Law Clinics and Externship Program

Availability

We provide 100 percent placement--plain and simple. You don’t have to complete a lengthy application or put your name on a waiting list. You simply meet directly with the clinic director to devise a plan of action that works with your career aspirations.

“In a judicial externship at a juvenile and probate court, I worked with the judge and interacted with attorneys, probation officers and local police. I used the research and writing skills I learned in class to see how the judge would apply the material.”

Felicia Washington-Valentin, second year law student

Learn By Doing

Every year, our law students log hundreds of hours meeting with clients, making oral arguments in courtrooms, writing legal briefs, attending court hearings and trials, and more. In 2019, our clinic and externship students logged:

5,000 Hours providing pro bono legal services
1,100 Hours in courtrooms, making oral arguments or conducting trials
500 Hours with clients
2,000 Hours working on client cases for the ONU Legal Clinic

ONU Law Clinics

Represent clients in real-life legal matters at the ONU Legal Clinic in Lima, Ohio. You’ll get hands-on experience doing things that real lawyers do, such as assuming responsibility for clients, confronting complex legal matters, interviewing clients, appearing in court, and drafting legal documents. You’ll be closely supervised by the director of law clinics and the clinic staff attorney. The clinic houses two separate legal clinics. The ONU Litigation Clinic represents clients on matters such as family law, housing, expungements, social security disability and other general litigation matters. The ONU Transactional Clinic represents non-profit organizations and local churches in corporate matters, including incorporation, obtaining tax exempt status with the IRS, real property issues and assists individuals with drafting estate planning and probate administration documents. The clinics provide free legal services to individuals and organizations that would otherwise not be able to afford legal representation.

Gain experience providing legal assistance to non-profit organizations such as the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church (comprising roughly 1,300 churches) as well as other local non-profit organizations. You will be able to assist in a variety of issues, including real estate transfers, incorporations and risk management. You will also assist qualified low-income individuals with drafting basic estate planning documents and represent individuals in probate administration matters.
The ONU Legal Clinic functions as a traditional “legal-aid” clinic providing services to members of the surrounding communities. Here you will face a variety of issues including family law, social security disability and general civil litigation. The yearly caseload for this program is between 200 and 250 cases and you will be supervised by a licensed staff attorney.

Working at the Legal Clinic in Lima, Ohio

In pursuit of purpose

Your legal career gets real through ONU Law clinics and externships.

Externships Lead to Opportunity

The skills you learn in externships will make your resume stand out. We have several different types of placement opportunities available, and placement is 100% guaranteed.

You may be placed with bankruptcy trustees in the Lima and Toledo areas, as well as a judicial externship with a federal bankruptcy judge. These specialties allow you to actively research, draft pleadings, and make court appearances, giving you real-world experience.
Engage in research, draft pleadings and participate in other activities pertaining to environmental law through our program with the Ohio Environmental Council, a non-profit advocacy group located in Columbus, Ohio.
You will explore law in government settings with placement in facilities such as the Ohio Attorney General’s Office or the Ohio Pharmacy Board, and will work with municipal government solicitors or city law directors on civil litigation and criminal matters arising within local governments.
Here, you'll have the opportunity to be placed with a variety of judges in areas such as municipal court, juvenile court, probate court, common pleas court, the Ohio Supreme Court, the Ohio Appellate District Court, federal district court or federal bankruptcy court. You'll observe court proceedings and perform court-related duties assigned by a judge including research, writing and more.
You will work with practicing attorneys and administrators to actively assist legal aid and other non-profit organizations on a variety of legal issues. You will be supervised by attorneys within the organizations to conduct research, draft memos and engage in other law-related activities.
This program places you in a prosecutor’s office under the supervision of a licensed practicing attorney representing the state in criminal prosecutions.
Through this externship, you will gain experience in a local public defender’s office representing defendants who cannot provide their own counsel.