When it was founded in 1972, the Clinical Law Program at the American University Washington College of Law was at the forefront of clinical legal education. Over the past five decades, it has grown to include 11 in-house clinics and is recognized as one of the top programs in the country. 

To celebrate the program’s anniversary this year, WCL is hosting a two-day celebration this month highlighting its impact and the opportunities it provides for students. 

The program is home to clinics in the fields of civil advocacy, community economic and equity development, criminal justice, disability rights, entrepreneurship, gender justice, intellectual property, immigrant justice, international human rights, federal income tax and re-entry. Students represent low-income and under-represented clients as they manage litigation, carry out transactional work, engage in issue-based advocacy and prepare to be the best lawyers they can be. 

The anniversary celebration will kick off on Thursday, Oct. 27, with an alumni reception with current and former clinic faculty. On Friday, Oct. 28, the American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law will host a day-long “Fifty and Forward” symposium featuring four themed panels, a luncheon, remarks from Dean Roger Fairfax Jr. and a keynote address by Muneer Ahmad, a former WCL professor and now the Deputy Dean for Experiential Education and Sol Goldman Clinical Professor of Law at Yale Law School. The panels will be conversations about the history and future of WCL’s clinical program, new developments in clinical education, expanding the concept of clinical programs, and empathy, connection and dealing with trauma.