Tomas Castella

The Criminal Defense Clinic was the best learning experience I had during my time at UT Law. The amount of client and court contact far exceeded my expectations and gave me incredible practical opportunities such as guiding cases from complaint to final disposition, conducting several pretrial hearings as the lead attorney, drafting and filing substantive briefs and motions, and even cross-examining witnesses. From both a criminal law and litigation perspective, the practical experience will undoubtedly be an invaluable one as I start my career practicing law. The supervisors do an excellent job balancing providing enough support with giving you the opportunity to take ownership and the lead on your cases. However, the direct and immediate positive impact you can have on clients facing challenging situations was by far the most rewarding aspect of the clinic. The CDC taught me far more about what it meant to be a lawyer than any other law school class could.