The experiences available to Dickinson students interested in the law are extensive and often unique.
Dickinson offers a number of law-related classes, such as Criminal Procedure, Negotiation & Advocacy, Problem-Solving Courts, Constitutional Law, Crime & Punishment, Philosophy of Law, Gender & Justice, and National Security Law.
Beyond the campus setting, whether studying abroad or engaging with an internship in a courthouse or law office, students find that their out-of-classroom experiences are robust and add exponentially to their foundational law & policy education.
Internships
Law & policy students have impressive law-related internship opportunities in Carlisle (the seat of Cumberland County) and the Pennsylvania state capital of Harrisburg, 17 miles away (see the main law & policy page for a recent list).
County Judges Ed Guido and Al Masland—both graduates of Dickinson College and Dickinson School of Law—have taken on numerous interns over the years at the county courthouse, where they both preside (located just two blocks from campus). Students work on legal research guided by the judges’ clerks, sit in on court proceedings, and meet with the judges in chambers afterward to discuss what they witnessed taking place in the courtroom.
Various other law alumni in the area have been continually willing to take on students as interns, while several students get law-related internships in D.C. when participating in the Washington Center program.
Mock Trial & Moot Court
Dickinson hosts an incredibly successful Mock Trial program. Coached by two alumni, Judge Masland and Ella Goldman, our students regularly travel to compete against teams from some of the best schools in the country. In 2019, Dickinson students launched a Moot Court Team, which recently took part in its first national competition.
Penn State Dickinson Law & 3-3 Program
Penn State Dickinson Law is next to the Dickinson College campus. Although Dickinson College and Dickinson Law are separate institutions, the two schools share some faculty and interact regularly. Another benefit of our proximity is that Dickinson students are welcome to sit in on law classes any time they like, which leads to interpersonal relationships with current law school students and networking opportunities.
We also have a 3-3 arrangement with Dickinson Law, whereby students who qualify can complete their senior year of Dickinson at the law school so that it only takes six years to complete the undergraduate and law degree programs (instead of the normal seven years).