Externship Program

Externships offer students the opportunity to gain insight into the legal system by seeing law in action, and to gain a deeper understanding of an area of the law by integrating classroom work with real world experience. Externships also allow students to explore their professional objectives, to understand better an area of practice, and to enhance opportunities for public/community service.

Students will receive two credits that will be graded on a pass/fail basis. Students may participate in only one externship during law school and the externship credits are counted toward the six credit limit on pass/fail courses.

Externships are permitted in government, judicial, public interest and non-profit entities with supervision by an attorney. Students may not receive payment from the externship.

The externship program approved by the faculty is limited to 60 participants each semester. A student must submit a notification of placement form and a signed supervision agreement form to the Office of the Registrar in order to enroll.

Eligibility

To be eligible to participate in the externship program, the student must:

Have completed 29 credits of law school
Have completed or be currently enrolled in an elective or upper-class course that directly relates to the area of law of the externship
Not be participating in a clinic concurrently with the externship
For a list of 2008-2009 Experiential Learning Courses and rules that apply to those courses CLICK HERE

Requirements

Work at your placement at least 10 hours a week for 11 weeks
Complete weekly time sheets and submit to Professor Frisch
Attend the orientation class on Saturday, January 24, 2009 (Spring) at 11:30 a.m. and meet with the program coordinator midway through the semester
Submit a 5 to 10 page memo reflecting upon your externship experience (see description below)

Memorandum

At the end of the semester, you must submit a 5 to 10 page memo. The memo should be submitted to the Registrar's Office no later than May 12, 2009 (Spring). The memo should:

Summarize your overall experience and briefly describe the type of work you did and the skills you developed.
Describe whether and how the externship met the education goals you set for yourself.
Discuss the extent and quality of the supervision you received and any recommendations concerning continuation or modification of the externship program.
Comment on an issue of your choosing which arises from your externship experience. Some examples include: ethical dilemmas you experienced and how they were addressed and resolved; a discussion of how seeing the "law in action" altered or deepened your understanding of the substantive law or your understanding of fairness and justice. Obviously you must be mindful in your memo (as you should be in all contexts) about preserving client confidentiality.

Application Process

Eligible students will be enrolled on a first-come, first-served basis (60 students) when a Notification of Placement and signed Supervision Agreement form is submitted to the Office of the Registrar and approved by the program coordinator. Notification of Placement Forms and Supervision Agreement forms will not be accepted after 6pm on the dates indicated below.

Securing Your Placement

Students are responsible for finding their own placements. The OPICS office and the Program Coordinator have many resources and can be very helpful in identifying potential opportunities. Placements are limited to government, judicial, public interest and non-profit entities. For information on suggested externship opportunities, please click here.

Deadlines for Spring 2009 Externship:

January 22, 2009: Last day that Notification of Placement forms and Supervision Agreement forms will be accepted. Please note: Enrollment is limited to 60 students and is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Externship Program Coordinator:

Michael Frisch
Room 415, McDonough
ph: (202) 662-9926
fax: (202) 662-9412
frischm@law.georgetown.edu

Revised March 2, 2009 (AG)