Students

Our students are involved in very exciting, diverse work at their field placements in Washington, D.C.

Students assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee conducted extensive research on potential Supreme Court nominees, including those of Professor Liu and Solicitor General Kagan.
A student assigned to the staff of a ranking California Congresswoman worked with the Office of Legislative Counsel to draft legislation governing recount and canvassing guidelines and timing.
A student drafted a floor statement that appeared in the Congressional record and conducted research on policy and legal issues to prepare questions for a Congresswoman to ask of witnesses at upcoming committee hearings.
A student was assigned the task of writing a public letter to President Barack Obama on behalf of New York City’s congressional delegation protesting cuts in Community Service Block Grants that were proposed in the President’s budget. The student conducted research and drafted the letter, which to his surprise became the final version without any changes. Of New York’s congressional delegation, every office, except one, signed onto the letter and it was sent to the President.

Legislative Clinic:	One semester course offered only in the Spring semester
# of Credits:	7 credits (may drop one credit in exchange for satisfying 35 hours of student’s pro bono requirement).
Pre-requisites:	None
Registration Information:	Open to JD 3L students and 2nd semester 2L students.

Resources

Want more information about the Legislative Clinic?

The Legislative Clinic is an upper-level clinical course that is intended to afford law students a deeper understanding of, and direct involvement with, legislative process, statutory drafting, statutory interpretation, legislative advocacy, ethics, and the role that lawyers play in legislation and public policy.

The Legislative Clinic involves both classroom and legislative fieldwork components.

Read More about the Legislative Clinic.

LEGISLATIVE CLINIC PLACMENTS SPRING 2013 – SPRING 2022

House Budget Committee	Spring 2013
Office of Congressional Ethics	Spring 2013
US Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Gov’t Affairs, Subcommittee on Oversight of Gov’t Management, Minority Staff	Spring 2013
House Committee on Homeland Security (Majority)	Spring 2013 & 2014
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee	Spring 2013 & 2014
Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse	Spring 2013
House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial & Antitrust Law	Spring 2013
Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues	Spring 2013
Senate Finance Committee (Tax -Majority Staff)	Spring 2013 & 2014
Office of Governor Hickenlooper of Colorado	Spring 2014
Senator Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota)	Spring 2014
Senator Bernie Sanders (Vermont)	Spring 2014
Congressman Gregory Meeks (NY 5th District)	Spring 2013, 2014 & 2015
Senator Michael Bennet (Colorado)	Spring 2014
Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (HSAGA)	Spring 2014
Congresswoman Jackson Lee (Texas 18th District)	Spring 2014
Office of Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland)	Spring 2015
Philadelphia City Council	Spring 2015
White House Council on Environmental Quality	Spring 2015
Senator Patty Murray (Washington State)	Spring 2015
Senate Judiciary Committee (Leahy)	Spring 2016
Rep. Brian Sims	Spring 2016
Rep. Elijah Cummings	Spring 2016
US Department of Energy	Spring 2016
Senate Finance Committee (Minority Tax Staff)	Spring 2016
Administrative Conferences of the US	Spring 2016
Senator Richard Blumenthal	Spring 2016
Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations	Spring 2018
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Minority Staff	Spring 2018
City Council of Philadelphia, Office of Councilwoman Helen Gym	Spring 2018
Center for American Progress, Economic Policy Team	Spring 2018
Brennan Center for Justice, Democracy Project	Spring 2018
Senate Finance Committee	Spring 2018
Senate Judiciary Committee, Office of Senator Amy Klobuchar	Spring 2018
House Office of Congressional Ethics	Spring 2018
Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs	Spring 2018
House Foreign Affairs Committee	Spring 2018
Senate Subcommittee on Anti-Trust, Competition Policy & Consumer Rights, Office of Senator Amy Klobuchar	Spring 2018
FCC Office of Legislative Affairs	Spring 2019
Senate Judiciary Committee	Spring 2019
Philadelphia City Council – Councilman Kenyatta Johnson	Spring 2019
Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations	Spring 2019
White House Office of Science & Technology Policy	Spring 2019
House Office of Congressional Ethics (2 students)	Spring 2019
National Institute for Reproductive Health (NYC)	Spring 2019
Congressman Gregory Meeks	Spring 2019
Senate Committee on Finance	Spring 2019
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions	Spring 2019
White House Office of Science & Technology	Spring 2020
Senate Finance Committee – Tax Team	Spring 2020
Senate Finance Committee – Taxation Subcommittee	Spring 2020
Representative Meeks (NY), House of Representatives	Spring 2020
Representative Meng (NY), House of Representatives	Spring 2020
House Committee on Foreign Affairs	Spring 2020
Philadelphia City Council, Office of Councilmember Quiñones-Sánchez	Spring 2020
DOJ – Child Exploitation & Obscenity Section, High Intensity Tech Unit	Spring 2020
Senate HELP Committee (Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions)	Spring 2020
Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Hirono (Hawaii)	Spring 2020
Philadelphia City Council, Office of Councilmember Jamie Gauthier	Spring 2021
U.S. House of Representatives – House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis (2 students)	Spring 2021
U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Senator Cruz	Spring 2021
U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Senator Klobuchar	Spring 2021
Planned Parenthood Federation of America	Spring 2021
Pennsylvania Senate, Office of State Senator Amanda Cappelletti	Spring 2021
Free Migration Project (2 students)	Spring 2021
U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Antitrust Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, Senator Lee	Spring 2021
U.S. House of Representatives, House Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law	Spring 2021
U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Klobuchar	Spring 2022
U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee - Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis	Spring 2022
U.S. Senate Budget Committee, Office of Chairman Sanders	Spring 2022
US House of Representatives, Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties	Spring 2022
U.S. House Judiciary Committee	Spring 2022
U.S. House Office of the General Counsel	Spring 2022
U. S. House Foreign Affairs Committee	Spring 2022
Delaware State Legislature	Spring 2022
Philadelphia City Law Department, Legislative Unit	Spring 2022
Brennan Center for Justice – Democracy Program	Spring 2022
U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Office of Chair Dick Durbin	Spring 2022
Philadelphia Councilmember Kendra Brooks	Spring 2022
U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Richard Blumenthal	Spring 2022

Each student in the Legislative Clinic is required to fulfill a legislative placement that involves an unpaid internship with an elected member of Congress, a legislative committee (Senate or House), or a non-profit advocacy organization pursuing legislative change. Students are required to spend a minimum of two days per week in Washington, D.C., (and some placements may require three days per week). In addition to the offices of individual Senators or Representatives, students have pursued placements at many committees or subcommittees on Capitol Hill, such as the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senate Finance Committee, Senate Committee on Homeland Security, Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigation, House Judiciary Committee, House Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property, House Committee on Homeland Security, and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. You are not limited to prior placements. These are only identified as examples that you may want to consider in your search.

Senator Elizabeth Warren and Professor Rulli

Professor Rulli with Senator Elizabeth Warren.

Prof Rulli with legislative clinic students

Professor Rulli with students before a meeting at the Capital where students heard valuable information from Penn Carey Law alums currently working on the Hill.

Legislative Clinic Students meet in Vice President Biden’s Office

Clinic Alumni

Aaron Jordan L’16

Aaron Jordan L’16 took his passion for legislation to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he first served as the Legislative Director for Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-NY) and is now Senior Counsel for the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Jordan got his start in Washington, D.C., when he enrolled in the Law School’s Legislative Clinic, taught by Practice Professor of Law Louis Rulli. His placement – an internship with Congressman Meeks – turned into a full-time job a few years after Jordan graduated.

“I wouldn’t have gotten that internship without the clinic, without Professor Rulli,” said Jordan. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without Penn Law.”

On the Foreign Affairs Committee, Jordan said that “after four years of the Trump presidency, there is a lot of rebuilding, reassuring, and reengagement that needs to be done in the wake of some of the failed policies from the past, not just from the Trump Administration, but going back to the Iraq War.”

Jordan is turning his view to the future.

“We are trying to envision a better, more thoughtful foreign policy for the twenty-first century,” he said.

Jordan urged law students to remember that “you don’t need to take the prescribed course regimen that people sometimes push on you. Probably the best thing for you to do is to pursue your own interests — that will lead to a more fruitful, happy, and positive career.”

Legislative Clinic Students

Students

Legislative Clinic

Students

Example Cases

Registration

Resources

Want more information about the Legislative Clinic?

About the Legislative Clinic

Previous Placement Sites

Tips on Finding a Placement

Clinic Alumni

Aaron Jordan L’16