Government Lawyering Clinic

The Government Lawyering Clinic provides the opportunity for students to work with attorneys in the Criminal or Civil Division of the United States Attorney’s Office.

Students work in the Eastern District of Missouri office in St. Louis or the Southern District of Illinois office in East St. Louis.   Clinic students in the Criminal Division participate in all facets of criminal investigation and prosecution, including fact investigation, drafting charges, discovery, motion practice, trial preparation, and appellate work.  Working on behalf of the federal government on civil litigation matters, students in the Civil Division draft pleadings and discovery requests, review and organize documents, and draft legal and factual memoranda; in some cases, they interview witnesses, take depositions, and argue motions in court. Enrollment is limited to 8 students per semester.

Professor Katherine Goldwasser, a former assistant United States attorney in Chicago and an expert on evidence, trial practice, and criminal procedure; and Professor Sam Buell, a former federal prosecutor New York, Boston, Washington and Houston and expert on corporate regulations, teach this clinical course.

Hon. Audrey Fleissig,  JD ’80(right) U.S. Magistrate Judge, Eastern District of Missouri, with Hon. Ray Gruender, JD '87, (left).  Both are former U.S. Attorneys for the Eastern District of Missouri, and both now supervise students in the Judicial Clerkship Clinic.

“Based on my experience as a judge, as a lawyer in both public and private practice, and as a former clinical student myself, I know firsthand that clinics offer incredibly valuable learning experiences. Having the opportunity as a student to apply what I learned in the classroom to real-life situations made me well prepared to handle the rigors of practicing law after graduation."

For more information about the Government Lawyering Clinic, please contact Professor Goldwasser at goldwask@wulaw.wustl.edu.