The NALP Foundation and two NALP Sections — the Lawyer Professional Development Section and the Law Student Professional Development Section — collaborated on two surveys exploring the value of such law school experiential learning opportunities as clinics, externships/field placements, skills courses, and pro bono work.

The 2011 Survey of Law School Experiential Learning Opportunities and Benefits: Responses from Government and Nonprofit Lawyers (NALP and the NALP Foundation, 2012) examined the extent to which government and nonprofit lawyers reported having engaged in law school experiential learning opportunities and asked these lawyers to assess the "usefulness" of these opportunities. Read or download the full report (PDF).

The 2010 Survey of Law School Experiential Learning (NALP and the NALP Foundation, 2011) examined the extent to which law firm associates had engaged in law school experiential learning opportunities and asked the associates to assess the usefulness of these opportunities. Read or download the report (PDF).

A Comparison of Responses from Law Firm Associates and Public Service Lawyers (NALP and the NALP Foundation, 2012) was also prepared to compare the responses of public service lawyers in the 2011 study with the earlier responses of law firm associates. Read or download the comparison (PDF).

Additional commentary on these studies:

Read the May 2011 NALP Bulletin article (on the 2010 study)

Read the May 2012 NALP Bulletin article (on the 2011 study)