The Law Office Externship Placement is a course taken in conjunction with the Law Office Externship Seminar. In the Placement, student externs work under the supervision of a mentor attorney at a law office. Students earn two credits (pass/fail) for working a minimum of 140 hours (10–12 hours per week during the fall and spring semesters and 20 hours per week during the shorter summer session) and completing related assignments at the School. Certain placements may have prerequisites or co-requisites, as specified by the Director of Externship Programs. Students must obtain prior permission from the Director to register for this course, and all placements must be approved in advance of the semester by the Director. Student externs also take part in an accompanying one-credit, pass/fail seminar that addresses general issues such as ethics in externships and how to make the most of learning from placements. In smaller groups, students discuss specific issues encountered by other students in similar placements (i.e. law firms, corporations, or government agencies), related subject-matter areas (i.e. intellectual property, real estate, or personal injury) or require similar types of legal work (i.e. litigation, policy work, or transactional work).

Seminar topics vary depending on the mix of placements each semester. Students are placed in a seminar during the first week of the semester. Student externs individually arrange placement hours with their mentor attorneys. The seminar meets once every other week for 1 hour and 40 minutes. Students are assigned the exact time slot when the small seminar groups are assigned; for purposes of class planning and registration, students should reserve both time slots listed for the course until they are assigned a small group.

The Law Office Externship Seminar may not be offered during the summer session. If the Law Office Seminar is not offered, students will take the Law Office Externship Seminar and meet individually with faculty supervisors. During the fall and spring terms only, students who have previously completed the Law Office Externship Seminar may take the Law Office Externship Placement without the accompanying seminar.

This externship experience is comprised of an externship placement with a mentor attorney at a law office and a co-requisite seminar.

Approved for the Experiential Learning Requirement.

Recommended for the following Professional Pathways: Corporate Transactions and Governance; Financial Services and Compliance; Health Care Management and Compliance; International Business; Labor and Employment (Corporate Perspective); Real Estate and Land Use; Tax; Trusts and Estates; Civil Rights/Civil Liberties; Family Law; Government/Public Sector; Immigration; International Law/Human Rights; Labor and Employment; IP/Copyright and Trademark; Media, Entertainment, Sports, Fashion; Tech/Privacy; General Practice – Litigation/Dispute Resolution; General Practice -Transactional

3 Credits: 2 credits for the placement; 1 credit for the seminar