CUNY Law has consistently been rated in the top 10 nationally for clinical training, most recently rising to fourth place (U.S. News and World Report). The School's Clinics, for third-year students, offer in-house, hands-on client representation and focus areas of legal practice of particular importance in New York City: Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Battered Women's Rights, Criminal Defense, Mediation. The Law Office Clinic specializes in elder and disability cases. Students often move into local practice in these fields after graduation. The School's third-year Concentrations Program moves students into the professional mainstream through closely supervised externships. Students electing the Equality Concentration, for example, are placed in civil rights organizations. Students in the Health Law Concentration work in various City agencies and with malpractice law firms; they often move into local practice for the Department of Health and the Health and Hospitals Corporation. The Law School has historically been dedicated to serving the immigrant community. Its Education and Consultation programs focus on issues and changes in immigration law. Students, alumni, and faculty are trained to interpret detailed aspects of current immigration law and then move into the community to educate and consult with clients. CUNY Law has worked closely with the CUNY Citizenship Project and also collaborates with the Asian American Legal Defense Fund at the Asian Community Center in Flushing. The School's service to the community has been recognized by many local philanthropies, including the Diamond Foundation, Diamond Fund, and the Ford, Revson, and Cummings Foundations. Most recently, the Emma Lazarus Fund of the Open Society Institute awarded a $500,000 two-year grant - the School's largest to date.

At CUNY School of Law the Immigrants' Rights Clinic provides free legal services to the community.