I’m excited to visit the Dean’s Corner this edition and share that Belmont Law recently expanded its Experiential Learning Program. Joining our team, faculty member Prof. Patrick Riley (c' 18) is serving as the new Director of Field Placements, and I have transitioned into the new role of Assistant Dean for Experiential Learning.
With this expansion of faculty, Belmont Law has been able to deepen its experiential curriculum, and students will now have the opportunity to take a one-hour seminar course alongside each experiential learning placement. Prof. Riley will be offering a Basic Field Placement/Externship course, as well as an Advanced Field Placement/Externship course. Students will also have the opportunity to take “themed” seminars such as Practical Issues in Criminal Law or Practical Issues in Poverty Law when working in certain types of placements. Finally, the expanded program structure now also includes community clinics, such as the Healthcare Justice Clinic launched in partnership with the Tennessee Justice Center and funded by a grant from the Speer Foundation.
These programmatic changes will help prepare students for the NextGen Bar Exam, strengthen Belmont Law’s “practice-ready” curriculum, and further support the vision of the Experiential Learning Program, which is “to graduate law students with the experience and judgment necessary to be effective, ethical, and fulfilled legal practitioners.”
Students still have the opportunity to complete three different experiential placements for credit during their tenure at Belmont Law. And, students who successfully complete all three will earn an honor cord to wear at hooding, signifying their distinction in experiential learning. You can stay involved in experiential learning even as an alumnus. Contact me if you are interested in giving back in some way.
Warmly,
Kristi W. Arth
Assistant Dean for Experiential Learning & Associate Professor of Law
