Health Law Skills Training

The Center for Health Law Studies is unsurpassed in its ability to offer students a wide array of opportunities to develop their health law skills beyond the basic health law curriculum. These opportunities include Health Law Symposia and Colloquia, where students are able to listen to, and participate in, presentations and discussions led by renowned professors and practitioners of Health Law. An opportunity to sharpen necessary research, writing and editing skills lies in staffing the Saint Louis University Journal of Health Law & Policy. In addition, each semester the Center for Health Law Studies offers courses and seminars that develop professional skills such as document drafting, negotiation, brief writing and oral advocacy. 

Students pursuing the Certificate in Health Law are required to complete a practicum in the area of health law.  This practice requirement is fulfilled when students successfully complete either in-house or externship clinic through the School of Law. 

The Civil Clinic is a live-client experiential program for 2-3 credits in which third-year students, supervised by practicing attorneys, practice in either an in-house clinical office or in extern positions in government and not-for-profit offices in the St. Louis community. Students undertake a wide variety of responsibilities including interviewing clients and witnesses, drafting pleadings, researching factual and legal issues arising out of cases, attending meetings, observing lawyers interact with other professionals in the health care arena, and appearing in court.

Within the in-house clinic, students have the opportunity to participate in consumer based advocacy in several practice areas including elder law and child advocacy. In addition, health law students often participate in appellate advocacy in the area of policy development, such as challenges to state policies affecting Medicaid and services to the mentally ill or developmentally delayed populations. The externship clinic allows students to work on site in organizations involved in the health care sector.  Recent placements include the general counsel's office for major health care systems, the Veteran's Administration, academic medical centers, the U.S. Attorney's Office (Fraud Unit) and the Attorney General's office.

The Center for Health Law Studies faculty includes Barbara Gilchrist, a clinical Professor of Law, who has significant experience in the practice of elder and disability law. Professor Gilchrist also has a Ph.D. in Health Services Research.