In a polarizing time when there is less confidence in the courts to advance social and racial justice, clinical legal education is uniquely poised to prepare students to use a range of tools in the lawyer’s toolbox to advance justice. However, students must first be “oriented” to clinical pedagogy and to thinking beyond the limitations of the law. This requires introducing them to clinical practice, preparing them to engage in self-reflective lawyering, and encouraging them to use their imaginations (a muscle not frequently exercised in law school). Activist adrienne maree brown observes that “loss of imagination is one of the spoils of colonialism.” An intentionally-curated orientation can encourage law students to “re-orient” themselves to the potential of the law as a lever for justice and to begin their clinical work with enthusiasm and imagination. This session will focus on how clinical legal programs can design a powerful clinic-wide orientation, either in a single clinic or across a clinical program, that builds a framework for students to think about the role of lawyers and the law in upholding democracy and pursuing social justice. Clinic orientation can cultivate a sense of community and help students identify connections among the issues each clinic addresses, the approaches they take, and the systemic inequities that contribute to them. Incorporating perspectives of social workers, clients, organizers, and movement leaders can help students see themselves as part of a wider ecosystem of social change. Presenters will share how they have designed clinic orientations to equip students to embark on clinical practice with openness and imagination and lead a discussion with participants to address challenges and share strategies for effective orientation design.