Only-at-SLS

The needs and ambitions of today’s students drive our unique offerings.

Immersive, interdisciplinary, collaborative, future-focused — Stanford Law’s distinctive approach to legal education generates one-of-a-kind programs for students. Because our graduates will practice at the intersection of law and business, or medicine, or engineering, or technology, or social science — to name just a few frontiers — we leverage Stanford University’s broad intellectual resources to make the study of law interdisciplinary. Our clinics stand out as full-time training experiences in which you can hone skills without distraction. A growing global initiative cultivates insights across geographies while more than 20 practicums provide living laboratories for policy-making. Small-group seminars promote free-wheeling discussion. And because we are always innovating, the list of only-at-SLS opportunities will continue to grow as the needs and ambitions of next-generation lawyers evolve.

Slides: Roll Fold - Only at SLS 2024

Only at SLS
Discover the unmatched advantages that distinguish Stanford Law School— and that transform SLS students into exceptional lawyers and leaders. Images: SLS campus; students in class.
Stanford University: Explore the universityʼs top-ranked schools and departments, an innovation-driven intellectual community, and diverse sports and cultural activities. Joint Degrees: Choose from 32 or design your own. Interdisciplinary Living and Learning: Share space with graduate students from across campus in modern Munger Residences, designed to foster community, interaction, and discussion. Images: SLS campus photos.
Legal Luminaries: Study with faculty members who are opening new frontiers in law, from net neutrality to Supreme Court practice and criminal procedure. Faculty Discussion Seminars: Explore election law, the interplay between religion and the profession of law or biases present in technologies, and other provocative topics with faculty and classmates. New Areas of Law: Learn lawʼs role in the digital realm at the law school whose pioneering programs cover everything from artificial intelligence and machine learning to cyber security. Images: Faculty and students on the steps of the US Supreme Court; students and faculty during a faculty discussion seminar.
Full-time Clinics: Immerse yourself in individualized, hands-on learning through any of the 11 full-time clinics, without the distraction of any other coursework. Law & Policy Lab: Evaluate corporate performance standards on racial and economic equity, assess nature-based climate solutions, and study wildfire science and policy, among many other critical questions. Global Opportunities: Spend a week with professors and peers in Colombia or Poland or spend 10 weeks immersed in international law and finance through the Global Quarter at SLS and abroad. Images: Faculty and students in front of the Palo Alto Courthouse; students in Colombia during The Global Quarter.
Projects with Impact: Get involved with projects making a real-world difference through our many programs and centers focused on issues as wide-ranging as cyber policy, the legal profession, criminal justice, and regulation, evaluation and governance. Public Interest/Public Service: Prepare to advance the public good and social justice, through dedicated classes, clinics, pro bono work, externships, and mentorships, with career support and financial assistance. Images: Faculty member Erik Jensen lecturing; group of students.
Clerkships: Learn the inner workings of the judicial system, hone your skills, and advance the law by clerking for a justice on the U.S. Court of Appeals, U.S. District Court, or U.S. Supreme Court—a strong SLS tradition. From Student to Scholar: Gain exposure to legal scholarship, produce it, and prepare to be the next generation of law professors or academics. California Comforts: Ponder your moot court argument on a run in the foothills or a bike trek to the coast—any day of the year. Images: Graduation procession; Faculty member Daniel Ho during a lecture.
Unconventional Community: Expand your horizons as part of the unique start-up culture that thrives in our anything-is-possible Silicon Valley neighborhood. Open-Minded Community: Join a community that values open discussion about the critical and controversial issues of our time. Images: Students walking on a trail path; Class of 2024.
Photos of campus; students in class.
Photos of campus; students walking.

Students Reflect on Opportunities at SLS

Interdisciplinary Learning

24

formal joint degree programs

Unlimited

opportunities to customize your own joint degree

3 years

time in which most JD/Master's degrees can be completed

The W. A. Franke Global Law Program

21st century lawyers can expect to engage with people, legal systems, businesses, governments and multilateral institutions from around the globe. The new W A Franke Global Law Program prepares tomorrow’s law and business leaders for this reality in four ways.

Mills Legal Clinic

Ending law school with actually having represented someone in court and gone through that process from start to finish it reminds me why we came here and the work we came here to do. And that’s been really powerful.

Meghan Koushik, JD '19

Law and Policy Lab

see all current policy lab offerings

Projects with Impact

Programs and Centers

see all programs and centers

Faculty Discussion Seminars

When I came to Stanford, I was struck by the intimacy of the law school. I thought we could take advantage of that by creating opportunities for small groups of students to interact with faculty members outside the classroom, in informal, intellectually stimulating environments that would foster the kinds of bonds that are difficult to forge at larger institutions. We introduced the concept and two weeks later we had eleven commitments for seminars.

Elizabeth Magill, Former Dean, Stanford Lawyer, Issue 89

The Legal Design Lab

Margaret Hagan is Creating the Intersection of Law and Design at Stanford
Play VideoMargaret Hagan is Creating the Intersection of Law and Design at Stanford

(video credit: d.school)

The Legal Design Lab in the Deborah L. Rhode Center on the Legal Profession at Stanford is an interdisciplinary team from both the law school and the d.school working at the intersection of human centered design, technology, and law to build a new generation of legal products and services. The Lab runs a variety of projects in partnership with outside entities ranging from large companies to non-profits to state and federal governments. We offer classes, including Introduction to Legal Design, and policy labs. And we conduct research into how design, innovation, and technology are changing the legal profession.

Learn more about the Legal Design Lab