Learning the law is only the beginning. At Case Western Reserve University School of Law, experiential learning bridges the gap between the classroom and legal practice. Students work with real clients, judges, and attorneys, gaining practical skills in advocacy, negotiation, problem-solving, and professional judgment. These experiences help students graduate not only with legal knowledge, but with the confidence and experience employers value.
Clinics, Labs, and Practicums
Immigration Law and policy is at the forefront of national debate and the role of immigration lawyers has become increasingly important. In 2024, alumnus Austin Fragomen (Law ‘68) made a $1 million gift to endow our Immigration Clinic and alumnus Margaret Wong made a $200,000 gift to endow a scholarship for students focusing on Immigration Law. In May 2024, Aleksandar Cuic, who is also Managing Partner at Brown Immigration Law in Cleveland, was named the inaugural Austin and Gwen Fragomen Distinguished Practitioner in the Immigration Clinic. The students enrolled in the Immigration Clinic litigate asylum and deportation cases before the Federal Immigration Court in Cleveland.
Alarmingly, the State of Ohio ranks 5th in the nation for incidents of human trafficking, many involving women and girls trafficked from abroad. CWRU School of Law established the Human Trafficking Clinic in 2018 to provide legal services for victims of trafficking and provide students hands-on experience in this field. Since its opening, students enrolled in the Human Trafficking Law Clinic have served over 1000 individuals, providing crucial civil legal representation on issues such as expungement, social security benefits, and child support modification.
In the International Law Research Lab students undertake legal research projects designed at the request of various international law enforcement organizations. Recent clients include the International Criminal Court, the UN-affiliated tribunals in Cambodia and Sierra Leone, Interpol, U.S. Military Commissions, and the U.S. Coast Guard, among others. Course sessions explore the development and practice of international criminal law as well as developing jurisprudence relevant to the current students' projects. Substantial time is devoted to in-class discussion of target issues, writing workshops, and individual presentation of findings. Completed projects are forwarded to the requesting clients and posted in the school's international war crimes portal.
The International Development Law Practicum is focused on social impact investing in the Global South. It currently has two anchor pro bono partners, one headquartered in Singapore and the other in India. Students enrolled in the Practicum work on White Papers, policy guidelines, toolkits and legal templates that respond to the needs of the partner institutions.
International Law Internships
At CWRU School of Law there is a core tenet to the educational approach: the best way to learn international law is to experience it. That’s why the Cox Center provides networking opportunities and $75,000 in annual funding to support summer internships, semester externships, and postgraduate fellowships with international organizations, foreign law firms, government agencies or nonprofit organizations.
In addition, through the Klatsky Fellowship in Human Rights program, two law students are awarded $5,000 summer fellowships to work with Human Rights Watch in New York City or Washington, D.C.
Through the generosity of Lew and Sue Winarsky, four students are awarded $4,000 each to be Winarsky Summer Fellows at the International Bar Association in London, International Federation of the Red Cross in Geneva, INTERPOL in Lyon and Shurat HaDin-Israel Law Center in Tel Aviv.
We have dozens of dedicated internships all over the world. They include Interpol in France, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Center in London, international tribunals in The Hague, the International Federation of the Red Cross in Geneva and the International Trade Center in Geneva.
Review the Complete List of Internship Opportunities
International Externship Program
Case Western Reserve University is one of the few law schools that allow students to obtain a full semester’s worth of credits for interning at an international organization, NGO or government agency on five continents, including several international criminal tribunals.
To date, 125 of our students have interned at these tribunals, and six of our students have obtained jobs in the Office of the Prosecutor, Defense and Chambers of the tribunals after graduation.
International Law Moot Court Teams
CWRU School of Law has long been known for the strength of its international law moot court teams.
Every year, CWRU participates in the world’s three premier international law moot court competitions: Jessup, International Criminal Court and Vis. CWRU is one of the few law schools to allow students to try out for these teams in the fall of their 1L year. Our three international law moot court teams are coached by Professors Michael Scharf, Katy Mercer, Eric Chaffee and Michael Benza and are assisted by alumni at local firms and courts.
Here are just some of the most recent awards earned by CWRU School of Law moot court teams:
- National Champion of the ICC Moot Court Competition (2026)
- Quarterfinalist of the International Rounds of the ICC Moot Court Competition in the Hague (2025)
- Finalist in the ICC National Rounds (2024, 2025, 2026)
- Vis International Arbitration Competition Honorable Mention Award (2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2025)
- Jessup West Regional Champion (2024)
- Winner of the Jessup Best Oralist in the World Award (2022, 2023)
- Winner of the Jessup Best Brief in the World Award (2011)
- Winner of the Jessup World Championship (2008)
Societies and Groups
The International Law Society sponsors international law career and internship panels, international potluck dinners, international movie and music nights and roundtables on breaking news topics.
The National Security and Law Society sponsors speakers, debates and activities that offer students the opportunity to explore in depth all areas of national and global security—from immigration regulations to the use of force against suspected terrorists.
The Canada-United States Law Institute Student Committee assists in all aspects of in the institute's programs, including meeting with distinguished speakers and practitioners; attending events in Ottawa, Washington, D.C., Vancouver, Toronto, and Chicago; organizing the annual Experts Meetings and the annual conference; and hosting workshops to develop research papers and scholarly articles on Canada-United States relations.
The Henry T. King Jr. Greater Cleveland International Lawyers Group has more than 100 active members and is one of the largest groups of U.S. lawyers engaged in international practice. Students are invited at no cost to attend monthly noontime presentations by leading lawyers in international and foreign legal practice at the renowned City Club of Cleveland. These gatherings offer students networking opportunities, show them the real world of international legal practice, and augment their scholarly pursuits with practical and contemporary information from a variety of global experts.