International Sustainable Development Projects Clinic

Through this first-of-its-kind clinic, law students will collaborate in interdisciplinary teams brought together by Penn State’s Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship program, (HESE) to develop, design, and implement humanitarian projects in the developing world. The International Sustainable Development Projects (ISDP) Law Clinic provides students with the opportunity to build the legal skills necessary to bring sustainable new ventures to market in an International environment. Under the direction of Professor Jeff Erickson, students will learn how to work effectively in a multi-disciplinary setting and with in-country legal advisors.

The ISDP Clinic supports the goals of the HESE Program which are to develop technology-based solutions to compelling problems facing developing countries and transform these solutions into sustainable and scalable ventures that enable positive social change. Projects have taken HESE teams to countries including Kenya, Tanzania, India, Nicaragua, and El Salvador.

Clinic students will work in teams with students from the Penn State College of Engineering, Smeal College of Business, and other Penn State programs and will be responsible for identifying and evaluating potential legal obstacles to implementation of innovations, advising stakeholders, and facilitating solutions.

Participation in the clinic is a one-year commitment, beginning with the spring semester project development phase, followed by a summer semester which includes work on the ground in the host nation. In the fall semester, students build upon their field work, and strive to bring the project to fruition and to market.