Experiential learning

Opportunities outside the classroom help you to be prepared

Knowing what to expect is critical to making an informed decision about applying to law school. It can also help you ensure that your law school experience aligns with your passion, interests, and ultimate career goals. We make sure pre-law students can participate in a wide variety of events that enables you to get your questions answered by experienced professionals and understand the process of law school admissions, the norms of law school, and life as an attorney.

Information sessions

Information sessions are held periodically at NAU and around Flagstaff to help ground pre-law students in the expectations of law school. Here is a sampling of events that have previously been held:

  • University of Arizona and Arizona State University admissions officers visit to present on their law schools
  • “Law School: What to Know Before You Even Think About Applying”
  • Panels of Flagstaff lawyers on their backgrounds, careers, and advice
  • A series of Zoom interviews between lawyers and students
  • Coconino County Citizen Prosecutor Academy programs

Informational interviewing

To find out what it’s like to be a lawyer, go straight to the source: talk to one. Informational interviews are generally short and focus on basics such as what a typical attorney’s day consists of, what law school is like, and how to maintain a good balance of life and work. NAU students have had informational interviews with members of the City and County Attorney’s offices, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, federal and state judges, public defenders, staff lawyers at DNA Legal Services, and with attorneys from private law firms.

Job shadowing

Shadowing an attorney, judge, or other legal professional as they go about their daily tasks allows you to learn even more than when you take part in informational interviews. Some meetings can’t be observed because of lawyer-client relationships, but you may get to witness drafting, discovery, hearings, or even a jury trial when you job shadow.

Observing legal proceedings

One of the best ways to learn more about practicing law is also essentially free: observing court in action. Except in unusual circumstances, hearings on motions, trials, sentencing, and similar proceedings are open to the public. Find more information for these hearings on the Coconino County Superior Court‘s calendar.

Volunteering/interning

If you decide you want a deeper experience than you can get from observations or job shadowing, volunteering and interning allow you to do so while helping your community. Your duties may range from handling client intake at a legal services provider to helping an attorney or paralegal conduct research to sitting in on trial strategy.

The main difference between volunteering and interning is the possibility of college credit for the latter experience.  The County Attorney, City Attorney (both Civil and Criminal), Public Defender, DNA Legal Services, and several law firms in town have all had interns and volunteers from NAU.

Original research

Just about every department at NAU allows undergraduates to conduct independent research under faculty supervision. This might include conducting a legal or political analysis of Supreme Court cases, researching cold cases to try and see why they have gone unsolved, conducting a statistical analysis on sentencing impacts, or any number of other topics and methods. This in-depth research is typically arranged with an individual professor but it may also be the subject of a capstone or writing seminar.

Simulations

Most attorneys regularly rely on skills in research, writing, and oral presentations—all of them know how to read and interpret a legal opinion and then apply it to new facts. Trial lawyers learn how to evaluate evidence, assess a case, develop strategy, question witnesses, and make arguments on points of law.

An ideal way to help gain this knowledge and master these skills is to experience them in relatively low-stakes simulations such as a class or competition.  At NAU, courses like Courts and Justice (CCJ 210), Criminal Law (CCJ 270), Civil Liberties (POS 446), and Constitutional Law (POS 446) all include simulations ranging from mock depositions to determining charges and drafting legal memos to clients. Other courses offer additional hands-on experience. In Mental Health and the Law (CCJ 469), students work hypothetical problems that simulate real-world responsibilities; in Wrongful Conviction (CCJ 495), students practice their skills by submitting weekly case briefs.

The NAU Mock Trial Club conducts simulated cases where students play the roles of attorneys and witnesses and have their knowledge of evidence and procedure as well as the effectiveness of their presentation evaluated by lawyers.

“Going to the pre-law presentations from Flagstaff attorneys helped me make some connections and learn about how to conduct an informational interview. I used this both in Flagstaff and back home, and it has really helped me get a better sense of what being a lawyer is like.”

—Ryan L.

Connect with peers

When you get involved on campus, you expand your opportunities. Learn more about NAU’s organizations.