SPI founded the Catholic Law Separation of Powers Clinic in June 2024, to provide practical instruction to students studying separation of powers issues within the federal government as well as structural constitutional principles that apply to the division of authority between the federal and state governments. Students working with the clinic also have the opportunity to participate closely in practical projects related to the study of constitutional questions that form the backbone of SPI’s mission to foster significant legal scholarship examining the role of the division of power within the three branches of the federal government for the preservation of individual and community liberty. Students participating in the clinic course will gain practical legal experience by identifying cases of interest, researching legal issues, and helping to prepare drafts of appellate briefs.

Trent McCotter serves as Director of Clinical and Academic Programs at SPI as well as Director of the clinic, which operates under the supervision of Professor Mascott who teaches substantive courses in constitutional law, separation of powers, federal courts, and administrative law. Mr. McCotter is a partner at Boyden Gray PLLC and formerly served as a Deputy Associate Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia. Harry Graver is Deputy Director of the clinic as well as an adjunct professor at the law school. Mr. Graver is an associate at Jones Day and a former clerk to Justice Brett Kavanaugh; he received the Fay Diploma awarded by Harvard Law School to the student with the highest cumulative combined grade point average over three years of law school.