Careers

Transformative Thinkers

Globally Engaged

enn Carey Law is at the forefront of global legal education. Whether you’re interested in corporate law or human rights, intellectual property or arbitration, Penn Carey Law offers critical opportunities to study, work, and research around the world. Here on campus, we regularly host discussions and institutes on cutting-edge legal issues with distinguished foreign scholars, policymakers, and influential figures from global multilaterals. Through our study abroad partnerships with institutions like the London School of Economics, Sciences Po, Hong Kong University, and Hebrew University of Jerusalem, students engage transnationally in foreign, comparative, and international law and learn from different legal systems. The Law School also offers new and innovative research trips and seminars each year covering a broad range of topics and geographies — from legal challenges for robotics and AI in Japan, to international humanitarian law in Colombia. Wherever you choose to launch your career, a Penn Carey Law education will prepare you for leadership in the law and in the world.

xperiential education lets students learn through the practical application of law. Through a diverse array of offerings ranging from direct representation clinics to field placements and simulated lawyering skills courses, Penn Carey Law students learn what lawyers do, how they do it, and ultimately what it means to be a lawyer. These natural complements to the doctrinal curriculum root students in thinking like a lawyer, and real-life settings allow students to put those analytical and reasoning skills into action. In our ten in-house clinics, students are the “lead attorneys” representing clients under the close supervision of full-time faculty who are seasoned attorneys. In addition, through over a dozen field placements, students work as externs at various governmental agencies or nonprofit organizations, observing and performing a variety of legal functions outside the Law School. In simulation courses, students learn fundamental lawyering skills through case studies, hypothetical exercises, and real-world lawyering assignments. Students begin taking advantage of these experiential opportunities in their second year, and often take multiple courses that expose them to different practice areas and skill sets before graduation.

Collegiality

iversity, equity, and inclusion are core to our educational mission at Penn Carey Law. Students, faculty, and staff bring a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to the Law School. We learn from one another not only in classrooms, but also when we collaborate in student groups, journals, programs, and pro bono projects. Penn Carey Law provides a world-class legal education that values engagement across difference as integral to preparing graduates for legal practice in a diverse and complex world. E&I supports initiatives that foster access and equity for historically underrepresented groups; education and training for all members of our community to strengthen their understanding of and ability to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion; and engagement across the Law School on matters of equity and justice. We work with all members of our community to foster a sense of belonging.

Discover Philadelphia

hiladelphia is the birthplace of the United States and a lively city full of arts, culture, and history — the perfect place for you to spend your law school years. Whether your interests are sports, the arts, or dining out, everything you need is just a short walk or subway ride away. Within the city, there are also a multitude of places to relax in the outdoors, immerse yourself in nature, and enjoy green spaces, from Penn’s Morris Arboretum, located in Philadelphia’s Chestnut Hill neighborhood, to Fairmount Park (a short walk from the Law School). Coming to Penn Carey Law puts you in the midst of a multitude of vibrant communities and all the city has to offer. Philadelphia is a place you can make your own.

Financing Your Education

ith over 100 named scholarships and more than 100 percent growth in financial aid over the past decade, Penn Carey Law is fully invested in your future. We are committed to guiding our applicants through the financial aid process and to helping our students develop a sound financial plan for their legal education. We provide generous financial assistance to qualified students through a variety of grants, scholarships, and loans. Importantly, admission decisions at Penn Carey Law are made without regard to an applicant’s financial need. Therefore, financial aid applications are reviewed only after a student has been admitted.

Penn Carey Law awards merit scholarships to a select number of students using a holistic approach that includes, but not limited to, academic achievement, leadership, service, and professional and life experience.

In addition to the aforementioned grants and scholarships, there are a variety of federal and private loans for which students may be eligible.

As part of our dedication to promoting the pursuit of public interest careers, Penn Carey Law also offers several sources of funding for students who have demonstrated a commitment to public service and a generous loan repayment assistance program after graduation. Visit our website for detailed information regarding financial aid, as well as instructions for applying: https://www.law.upenn.edu/admissions/financing.

Learning Outcomes

Demonstrate a core knowledge and understanding of substantive and procedural law in a number of different subject areas;

Engage in legal analysis and reasoning, conduct efficient and effective legal research, apply problem-solving skills, and present findings, analyses, and recommendations efficiently and effectively in both written and oral communication;

Work collaboratively;

Demonstrate an understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of law and the contributions and benefits to legal analysis and problem-solving that other disciplines can make;

Exercise proper professional judgment and fulfill ethical responsibilities to clients, the profession, and society in general; and

Utilize a range of professional skills that facilitate active, competent, and ethical participation in the legal profession.

Penn Carey Profile

The University of Pennsylvania values diversity and seeks talented students, faculty, and staff from diverse backgrounds. The University of Pennsylvania does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected class status in the administration of its admissions, financial aid, educational or athletic programs, or other University-administered programs or in its employment practices. Questions or complaints regarding this policy should be directed to the Executive Director of the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Programs, Sansom Place East, 3600 Chestnut Street, Suite 228, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6106; or 215.898.6993 (Voice) or 215.898.7803 (TDD). The University’s annual security and fire safety report is available at http://www.publicsafety.upenn.edu/. The University of Pennsylvania must reserve the right to make changes affecting policies, fees, curricula, or any other matters announced in this publication or on its website.