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Sciences Po Law School Clinic
The Law School Clinics are selective one-year long courses, offered to some Sciences Po students including certain PSIA programs. These selective programs provide valuable practical experience in the chosen field of study.
Programs
The Law School Clinics are selective one-year long courses, offered to some Sciences Po students including certain PSIA programs. These selective programs provide valuable practical experience in the chosen field of study.
Places within the Clinics are limited and therefore participation is based on a competitive selection process. Please read the Clinic rules, selection criteria and application procedure outlined below.
The application occurs from 2 June to 16 June 2025 (by noon Paris time) for the 2025-2026 academic year. The results will be announced in the beginning of July before the academic registration.
An online information session will be organized on 28 May 2025 at 2 pm (Paris time), admitted PSIA students will receive an invitation with a zoom link.
Here is a short overview of student eligibility and language prerequisites:
| Clinic | Eligible students | Language requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Human Rights, Economic Development, and Globalization (HEDG) | First-year Master in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action and International Development students only, including dual degrees and one-year degree | English and some French (the coursework is taught in English, some projects can be either in French or English) |
| Justice Environnementale et Transition Ecologique (JETE) | First-year Master in Environmental Policy students, including dual degrees and one-year degree Dual degree in Environmental Science and Policies | French C1 level (the coursework is taught in French, some projects can be either in French or English) |
| Corporate Social Responsibility and Innovation (RISE) | First-year students taking the concentration in Project Management, including dual degrees and one-year degree | French C1 level |
| Clinique Migrations (Research and Assistance in the Field of Immigration And Asylum) | First-year students taking the Concentration in Migration, including dual degrees and one-year degree | French C1 level |
| Digital Rule of Law (DIGILAW) | First-year students taking the Concentration in Global Risks, including dual degrees and one-year degree. Please note that for this Clinic, a background in law is recommended | English |
Rules
Clinics Require a One-Year Commitment
A one-year commitment is mandatory for all Clinics (Fall and Spring semester). It is not possible to drop the Clinic in the middle of the year.
Clinics require a significant time investment from students. For example, students may also be asked to continue working on their Clinic Projects in May-June, once they have completed their final exams.
Clinics Involve Teamwork
Students selected for the Clinics will be divided into smaller teams and assigned to work on projects within each program. All projects will be supervised by a clinical lecturer, and depending on the projects, by "tutors" (Law School Faculty members, doctoral students, lawyers, or legal experts working in business or NGOs).
Clinics are Worth 16-18 ECTS
Clinics consists of three courses (the Fall Semester Clinic Seminar, the Spring Semester Clinic Seminar and one Mandatory Clinic Elective over the course of one semester). In total, these three courses, which combine training in both theoretical and practical approaches, are worth 16-18 ECTS depending on the Clinics.
Selection Criteria
Student selection and project assignment takes into account the student’s profile, their motivation, the specific requirements of selected projects, and the expectations of partners.
The following elements are particularly important :
- Motivation to get involved throughout the academic year on the assigned project (even if the assigned project is not your first choice) and a commitment to follow all the academic requirements for the.
- The selection process evaluates the alignment between a student's academic and professional background and the objectives of the Clinic, the program requirements, and the specific needs of selected projects (for example, language skills and experience, as well as professional and analytical rigor, team spirit, sense of initiative, etc).
- Advanced language skills (French and English) may be required. This is the case in most projects within the RISE, JETE and Migrations Clinics.
Application Process
The application consists of a written application and an interview.
Interested and eligible students should examine the Clinic's project preselected that will be added to a Google Drive end of May (a Sciences Po student email address is required to access this Google Drive).
All descriptions present the general objectives of the project. However, the objectives, methodology or work plan may evolve throughout the semester or the academic year, reflecting the dynamic nature of a professional clinic.
Please read each project description all the way through and pay specific attention to the requirements for each project as well as the number of students per project. You should identify two projects for your application.
The application to the Law Clinics is not compatible with the application to a “Cooperative Project” and to the “Capstone Course “International Law in Action” offered as a Master core course in the Master in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action. Students need to pick one or the other.
Written Application
Eligible students apply via this Google form. A Sciences Po email address is required to access this form. Upon completing the Google form, you will receive an automated confirmation email.
To be considered for admission in one of the five clinical programs, students must include the following documents:
- A motivation letter focusing on two preselected projects (in order of preference) you would like to apply for in the same clinical program (i.e. if you apply for the HEDG program, your motivation letter needs to focus on two of the pre-selected HEDG projects available this year); if you apply for the JETE program, your motivation letter needs to focus on two of the pre-selected JETE projects available this year, etc.).
- Your CV in English or French.
Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Interview Process
Shortlisted applications will be invited for interviews to be conducted between 20 June and 25 June 2025. Please ensure you are available for a zoom interview during these dates in the event your application is shortlisted.
The final selection will depend on needs for each Project and on the balance within each team.
All applicants will be informed about the results of the selection by 1 July 2025.
More details about the Clinic programs
Currently there are five Clinic programs that eligible PSIA students can apply for:
Students selected for the HEDG Clinic work on projects assisting mostly non-governmental organizations to develop legal and extra-judicial strategies (research and documentation, advocacy etc.) that aim to remedy human rights violations by private and public actors of globalization and economic development and engage with global justice issues more broadly.
Clinic Structure: in addition to the year-long Clinic Seminar itself, students must also take a mandatory elective course “Economic, Social, Cultural and Environmental Rights: Law and Practice in a Changing World (Lecture)” taught in the Fall semester by Sylvain Aubry and Katharina Rall at PSIA (18 ECTS in total).
- For students registered in a simple 2-year degree Human Rights and Humanitarian Action at PSIA:
- Semester 1: The Clinic Seminar counts as the first course of the Enhanced Master Option. The mandatory elective course counts as the master core course in the block 2 Human Rights & Humanitarian Action: Specific Challenges.
- Semester 2: The Clinic Seminar counts as the second course of the Enhanced Master Option.
- For students registered in a dual degree or a one-year degree Human Rights and Humanitarian Action at PSIA:
- The Clinic Seminar may be included in the 5 authorised Core courses or be counted as the Human Rights concentration. Please contact your academic team.
- For students registered in a simple 2-year degree, a dual degree or a one-year degree in International Development at PSIA who took the thematic concentration in Human Rights:
- Semester 1: The Clinic Seminar counts as the first course in the Human Rights concentration. The mandatory elective course counts as the second course in the Human Rights concentration.
- Semester 2: The Clinic Seminar counts as the third and the last course in the Human Rights concentration.
Eligible Students: First-year students, dual degree students, one-year degree students at PSIA who have selected either the Master in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action, or the Master in International Development with the thematic concentration in Human Rights.
Language of Instruction: English and French. The coursework for the HEDG Clinic is taught in English but projects can be in either French or English.
Time Commitment: Clinic seminars involve 24 hours of classroom training per semester, held on Tuesdays from 7:15 pm to 9:15 pm. The mandatory elective course adds another 24 hours of classroom training in the Fall semester. This does not include the work required outside of the classroom for each course (reading, assessment preparation, revision, etc.). Clinic project teamwork averages half a day per week.
Students selected for the JETE Clinic will work on projects focused on environmental issues. While some of the team projects can be in either French or English, the program and courses are taught in French: a good advanced level (C1) is therefore required to participate.
Clinic Structure: in addition to the year-long Clinic seminar itself, students must take a mandatory elective course “Introduction au droit de l’environnement et techniques de mise en oeuvre” taught by Luca d'Ambrosio at PSIA in the Fall semester (18 ECTS in total).
- For students registered in a simple 2-year degree Environmental Policy at PSIA:
- Semester 1: The Clinic Seminar counts as the first course of the Enhanced Master Option. The mandatory elective course counts as a master core course in the block 2 “Science and Policy”.
- Semester 2: The Clinic Seminar counts as the second course of the Enhanced Master Option.
- For students registered in a dual degree Environmental Policy, Environmental Science and Policies, or a one-year degree Environmental Policy:
- The Clinic Seminar as well as the mandatory elective course will be included in the 5 authorised Core courses. Please contact your academic team.
Eligible Students:
- First-Year Students enrolled in the Master in Environmental Policy
- Dual degree students and students registered in the one-year degree at PSIA who are enrolled in the Environmental Policy program
- Dual degree in Environmental Science and Policies
Language of Instruction: French.
Time Commitment: Clinic seminars involve 24 hours of classroom training per semester, held on Tuesdays from 7:15 pm to 9:15 pm. The mandatory elective course adds another 24 hours of classroom training in the Fall semester. This does not include the work required outside of the classroom for each course (reading, assessment preparation, revision, etc.). Clinic project teamwork averages half a day per week.
Students selected for the RISE Clinic work on projects relating to corporate social responsibility and social innovation initiatives, particularly in support of legal / CSR / ethics & compliance/human rights departments of companies, as well as in partnership with other actors and institutions from both the public and the private sector. While some of the team projects can be in either French or English, the program and courses are taught in French: an advanced level (C1) is therefore required to participate.
Clinic Structure: in addition to the year-long Clinic Seminar itself, students must also take a mandatory elective course “XXX” taught in the Fall semester by XXX at PSIA (18 ECTS in total).
- For students registered in a simple 2-year degree, a dual degree or a one-year degree at PSIA who have selected the Project Management concentration:
- Semester 1: The Clinic Seminar counts as the first course in the Project Management concentration. The mandatory elective course counts as the second course in Project Management concentration.
- Semester 2: The Clinic Seminar counts as the third and the last course in the Project Management concentration.
Eligible Students: First-year students, dual degree students, one-year degree students at PSIA who have selected the Project Management concentration.
Language of Instruction: French. Clinic seminars are taught in French (but some discussions will be held in English).
Time Commitment: Clinic seminars involve 24 hours of classroom training per semester, held on Tuesdays from 7:15 pm to 9:15 pm. The mandatory elective course adds another 24 hours of classroom training in the Fall semester. This does not include the work required outside of the classroom for each course (reading, assessment preparation, revision, etc.). Clinic project teamwork averages half a day per week.
Students selected for the Migrations Clinic will work on projects focused on legal / administrative assistance for migrants and asylum seekers. Students will also conduct empirical research projects for the association and its partners. The program is taught in French (C1).
Clinic Structure: in addition to the year-long Clinic Seminar itself, students must take a mandatory elective course, either “Governing Migration in Europe and Beyond: Categories, Policies, Actors” taught by Céline Cantat, Cécilia Baeza and Thibaut Jaulin in the Fall semester at PSIA (18 ECTS in total), or “Introduction to the Politics of International Migration” taught by Antoine Pecoud in the Fall semester at PSIA (18 ECTS in total).
- For students registered in a simple 2-year degree, a dual degree or a one-year degree at PSIA who have selected the Migrations concentration:
- Semester 1: The Clinic Seminar counts as the first course in the Migrations concentration. The mandatory elective course counts as the second course in the Migrations concentration.
- Semester 2: The Clinic Seminar counts as the third and the last course in the Migrations concentration.
Eligible Students: First-year students, dual degree students, one-year degree students at PSIA who have selected the Migrations concentration.
Language of Instruction: French.
Time Commitment: Clinic seminars involve 24 hours of classroom training per semester, held on Tuesdays from 7:15 pm to 9:15 pm. The mandatory elective course adds another 24 hours of classroom training in the Fall semester. This does not include the work required outside of the classroom for each course (reading, assessment preparation, revision, etc.). Clinic project teamwork averages half a day per week.
- How can the values and rights needed to sustain democracies and the common good be upheld and ensured in our digital world?
- What is the role of the law in this environment where technologies, infrastructures, big players and users themselves construct normativities beyond the law itself?
DIGILAW will involve teams of students and researchers working on action-research projects addressing these issues, designed in collaboration with a range of partners from civil society, public institutions and private actors.
Clinic Structure: in addition to the year-long Clinic Seminar itself, students must take a mandatory elective course, “AI and Data Governance” taught by Beatriz Botero Arcila in the Fall semester at the Law School (16 ECTS in total).
- First-year students, dual degree students, one-year degree students at PSIA who have selected the Global Risks concentration:
- Semester 1: The Clinic Seminar counts as the first course in the Global Risks concentration. The mandatory elective course counts as the second course in the Global Risks concentration. An optional course (Special feature or Language) is required in Fall or Spring to compensate for 2 missing credits.
- Semester 2: The Clinic Seminar counts as the third and the last course in the Global Risks concentration.
Eligible Students: First-year students, dual degree students, one-year degree students at PSIA who have selected the Global Risks concentration.
Language of Instruction: English.
Time Commitment: Clinic seminars involve 24 hours of classroom training per semester, held on Tuesdays from 7:15 pm to 9:15 pm. The mandatory elective course adds another 24 hours of classroom training in the Fall semester. This does not include the work required outside of the classroom for each course (reading, assessment preparation, revision, etc.). Clinic project teamwork averages half a day per week.
For further information:
- About the application process and the Clinic projects, please contact: clinique.droit@sciencespo.fr
- About the courses and the requirements, please contact your academic team
