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TERMINOLOGY What is an “externship” and how does it differ from an “internship”? Externships and internships are both volunteer jobs. At NYLS, the term “externship” applies to a volunteer position which has been approved for academic credit; whereas, “internships” are volunteer positions for which the student is not getting academic credit. In other words, at NYLS the Externship is a course that is part of a student’s academic program and involves working in a court or in a law office and doing related assignments at the law school. What is the difference between the Externship and the Judicial Externship Programs? A Judicial Externship is a placement with a judge in one of the nearby courts, usually trial level; whereas, an Externship is a placement with a lawyer in a law firm, government agency, public interest organization or a corporation. GENERAL INFORMATION When are Externships available? Students may do an externship during any semester–Fall, Spring or Summer, but they must apply ahead of time, get approval, and be prepared to start work at the placement at the beginning of the semester and finish the requirements by one week after the last final in that same semester. How many credits are Externships? You may earn either 2 or 4 credits for an externship. See detailed course descriptions below. How many hours do I have to work to get externship credit? Students must work 168 hours to get externship credit. During the Fall and Spring Semesters this means that they must plan to work 12 hours per week. During the shorter Summer Session they should plan to work 24 hours per week. Where can I do an Externship for credit? Our student may earn credit for working as a volunteer with any of the judges in the local courts. Law office placements must be pre-approved and there are approved placements in a wide variety of fields and in all types of law offices. Students may propose placements for approval as long as they do so well in advance of the semester. See approval process below.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS What are the Externship course requirements? The Judicial Externship and the Externship have the same basic format, but each has slightly different course requirements. Students who do an Externship Placement or a Judicial Externship Placement must work 168 hours at their placements, keep timesheets detailing how they are spending their time at the placement and write journals reflecting on what they are learning. The remainder of the course requirements vary depending on whether the student is in the Judicial Externship or the Externship and on whether the student is taking one of the related 2-credit seminars along with their placement in the law office or the court. What are the specific requirements for the Judicial Externship? The Judicial Externship Program is designed as a 4-credit program. The 2-credit Judicial Externship Placement is designed to be accompanied by a 2-credit Judicial Externship Seminar. What is the Judicial Externship Seminar? The Judicial Externship Seminar is a 2-credit seminar that is designed to supplement and enhance the experience that judicial externs are having at the courthouse. It meets for an hour and 50 minutes once a week. The seminar curriculum includes issues that relate to our judicial system and the judge’s role in it such as: the cast of characters in the courthouse, decision-making, judicial selection and evaluation, judicial ethics, innovations in the courts, public perceptions of the judiciary, and the judge’s role in settlements and trials. Students in the seminar are graded on the basis of their class participation, their journals, and a class presentation. Do all Judicial Externs have to take the Judicial Externship Seminar? During the Summer Session the Judicial Externship Seminar is not offered and students may do the 2-credit Judicial Externship Placement without the seminar. During the Fall and Spring, if a student cannot participate in the Judicial Externship Seminar they may seek permission to do the 2-credit Placement without the Seminar. The Director of Externship Programs assigns students who do only the placement portion of the program to a faculty member who reviews their timesheets, reads their journals and meets with them individually three times during the semester to discuss their experiences. What are the requirements for Externships in a law office? The Professor teaching the Externship program assigns all of the students in a law office externship to work with a faculty member who has expertise in the field of the student’s placement. So students in a law office externship all have three one-on-one meetings with a faculty member during the semester to discuss their experiences. Of course, law office externs also work 168 hours at their placement, keep timesheets, and write journals reflecting on their experiences. These course requirements complete a 2-credit Externship Placement. In addition, in the Fall and Spring Semesters, students in the Externship may also register for a 2-credit Externship Seminar to accompany their 2-credit Externship Placement. What is the Externship Seminar? The Externship Seminar is a 2-credit seminar designed to complement the Externship Placement. It is limited to twenty students and we try to include students from a wide array of legal fields and from different types of offices. The seminar looks at law from wide variety of perspectives and addresses topics relevant to all lawyers. Among the topics students in the seminar explore are how the practice of law differs depending on whether your client is an individual or an entity; how economics affects the practice of law; different office organizations and how they affect a lawyer’s daily life; and how to effectively combine your personal and professional lives. How are externs graded? All NYLS Placements are graded Pass/Fail. Both the Externship Seminar and the Judicial Externship Seminar are letter graded. The seminar grades are based on class participation, journals, and a class presentation. APPLICATION PROCESS How do I apply for an Externship? There are separate application processes for the Externship Program and the Judicial Externship Program, but you will need an up-to-date resume and a good writing sample to apply to either program. Application Process for Externships: Students may apply for the Fall and Spring Externship Program by submitting an application, resume and writing sample on-line during Pre-registration in March of the year before they want to do the Externship. Students may apply for a Summer Externship by submitting an application, resume and writing sample to the Application Process for Judicial Externships: We collect resumes for the Judicial Externship Program several times a year. We hold Information Sessions about the Judicial Externship Program in September for Spring placements and in November and January for Summer and Fall placements. Applications for each semester with the timetable and deadlines are available at the Information Sessions and, after the sessions, through the
REGISTRATION PROCESS How do I register for an Externship or Judicial Externship? Externship Registration Students who are accepted into the Externship course during Pre- Registration in March may register when the annual registration opens. Students who submit Externship applications outside of the Pre -Registration period should contact Careen Campbell in the Judicial Externship Registration Students receive permission to register for the Judicial Externship program after they receive a placement with a Judge. GETTING A NEW PLACEMENT APPROVED What is the approval process for a law office placement? The Director of Externship Programs sends any prospective placements an information packet that describes the Externship Program and includes the application for new placements and an agreement for an attorney at the placement to sign with the law school. When the application is returned, the Director interviews the attorney who has signed the agreement. During the process the Director is available to answer any questions the lawyers at the placement may have. What is NYLS looking for in a law office placement? NYLS is looking for placements that will offer our students a meaningful learning experience. This means that we are looking for lawyers who are not just looking for an employee, but who want to teach a student. We want our students to learn as much as possible during their time at the placement so we hope to see them doing a variety of assignments and observing the attorneys in the office as much as possible. We also want our students to work with attorneys who will give them meaningful feedback on their work. In other words, we are looking for attorneys who are willing to mentor our students.
What if I find my own placement with a judge or in a law office? If you find your own placement with a judge or in a law office you will still need to apply for the program. Space is limited not just by the number of available placements, but also by the number of faculty members available to supervise externs so finding your own placement does not guarantee you a position in the program. In addition, law office placements must be approved before a student may receive academic credit. May I get credit for working in the same office twice? No. Just as NYLS does not give students credit for taking the same course twice, we do not allow students to get credit for the same externship more than once. What if I worked there before, but did not receive credit? Again, we are trying to maximize your learning experience, so, generally, we prefer to see you have a new experience rather than repeat the same experience, even if you did not get credit the first time. Under some limited circumstances we will allow a student to get externship credit for working in an office where they have worked before, but not received credit, but we must be convinced that there are significant new learning opportunities . |
