Centers and Clinics
Information for Law Students
STUDENT ENROLLMENT APPLICATIONS AND CERTIFICATION INFORMATION
Applications for clinics are available from Student Affairs during the end of February and the first week of March (for Summer and Fall), and during first week of October (for Spring). Deadlines for submission are posted on the applications and published in FlaLaw. After the application period, Student Affairs will email clinic offers and students must respond within 48 hours of the course schedule posting for that semester. Upon acceptance, students are then automatically registered and begin the process of applying for certification.
Usually, waiting lists exist for all clinics. Students who wish to maximize their likelihood for enrollment are advised to plan ahead, take appropriate prerequisite courses and gain preference points by taking additional courses as listed for each Clinic. It is advisable to apply for Clinics (particularly those with a requirement of a preparatory seminar) in the spring of your second year. If you do not gain admission in the spring, you will have a second opportunity in the fall.
Legal Intern Certification
Students are certified by the Florida Supreme Court for practice in the clinics (both Civil and Criminal Law but not Mediation) through application and by meeting the requirements of Chapter 11, Rules Regulating The Florida Bar (aka “Student Practice Rule”). After students have registered for the Civil and Criminal Law Clinics, they must complete an application for certification through clinic staff who then finalize the process and submit them to the Florida Supreme Court after certification by the Dean of the Levin College of Law.
After Graduation Certification: Certification can be renewed after graduation if: (1) you will be working for a public agency or legal aid office; and (2) you have previously been certified under the student practice rule and have successfully completed a Clinic.
County Court Mediator Certification
Students completing the County Court Mediation Clinic are eligible for certification as County Mediators www.mediate.com/articles/floridarules.cfm. Certification is administered for the Florida Supreme Court by the Florida Dispute Resolution Center, lasts for two years, and entitles mediators to conduct county court mediations. Certification can be renewed easily and carries a continuing mediation education obligation.