Academic Programs
Externships
General Information
The Levin College of Law’s Externship Program offers a “real world” experience not found in the classroom and exposes students to a variety of opportunities in the legal profession, while they earn academic credit. Placements are available at government agencies; in judges’ chambers; and with nonprofit legal institutions.
Externships help students develop the practical skills, poise and confidence necessary to be effective practitioners in the courtroom and the law office, and expose them to particular areas of interest. Externships also provide insight into professional responsibility and the operation of the legal system. Additionally, the externship experience enhances the legal resume, and provides important networking opportunities
General Requirements for Externships
Among other matters, the faculty of the College of Law has established the following requirements for all externships:
- Students must have completed their first year of law school and must be in good academic standing in the semester preceding their participation in the program.
- The College of Law Curriculum Committee must approve externships.
- A faculty member must propose new externships.
- The faculty supervisor for an externship must be a full or part-time member of the College of Law faculty, but may not be an adjunct, non-faculty administrator, or non-faculty researcher. In addition, the faculty supervisor must have an academic/curricular relationship to the externship.
- The field supervisor must be an attorney licensed to practice law.
- The externship position must be unpaid.
- A student may not participate in an externship and a clinic in the same semester.
- Externships are graded Pass/Fail.
New Externship Guidelines
Externship placements that are not advertised through the College of Law may be approved, but only under stringent guidelines. A non-advertised field placement must be proposed to the Curriculum Committee by a faculty member, who will also supervise the placement.
All new field placements must be approved by the Curriculum Committee prior to the deadline set for each semester. Approval is not guaranteed. If these procedures are not completed BEFORE the deadline date, the proposed externship will not be eligible for placement.
The deadline for approval by the Curriculum Committee for non-advertised externship placements for the Summer & Fall 2008 semesters is March 21, 2008.
Credits
During Fall and Spring semesters students may earn a maximum of 5 credits.
During Summer semester students may earn a maximum of 6 credits.
Credits/Hours Worked Per Week
Summer (8 weeks)
2 credits = 13 hours/week = 104 total hours
3 credits = 20 hours/week = 160 total hours
4 credits = 27 hours/week = 216 total hours
5 credits = 33 hours/week = 264 total hours
6 credits = 40 hours/week = 320 total hours
Fall/Spring (14 weeks)
2 credits = 10 hours/week = 140 total hours
3 credits = 12 hours/week = 168 total hours
4 credits = 15 hours/week = 210 total hours
5 credits = 20 hours/week = 280 total hours
Students may earn a maximum of 6 externship credits during their law school career.