The CLEA Awards Committee is once again soliciting nominations for its student awards. Beginning this year, in addition to the CLEA Outstanding Clinic Student or Outstanding Clinic Team Award, schools can honor students with the CLEA Outstanding Externship Student Award. The addition of the externship-focused award recognizes the valuable work for justice that law students do through externships and provides schools the opportunity to nominate an outstanding and self-reflective externship student for CLEA’s recognition. The awards are given annually at the completion of the academic year. 

The 2021 award winners have been announced! 

•  Click here for a list of the award winners for the 2021 CLEA Outstanding Clinic Student Award

• Click here for a list of the award winners for the 2021 CLEA Outstanding Clinic Team Award

• Click here for a list of the award winners for the 2021 CLEA Outstanding Externship Student Award

Criteria for the CLEA Outstanding Clinic Student or Team Award (One Award Per School) and the CLEA Outstanding Externship Student Award (One Award Per School): 

• Excellence in the field work component of the clinic/externship course determined by the quality of the student’s or team’s performance in assisting or representing individual or organizational clients or in undertaking advocacy or policy reform projects;
• Excellence in the seminar component of the clinic course or externship determined by the quality of the student’s or team’s thoughtfulness and self-reflection in exploring the legal, ethical, strategic, and other pertinent issues raised in the particular clinic or externship;
  
• For the Team award, the ability of the students to engage in effective collaboration; and
  
• The nature and extent of the student’s or team’s contribution to the clinical community at the law school, legal community, or broader community, if relevant.

Each school must select one student OR one team enrolled in a law school clinic course. Schools may select one student or one team, but may not submit more than one nomination for the clinic award.

A team may be recognized if students work together as a team and it would be impossible or unfair to single out one team member for recognition. 

For the externship award, each school may select one student enrolled in an externship course.