LAW 3821 - Summer Externship
The Summer Externship Program will be offered for three (3) credits. This program is designed for students to obtain valuable professional experience during the summer, while at the same time retaining quality education in connection with the placements. Students will be able to gain legal experience by working (on an uncompensated basis) for government agencies, public interest organizations and not-for-profit institutions, under the supervision of an attorney. Common placements include positions with state and federal judges, state and federal government agencies, public interest and non-profit organizations. Under limited and special circumstances, and with the approval of the Law School, externships may be permitted with for-profit entities including law firms. Students will work in their placements for a minimum of 200 hours during Summer Session I. The 200 hour requirement for the entire Summer Session I is designed to give students greater flexibility with their work schedules during the summer. For example, a student may meet this requirement by working an average of 25 hours per week for 8 weeks or an average of 40 hours per week for 5 weeks. Students will be required to attend a three-hour orientation at the beginning of the summer session, which will focus on issues of professionalism, ethics, and how best to get the most out of the externship experience. Short reading and writing assignments on current legal issues will also be part of the students’ externship experiences.
During the course of the summer placement, students will be required to submit weekly journal entries to the faculty advisor, in which they discuss the work that they are doing, questions that arise, observations about the legal setting, and other similar issues. In addition, they will participate in a weekly online classroom experience administered by the faculty advisor. In connection with their work in the placement, students will be required to produce a minimum of 20 pages of writing based on legal research. At the conclusion of the externship, students will participate in a final exit meeting with the faculty advisor to review the students’ performance and ensure that all of the requirements of the program have been met. The course is graded on a pass/fail basis.
Credits: 3
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