An externship will help you learn from experience and begin the passage from student to professional. It offers the opportunity to compare the operation of the law and fulfillment of justice as learned in the classroom against the often-pressured reality of law practice.

You may enroll for 1 or 2 credit(s) of an independent externship, when you are enrolled in an upper-level related substantive course.

Independent Externship Requirements

• The field work must be undertaken during the same semester as you are enrolled in the substantive course.
• The work undertaken in the externship must be connected to the substantive content of the course.
• The externship must be supervised by a full-time member of the faculty teaching the allied substantial course.
• The work must be unpaid and legal in nature, performed under the supervision of an attorney.

Credits, Scheduling, and Grading

• Credits: You may enroll for one or two credits. For each credit you must work 70 hours during the semester. Certain structured summer programs may be approved for three credits.
• You must complete an Independent Externship Supervisor Agreement with the placement supervisor, a Student-Faculty Independent Externship Agreement with your professor, and an Independent Externship Approval Form
• Scheduling: You can arrange a weekly schedule with your attorney supervisor.
• Grading: You can take an externship for a grade or on a pass/no credit basis, at the option of the professor. You must arrange individualized tutorial requirements with your professor. You must keep a journal and meet with your professor on a regular schedule. Additional requirements may include a class presentation, submission of samples of the work you have done in the placement, or other activities.
• Evaluation: Your placement supervisor will submit oral and written evaluations of your performance in the externship to your professor.

This is just a summary. A complete explanation of the Independent Externship (Students) is available as a PDF.