Street Law

Street law teaches law students to use and develop interactive methods to teach young people about fundamental principles of the U.S. legal system and practical lessons about the law.  Participating law students attend a comprehensive orientation program and participate in weekly class sessions focused on pedagogical practices and community lawyering. 

Throughout the semester, law students learn how to design small group exercises, role-plays, and simulations of legal proceedings. The program has two focuses: a law course characterized by rich legal content, examining practical law and legal policy; the second, a legal literacy focus designed to further develop law student expressive skills, critical thinking, problem solving, and other professional skills.

This second dimension exposes law students to the culture and experiences of their students and helps them see the law through the eyes of others. It also teaches law students many of the skills necessary to be good lawyers, including: researching contemporary legal topics; breaking down complex legal concepts to laypersons; and working with a diverse clientele of a wide range of abilities.

This course satisfies the experiential learning requirement.