Reunification
For up-to-date information regarding the reunification of Penn State's two law schools, please click here.
Student Perspectives
"The Civil Rights Clinic helped me to become more confident in pursing a career as a lawyer. Not only did our work product help people in the real world, but I felt more connected to my fellow classmates."
Mari Reott, Class of 2024
Fall 2023 - Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
"Working in the Civil Rights Appellate Clinic for the past two semesters has been truly invaluable. Professor Foreman teaches you how to approach an issue from the perspectives of all stakeholders. You become exposed to laws and issues that you never hear about in your doctrinal courses, yet you work diligently to produce persuasive advocacy on those issues. This has been the most rewarding experience of my law school education!"
Bridgette K. Woodford, Class of 2023
Fall 2022 & Spring 2023 - Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
“Run like a law-firm, the Civil Rights Appellate Clinic was my favorite experience at Penn State Law. A perfect combination of education and practical experience, the clinic gave me opportunities that few lawyers ever have (filing a brief to the Supreme Court of the United States, for example). It pushed me to be a better lawyer. I highly recommend this clinic.”
William Manson, Class of 2023
Spring 2023 – Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
"Thank you again for my time in the clinic. It remains the coolest thing I've been able to do during law school, and I'm sure my fellow members would echo that."
Max Giuliano, Class of 2023
Spring 2023 – Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
"Thank you for all your dedication and for teaching me so much!! I find so much interest in this field and I feel very lucky that I get to do this every day! I think I didn’t realize how valuable your class time was when I was at PSL, but now I am so grateful! Everyday something comes up and I catch myself thinking “I remember Foreman talking about this.” Your hard work does not go unnoticed, and it truly has made me SO prepared to tackle this career. (Especially your Employment Relationship class – every single person who wants to practice employment law should take that class)"
Meghan McGovern, Esq.
Pullano & Farrow
Fall 2021 - Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
“Though the coronavirus pandemic certainly threw a wrench into my expectations for a clinic experience, it did not stop the experience from being both invaluable and rewarding. With relatively few opportunities in law school to get hands-on appellate work, the opportunities provided by the Civil Rights Appellate Clinic are arguably the most meaningful you can get as a student. Contributing to a piece which will be submitted to the United States Supreme Court is something I am very proud to say I did, and I believe my experiences with the clinic will help me greatly in my future career.”
Jacob LaFreniere, Class of 2021
Fall 2020 – Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
“Drafting an appellate brief as well as a Supreme Court petition for certiorari is something I never thought I would be able to do as a student. I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity because we were exposed to a more hands-on way of learning; we were treated like professionals and gained practical real-world experience. Being a member of this clinic has been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had during my three years at Penn State Law!”
Kathleen Andrade, Class of 2021
Fall 2020 – Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
"Every student who takes part in the Civil Rights Appellate Clinic will tell you that it was one of the most rewarding parts of law school, myself included. As a law student, I never thought I would be given the opportunity to work on something that would be submitted to the Supreme Court but, thanks to the Clinic and Professor Foreman, I was able to meaningfully participate in the drafting of a Petition for Certiorari with the rest of the clinic students as well as a well-respected employment law firm. The clinic allowed me to gain worthwhile real-world experience that I will benefit from as I begin my legal career."
Nicole DuGan, Class of 2021
Fall 2020 - Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
"Working as a student in the Penn State Law Civil Rights Appellate Clinic for the past two semesters has been the most rewarding part of law school. The Clinic provides students a unique opportunity to explore developing areas of law, assist real life clients with the problems they face, and apply the skills we've learned in other classes."
Sarah Straub, Class of 2021
Fall 2020 – Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
"Professor Michael Foreman significantly influenced the type of law I wanted to go into. His classes helped me to find my own style of how to be an
advocate. He helped me find my own voice... to be myself and to tie together the things I had learned in the classroom with a real situation where someone needed help. He helped me to bring that knowledge into the court for the first time when he coached me through arguing in front of the 3rd circuit.”
Jennifer Bruce, Esq.
Nauman Smith
Spring 2019 - Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
“Being part of the clinic provided me with invaluable experience. It was the most rewarding part of my time in law school. Most lawyers go their entire careers without working on a case before the Supreme Court, and I had the opportunity to do it before I even graduated law school!”
Jessica McDermott, Class of 2020
Fall 2019 – Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
“The clinic provided more than just research and writing experience. It showed me how a group of people can collaborate toward a final product. The clinic taught me that no matter the result of your work, there is always something more that can be done to continue advocating for your client and the correct interpretation of the law.”
Matthew Maragulia, Class of 2017
Fall 2016 – Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
"Working in the Civil Rights Appellate Clinic was an incredibly rewarding and informative experience. Professor Foreman treated us like colleagues when making all strategic decisions, and drafting two appellate briefs immensely improved my writing skills. I cannot speak highly enough of my experience!"
Richard L. Armezzani, Class of 2016
Spring 2016 – Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
“The Clinic was a great experience and has pushed me both professionally and personally. I have become a stronger team player and more confident in my work, which will serve me well in my future job. Not only did we file briefs with two circuit courts, but we helped prepare one of our own students to argue in front of the Third Circuit and we toured the Supreme Court and met with Justice Thomas. These experiences aren't available to most people in law school, or even in their careers, and I won't ever forget them!”
Vittoria Buzzelli, Class of 2016
Spring 2016 – Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
"The Clinic was at the forefront of highly contentious present-day issues. With adversaries including the DOJ, DHS, and Boston Police Department, students were offered challenging, meaningful work unique to the opportunities in law school. We are extremely fortunate to have this rewarding practical experience available to us at Penn State Law!"
Eric Golden, Class of 2016
Spring 2016 – Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
“The Clinic helped me gain skills in writing appellate level documents, while also allowing me to be able to apply those skills in an actual court of law and have an impact on people’s lives.”
Kelsey Mansell, Class of 2016
Spring 2016 – Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
“As someone interested in civil rights issues, working with the Civil Rights Appellate Clinic was a great way to get hands-on experience and I would recommend that anyone who is interested in working on real civil rights issues that face this country today to apply.”
Katie Pareja, Class of 2017
Spring 2016 – Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
“The Civil Rights Clinic was a wonderful way for me to learn how to adapt my critical thinking and legal writing skills to an appellate setting. Not only did I get a chance to work on appellate briefs, but I contributed work to help combat important civil rights issues such as disparate impact in the workplace. I am grateful for this rewarding experience.”
Lanique Roberts, Class of 2017
Spring 2016 – Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
"The Civil Rights Appellate Clinic encourages students to be creative. Through debate and research we were able to collectively develop novel and complex arguments to exciting cases facing real people. There is nothing else like it in law school."
Scott Stedjan, Class of 2014
Spring 2014 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
"Working in the Civil Rights Appellate Clinic not only gave me the opportunity to write briefs filed with the U.S. Courts of Appeals, but working with the Clinic also allowed me to help plan appellate strategy and shape how we presented our cases."
Jordan Feist, Class of 2014
Spring 2014 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
"Not only did the Clinic provide me a practical understanding of appellate advocacy — something unique to any Penn State Law course — but it forced me to think critically and creatively with my peers and, on a personal level, become more assertive in the group environment. These are skills I will unquestionably use in my future legal career. Because of this, I found it to be one of my most challenging and rewarding experiences of law school."
SaraAnn Bennett, Class of 2014
Spring 2014 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
“I think that I learned more from my clinic experience than anything else I have done in law school, and I feel prouder of the assignments that we were able to produce than anything else that I have ever written. It was a fantastic experience, and I am so glad that I did it!”
Elizabeth Ashbaugh, Class of 2014
Fall 2013 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
“It was an awesome experience to file two briefs with the Supreme Court — most practicing lawyers never get that chance.”
Nathaniel Foote, Class of 2014
Fall 2013 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
Employment: Law Clerk, Andreozzi & Associates
“The clinic has been an amazing experience. My research and writing abilities improved tenfold. My ability to think critically and find out of the box approaches to issues also improved.”
Kate Steffen, Class of 2014
Fall 2013 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
Employment: Associate, Latsha Davis & McKenna
“Working with other students of this caliber really made me push myself and, I think we brought out the best in each other.”
Megan Janowiak, Class of 2014
Fall 2013 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
Employment: Tax Associate, PricewaterhouseCoopers
“The best part of the clinic was producing high quality legal work. I learned a lot about producing work that is worthy to be submitted to the highest courts in our legal system.”
Chad Stevenson, Class of 2014
Fall 2013 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
“I really enjoyed working in the group setting, and the experience of filing two briefs with the Supreme Court was something that I couldn’t have gotten from any other program in the law school.”
Courtney Bedell, Class of 2014
Fall 2013 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
Employment: Associate, Reed Smith
“The Civil Rights Appellate Clinic does more than introduce students to the realities of law firm appellate practice; it requires them to become practitioners themselves. Although the hours can be long and the issues difficult to grapple with, the Clinic experience is second-to-none in its ability to transform those selected from students into lawyers. The student caliber is high, as is the quality of instruction.”
Scott Engstrom, Class of 2013
Spring 2013 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
Employment: Law Clerk, Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas
“Working in the clinic was the best and most valuable thing I've done in all of law school, and definitely what has prepared me most for practicing after graduation. I only wish it could have been a longer experience. Writing and editing briefs, collaborating with other students, and getting flooded with emails is exactly what I'll experience as a practicing attorney, and after this experience, I feel ready.”
Asima Ahmad, Class of 2013
Spring 2013 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
Employment: Jackson Lewis, Philadelphia PA
“The Civil Rights Appellate Clinic was an amazing opportunity that not only made me more marketable to employers, but also vastly improved my practical skills for my future career. Amazing Experience! I would highly recommend it to other students.”
Kate Hynes, Class of 2013
Spring 2013 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
Employment: Associate, Stock and Leader
“Working in the Civil Rights Appellate Clinic has been the most rewarding experience of my professional and academic careers to date. In a matter of months, my abilities to think critically and write persuasively improved drastically. Not only did the clinic allow me to develop my own professional skills, but it also afforded me the opportunity to put those skills to use for the advancement of causes I truly value.”
Kate Steffen, Class of 2014
Spring 2013 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
Employment: Latsha Davis & McKenna
“The Clinic pushes us into a different world, where our effort and actions have a real, palpable effect on people and on the rule of law. I think it would be a mistake to leave law school without having had an opportunity like this. I never felt like an intern while in the Civil Rights Clinic. This feels more intimate, and I really got to put my stamp and heart into the work. Nothing I’ve done since starting law school made me feel more like a lawyer than my work in the Clinic.”
Christopher Polchin, Class of 2014
Spring 2013 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
Employment: Law Clerk, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
“This was honestly one of the most rewarding, demanding, and insightful experiences that I have had in law school.”
Alison Renfrew, Class of 2014
Spring 2013 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
“The experience was excellent and far exceeded by expectations.”
Jordan Johnston, Class of 2013
Spring 2013 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
Employment: Law Clerk, 39th Judicial District of Pennsylvania
“As a member of the Civil Rights Appellate Clinic, I was able to sharpen my research and writing skills as well as work with a great team on real cases in the U.S. Supreme Court and federal circuit courts. Thank you for such an amazing semester!!!”
Dave Dambreville, Class of 2013
Spring 2013 – Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
Employment: Litigation Associate, Kimmel & Silverman, P.C.
“The Civil Rights Appellate Clinic pulled the whole law school experience together for me: research, writing, and reliance on teamwork. Besides the professional skills acquired, what Clinic meant to me was intensive personal contact with a tough-minded, experienced director and a small group of talented, high-energy colleagues, all focusing together on urgent legal analysis that mattered critically to the clients.”
Marianne Sawicki, Class of 2012
Spring 2012 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
“The clinic was by far the most rewarding part of my law school experience. It never entered my mind that I would one day stand on the steps of the Supreme Court with my fellow students and be thanked for helping to take a case to the U.S. Supreme Court.”
Bobby Marion, Class of 2012
Spring 2012 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
Employment: Assistant District Attorney, Erie County, PA District Attorney's Office
“Debating active cases with peers and constructing briefs for federal appellate courts are things most practicing attorneys don't get to do: with the clinic, I did both on a weekly basis.”
Mike Magee, Class of 2012
Spring 2012 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
Employment: Associate, Jones Day
“The Civil Rights Appellate Clinic taught me all the things that academic law school classes never could. In short, my substantive law school classes taught me how to think like a lawyer — they taught me blackletter law and basic legal analysis. The clinic, by contrast, taught me how to be one.”
Kristen Conway, Class of 2012
Spring 2012 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
Employment: Associate, Clyde & Co. LLP
“Working in the Clinic has proved to be the most valuable and memorable experience I have gained thus far in law school. I have had the opportunity to work with several reputable civil rights organizations throughout the duration of the Clinic. In doing so, we filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court of the United States and were fortunate enough to hear the case we worked tirelessly on argued before the Supreme Court. It is a powerful feeling to know that we, as law students, have advocated on behalf of the civil rights community at such a prestigious level.”
Malena Kinsman, Class of 2011
Spring 2010 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
“The ability to participate in the federal appellate process has been one of the most rewarding and thought-provoking experiences I have had in law school. Furthermore, the Civil Rights Appellate Clinic allows students to work together in order to help protect and strengthen civil rights.”
Daniel Carlton, Class of 2010
Spring 2010 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
Employment: Honors Attorney, USPS Office of General Counsel
“The clinic reminded me of why I wanted to practice law in the first place. Before coming to law school, I dreamed of filing briefs with the Supreme Court and fighting for civil rights. But during law school, it is easy to get caught up in the everyday grind of classes and you can forget what made you want to come to begin with. Participating in the clinic is like a splash of cold water on your face. I specifically remember thinking at one point during the semester, ‘Oh yeah, this is why I came to law school.’”
Jason Sabol, Class of 2010
Spring 2010 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
Employment: Assistant Solicitor, City of York
“This clinic is excellent preparation for practice. I have worked harder, and gotten more benefit from the clinic than from any other thing in which I have participated in law school. I have gotten very frustrated, even to the point of tears, and yet, I have loved every minute.”
N. Daniel Reeder, Class of 2010
Spring 2010 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
“The clinic has been the most valuable experience I've had in law school. The level and quality of work we've done is unparalleled, and nothing compares to the intellectual challenge and the feeling of having a real impact on such important cases.”
Danya Ahmed, Class of 2010
Spring 2010 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
Employment: Associate, Pitta Giblin LLP
“The knowledge and experience I gained in the clinic will be one of the most useful tools I will take with me into my own practice. It taught me how to dissect complex legal issues and craft a strong written work product that will be read at United States Supreme Court. While the work was demanding, it was my most rewarding experience in law school and gave me confidence moving forward in my career.”
Valerie M. Eifert, Class of 2010
Spring 2010 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
Employment: Associate, Reed Smith
“The clinic exemplifies what law school should be about -- preventing harassment of minority shoppers, protecting an applicant's ability to be judged solely on job skill, and generally ensuring that the rights of the underprivileged are protected.”
Kendrick Donnelly, Class of 2010
Spring 2009 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
Employment: Assistant Attorney General, Office of the Attorney General, Florida
“For me it was the single most rewarding experience in law school, and is something every employer asks about in an interview. After talking to several other graduates here in Denver, it seems the consensus is that employers are looking for students who have worked in a clinic during law school. I am thankful that I was able to take part in a clinic that provided such a meaningful and rewarding experience. The legal analysis was exceptionally challenging, and Professor Foreman created an environment similar to a law firm; we were expected to produce a superior quality product.”
Terrence Burke, Class of 2009
Spring 2009 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
“Participating in this clinic was by far one of the most, if not the most, rewarding experiences I had in law school. I gained insight into the rigorous practice of appellate law through working with the clinic director, fellow students, and non-profit and private practice appellate attorneys. The issues we tackled were at times esoteric, and always intellectually challenging. I further enhanced my research and writing skills, as well as acquired insight into the practical demands of practicing law, and how that influences the approach you take to handling a case. While it seems daunting, in the end, sitting in on a Supreme Court oral argument and listening to the Court and attorneys discuss a case in which you wrote a brief, is incredibly satisfying. I recommend the clinic to every student. It is an experience that pushes you, but rewards you even more.”
Brian Bevan, Class of 2009
Spring 2009 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
“The Penn State Dickinson Civil Rights Appellate Clinic gives students the opportunity to work in an authentic appellate practice setting, answering difficult policy questions that have practical real world effects.”
Bret Shaffer, Class of 2010
Fall 2009 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
Employment: Associate, Baric Scherer LLC
“It is very satisfying to know that our work involves important issues before the Supreme Court.”
Matthew D. Vodzak, Class of 2010
Research Editor, The Penn State Law Review
Fall 2009 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
“During my two semesters with the Civil Rights Clinic, I had the opportunity to collaborate with civil rights organizations and top law firms to craft arguments for amicus briefs before the Supreme Court. Clinic students do not simply write memos; we are responsible for researching, drafting, and editing briefs. Working under the expert direction of Professor Foreman, clinic students analyze a case, discuss the impact of precedent, and consider whether policy arguments would be effective. In every way, the Clinic presents a realistic view of appellate practice.”
Andrew Schnitzel, Class of 2010
Fall 2009 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
Employment: Associate, Sullivan & Cromwell
“Participating in the clinic was an amazing opportunity and excellent training tool to prepare me to be an advocate at the appellate level. Through individual research, collaborative writing, and intensive editing sessions, the clinic composed high quality work of which we can each be proud to have contributed.”
Alina Kline, Class of 2010
Fall 2009 — Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
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