field placement may do so only if: (1) the practicum course is taken in a semester following the Externship Seminar; and (2) the student receives permission from the Assistant or the Associate Dean for Clinical Programs. To receive such permission, the student must explain in writing how the practicum course field work would serve substantially different learning goals than did their externship field placement.

THIS IS A PRACTICUM COURSE.

This is a 4 credit course. Two credits will be awarded for the 2-hour weekly seminar and 2 credits will be awarded for approximately 10 hours of supervised work per week, for a minimum of 11 weeks. The seminar portion and the supervised work will be graded.

Students who enroll in this course will be automatically enrolled in both the seminar and practicum components and may not take either component separately. A student wishing to withdraw from the course will be withdrawn from both the seminar and field work components.