The CLEA Awards Committee is once again soliciting nominations for student awards. 

Schools have two student award nomination opportunities through CLEA: 

1. The CLEA Outstanding Clinic Student  OR  Outstanding Clinic Team Award 

2. The CLEA Outstanding Externship Student Award 

For the clinic award, each school may nominate only one  student  or  one team enrolled in a law school clinic. 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. The externship award recognizes law students' valuable work to advance justice through externships. Each school may nominate  one  student enrolled in an externship course.   

Criteria for the CLEA Outstanding Clinic Student OR Team Award (one nomination per school) and the CLEA Outstanding Externship Student Award (one nomination per school): 

1. Excellence in the fieldwork component of the clinic/externship course, as 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;  

2. Excellence in the seminar component of the clinic/externship course, as determined by the quality and thoughtfulness of the student's or team's self-reflections in exploring legal, ethical, strategic, and other pertinent issues raised;  

3. For the team award, effective collaboration among students; and 

4. If relevant, meaningful contributions by the student or team to the law school's clinical community, legal community, or broader community. 

Nomination & Selection Process: 

Nominations may be submitted by full-time clinical faculty at law schools with faculty who are CLEA members. Student award recipients must graduate during or after the academic year in which the award is given.  

The nomination deadline is May 1, 2026. Please send nominations to the CLEA Awards Committee via the following form: https://corexmsq42vh5sszx9cp.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3DTHI1rlzpQXhwa 

In the form, you will be asked to: 

• Indicate whether you are completing the form for the clinic student award, the clinic team award, or the externship student award; 

• Indicate the name(s) of the student(s) as you would like it/them to appear on the certificate; 

• Indicate the name of the law school as you would like it to appear on the certificate;  

• Provide a brief statement (no more than 250 words) explaining how the student or team meets the award criteria. 

The CLEA Awards Committee will issue one electronic certificate per student or team, and clinical faculty can print and present the certificates at graduation or other ceremonies. Please note that even for the clinic team award, each school will receive one electronic certificate only (of which multiple copies can be printed for presentation to the students). Certificates will be issued on a rolling basis (please allow up to two weeks to receive the electronic certificate).   

If you have photographs of award recipients receiving CLEA certificates, you can send them to the CLEA Communications Committee (events@cleaweb.org) for posting to social media and/or the CLEA website.