Jenner & Block Supreme Court and Appellate Clinic — Information for Students

The Jenner & Block Supreme Court and Appellate Clinic provides students with real-world experience litigating U.S. Supreme Court and other appellate cases. The clinic’s students regularly think through difficult questions, research and draft challenging briefs, and debate case strategy questions. Unlike other clinics at the Law School, this clinic is not organized around a particular subject matter or area of law. Students therefore can expect to work on a wide variety of issues and cases.

During each quarter, the clinic’s faculty and students meet weekly to discuss the clinic’s cases and ongoing work. The remainder of students’ work in the clinic typically is done individually, in smaller student groups, or with faculty members. Student projects vary from quarter to quarter, depending on the cases on which the clinic is working. For example, some quarters, students may spend a significant portion of their time researching and drafting portions of U.S. Supreme Court merits briefs. Other quarters, students may spend more time working on amicus briefs or petitions for certiorari or circuit court briefs.

Enrollment in the clinic is through the bidding process during registration. U.S. Supreme Court: Theory and Practice (LAWS 50311) is a required co-requisite for 2L and 3L students participating in the clinic. Academic credit for the clinic varies and is awarded according to the Law School’s general criteria for clinical courses and by the approval of the clinical faculty.