Clinic Updates

Updated 3/6/2024

Clinic Enrollment FAQs

How does the clinic application/lottery process work?
2Ls and 3Ls rank all of the clinics that they would be interested in for the year, using the LCS system by the SRO's clinic lottery deadline. Some clinics also require an application to prescreen lottery participants, which must be submitted to each clinic director by the same deadline.

If a student was eliminated from a clinic based on an application process, or if the student has not met a prerequisite, they will be deemed "not eligible" for the lottery for that clinic, and their remaining preferences moved up. Then, clinic seats will be filled first with eligible students who ranked the clinic #1 (in lottery order, 3Ls first). If seats remain, they will be filled with the remaining eligible students who ranked the clinic #2, and so on. Each student will only be enrolled in one clinic at the end of this process. The regular lottery, which occurs after the clinic lottery (and uses slightly a different process), will then fill out the remainder of your schedule.

The clinic application/ranking period begins no earlier than July 1 for Fall/Yearlong and a first chance at Spring clinics, and October 1 to fill out Spring-only clinics. (Details here.)

Note that enrollment in Advanced clinics is not part of the lottery/application process. Students enroll in Advanced clinics by either requesting instructor permission or adding the course during open enrollment. (The regular version of the clinic is a prerequisite for the Advanced version.)

How should I choose clinics to rank?
Browse the clinic webpages and comparison chart to learn more about them -- particularly requirements such as a prerequisite or third-year practice eligibility. Think broadly about what experience you can take away from a clinic -- don't limit yourself to clinics that are directly in your planned practice area. Be sure to look at the course schedules for the clinic compared to other courses you need to take, to avoid schedule conflicts. (You must attend the scheduled seminar and there cannot be any overlap with another course.)

We recommend ranking more than one clinic to ensure that you will end up with a clinic experience. Students who participated in the clinic lottery but did not end up enrolled in a clinic in the past either ranked only one very popular clinic, or had not satisfied a prerequisite. Nevertheless, the majority of students who participated were enrolled in a clinic. If you rank 2-4 clinics, you are very likely to be enrolled in one of them.

Can I drop a clinic after I am enrolled?
Generally, you must obtain instructor permission to drop any clinic once you are enrolled, and application clinics typically require you to agree that you will not drop as a condition of applying. Clinics depend on having a stable roster in order to plan commitments to clients and dockets for the following term. Additionally, it is unfair to other students who participated in the lottery and were unable to enroll in their first choice because another student took that seat, only to drop it later. However, if you are enrolled in a Spring clinic during the "first chance" clinic enrollment process during the summer, you can drop that clinic up until the Spring-only lottery period begins in the fall (around Oct. 1).

Can I take more than one clinic in a semester?
You can only obtain one clinic in the lottery, and we want to ensure that students who don't already have a clinic have a chance to enroll first. Also, serving more than one set of clients can lead to time and ethical conflicts. So, we don't encourage dual enrollment. That said, if there are seats available in a second clinic at the end of add/drop, you can request permission from both clinic directors to enroll. Use this form to obtain approval and provide it to SRO.

If I miss the lottery/application process, can I still enroll in a clinic?
Yes! You can still add a clinic during add/drop. However, many clinics fill prior during the lottery, so availability during add/drop will be limited. Client assignments and orientations often happen during the first class if not shortly before the semester starts, so be sure to reach out to the clinic director before the semester starts and plan to attend the first class, whether or not you have been formally enrolled.

Is there a limit to how many clinics I can take while at UVA?
No -- you can take a clinic every semester during your 2L and 3L year if you like!

Orientation to Cville 2023

The Orientation to Cville series is open to everyone, but is particularly designed to provide context for students who are doing (or plan to do) clinical or pro bono work in the community, and is required attendance for some clinics. It is designed to help clinics teach  about racism, bias and cultural competence in the context of our community clinical work.

  • Part 1 featured tours at the Jefferson School African-American Heritage Center (and surrounding Vinegar Hill, home to a thriving Black community razed for "urban renewal", see Razed/Raised), and the Descendants of Enslaved Communities at UVA tours of the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers and downtown Charlottesville sites related to August 2017. Students who were unable to attend a tour may review relevant community engagement preparation videos at this link, and/or contact Prof. Shalf to express interest in a makeup tour later in the semester.
  • Part 2, Oct. 3, 2023, 3:45-5:00 in WB154: UVA's Relationship with the Community. Video recording (requires UVA Law credentials). This panel focuses on UVA’s fraught history in its relationship with both the Black and Native American communities in this area, and the work being done to repair the harm done. Prof. Sarah Shalf will moderate a discussion with panelists including Louis Nelson, Vice Provost for Academic Outreach and Professor of Architectural History, and Kody Grant, UVA Tribal Liaison; and Jessica Harris, President of the Descendants of Enslaved Communities at UVA. Snacks provided!
  • Part 3: Nov. 14 at 3:45-5 in Purcell Reading Room: Community Activism in Cville: A Focus On Reentry. Video recording (requires UVA Law credentials). This panel will feature some of Charlottesville's most successful community organizers and activists who will talk about their work as it pertains to reentry issues in Charlottesville. Panelists are: Whitmore Merrick, Founder of Freedom for Felons and Peer Support Specialist with Charlottesville's Home to Hope Program; Cherry Henley, Founder and Director of Lending Hands, (see this article); Robert Gray, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Uhuru Foundation; Demarcus Brown, Organizing Fellow at Legal Aid Justice Center, and Martize Tolbert, National Director of Client & Community Engagement at the Fountain Fund. Moderator: Prof. Kelly Orians, Director of UVA Law Decarceration & Community Reentry Clinic. Snacks (including fresh cookies) provided!