Clinics and Centers
Enrich Your Experience and Your Community
At Drake Law, you don’t just learn the law—you practice it. Through our Legal Clinic and Centers of Excellence, you’ll work on real cases, shape policy, and serve communities in Des Moines and beyond. From drafting legislation to representing refugees or exploring the legal side of food production, you’ll gain hands-on experience that builds your skills, your résumé, and your confidence to make a difference—both in your career and in the world.
Legal Clinic
Drake Law School’s clinical programs allow students to apply classroom knowledge to real-world situations. Working with clients who might not otherwise have access to legal assistance, students analyze complex information, build communication skills, develop advocacy strategies, negotiate and mediate, and more.
Centers of Excellence
Pursue your professional interests while also serving the community. Lobby legislators at the Capitol or research new and emerging issues in constitutional law. Drake's Centers of Excellence offer a wide range of opportunities for practical experience.
Agricultural Law Center
Founded in 1983, the Drake Agricultural Law Center is internationally recognized for its leadership in agricultural and food law, addressing critical issues including sustainability, food safety, conservation, biotechnology, and agricultural finance.
Constitutional Law Center
Congress created the Drake Constitutional Law Center to commemorate the bicentennial of the Constitution in 1987. Drake Law School is one of only four law schools designated by statute to receive a permanent endowment “to encourage graduate study of the American Constitution, its roots, its formation, its principles, and its development.”
Legislative Practice Center
Taking advantage of our proximity to the Iowa State Capitol, this Center combines coursework with internships to immerse students in everyday legislative work and prepare them for careers in law, policy, government, and public service.
Middleton Center for Children's Rights
Work to advance children's rights and improve the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. The Center takes a multidimensional approach by representing children in court, training professionals who work with minors, gathering and publishing data, and working on policy reforms.
Institute for Justice Reform and Innovation
The Institute for Justice Reform and Innovation (IJRI) promotes justice in courts and the legal profession through scholarship and action connecting law to the humanities and social sciences. By adopting the norm of justice, not the rule of law alone, the IJRI seeks increased legitimacy of the judicial system and the profession, so that they may warrant public trust.
Where You’ll Build Professional Experience
Build the skills and confidence to advocate effectively—in the courtroom, boardroom, or wherever your career takes you.
Work With Real Clients
You’ll apply what you learn as you work with real clients through Drake’s Legal Clinic. From analyzing complex information to practicing advocacy and mediation strategies to appearing as counsel before state and federal courts, our students graduate with more experience than some first- and second-year attorneys.
Practice Legal Skills
Whether you’re conducting research, interviewing clients, or drafting documents, you'll build your practical skills and gain a deeper understanding of the impact of law on individuals and communities.
Develop a Practice Specialty
Turn your hands-on experience into a credential that sets you apart. Our certificate programs allow you to focus on a specific area of law and demonstrate your emphasis and commitment to potential employers. Participation in clinics or internships offered through our centers may satisfy the requirements for one or more of our certificate programs.
Access Internships
The Law School offers more than 30 for-credit internships in a diverse range of areas, many of which are aligned with our Centers of Excellence.
Advance Justice Through Research
Collaborate with faculty on research that shapes the future of law—examining how it’s applied, challenging assumptions, and advancing meaningful reform.
Engage with Leading Voices in Law
Drake's Centers host top scholars, judges, and practitioners for lectures and symposia that examine the critical issues influencing law and society today.
Faculty Scholarship
Drake Law faculty contribute original scholarship that advances the legal field and deepens classroom learning. Their work—published in top journals and cited by courts—keeps Drake at the forefront of legal education and reform.
Take the Next Step
Discover a law school where learning goes beyond the classroom—into courtrooms, clinics, and communities—preparing you to thrive from day one.
