About

Housed at Boston University School of Law, Dome is a valuable resource for news, analysis, and opinion on legislation and public policy. Dome is staffed by students of BU Law’s various legislation clinics. Dome features work contributed by staff members, scholars, practitioners, and law students interested in legislation and public policy.

The American Legislative Practice Clinic is designed to give students the opportunity to develop and apply a variety of legal skills to the legislative process. Weekly classes cover the theoretical and practical aspects of law making bodies: how statutory law is created; Constitutional limits to law-making; the ethical responsibilities for those involved in the process; and how lawmakers anticipate and shape the way the public and courts will interpret their work product. Students apply what they have learned in class by working with clients in the Massachusetts Legislature, gaining practical experience with:

Researching public policy and related legal issues
Drafting and revising legislation to address legal and policy issues
Negotiation and consensus building
Formulating a strategy to guide bills through the legislative process
Effective oral and written advocacy for a bill or issue
Testifying at committee hearings
Compiling and archiving legislative histories

The Africa i-Parliaments Clinic seeks to assist African Parliaments to draft effective legislation. In 2008, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN/DESA), initiated a new program called the African Parliamentary Knowledge Network (APKN) to build the capacity of African parliaments to draft and enact more effective legislation. This clinic supports the APKN initiative by working with clients such as members of African Parliaments, government agencies, and regional government organizations.

An in-house clinic, students take advantage of the materials held in the BU Library’s various Africa collections, the internet, and communications technology to consult with clients and gather information on various substantive projects. Students work closely with student editors and the professors to produce high quality research reports and draft bill language.

The Semester-in-Practice Washington DC Program is our full-time, full-semester externship program. The program is open to 3Ls (fall and spring semesters) and 2Ls (spring semester only). Students in this program may spend a semester working at an executive or legislative office in Washington. Past students have worked for:

US Senate Judiciary Committee
US Senate Permanent Subcommittee for Investigations
United States Trade Representative
Department of Education
Department of Justice, Office of Civil Rights
Department of Justice, Office of Immigration Litigation
Drug Enforcement Agency
Federal Communications Commission
Executive Office of the President, Domestic Policy Council

The opinions expressed on Dome are the sole responsibility of the contributor and do not necessarily represent those of Dome, Boston University School of Law, or Boston University.