Government Practice
Government practice is a broad area that includes constitutional law, legislative regulation, and regulation by administrative agencies. If you intend to pursue government practice, it can involve litigation in court or before agencies; lobbying, including legislative drafting; and client counseling. Washington, DC and the state capitals provide the greatest concentration of opportunities for government practice, but wherever you practice, you may deal with issues involving the government and regulated clients. Government practice encompasses subject matters ranging from civil rights to immigration to environmental law. Accordingly, the optimal design of your academic preparation for a career in public law will depend on your particular subject matter interests. You should choose courses from the list below, chosen because they will prepare you for government practice. You should also consult the menu of elective courses, grouped by subject matter, that deal with topics falling in various areas of government practice. If you are interested in criminal law practice, public interest practice, or international law, you should consult the practice guide for that area.
General Courses
- Administrative Law
- Advanced Appellate Advocacy
- Catholic Social Teaching and the Law
- Constitutional Law
- Constitutional Reform
- Education Law
- Evidence
- Federal Courts
- Federal Indian Law
- First Amendment in Cyberspace
- International Law
- Law and Religion
- Legislation
- Police Conduct
- Political Speech
- Regulatory State
- Supreme Court
- Trial Advocacy
- Intensive Trial Advocacy
- Trial Practice Competition
- Advanced Trial Advocacy
Practical Writing Courses
- Administrative Practice
- Contract Drafting
Clinics and Externships
- Civil Justice Clinic
- Clinic for Asylum, Refugee and Emigrant Services (CARES)
- Committee of 70 Externship
- Farmworker Legal Aid Clinic
- Federal Tax Clinic
- Judicial Externships
- Legislative Externship
- Pennsylvania Attorney General Externship
- Senator’s Office Externship
- United States Senate Judiciary Committee Externship
Areas of Government Practice
- Constitutional Law and Civil Rights
- Civil Rights Litigation
- Constitutional Convention/ Bill of Rights
- Constitutional Reform
- Law and Religion
- Poverty Law
- Financial Regulation
- Antitrust
- Bankruptcy
- Federal Taxation
- Taxation of Business Entities
- Law of Invest Management
- Regulation of Financial Institutions
- Securities Act of 1933
- Securities Act of 1934
- Securities Litigation
- Wealth Tax
- Labor and Employment
- Employee Benefits
- Employment Discrimination
- Labor Law I and II
- Workers’ Compensation
- Other Areas of Government Regulation
- Children, Parents and the Law
- Education Law
- Environmental Law
- Federal Indian Law
- Health Law
- Immigration Law
- Intellectual Property (see Focus Area)
- Law of Drugs and Biologics
- Natural Resources Law
- Risk and the Law
- Tax (see Focus Area)
