Full-time Program Eligibility
· Fourth or fifth semesters of law school. Under limited circumstances, students may do full-time externships in their final semester.*
· GPA requirements- minimum 2.7 but see Academic Standard Rule VII.C for details. If you have any concerns about eligibility please consult Wendy Haro.
· Students agree not to work in any other legal capacity during the semester, even on evenings or weekends.
· Students must be enrolled in the law school the semester preceding the semester they wish to participate in the extern program.
· Joint degree students may enroll in the full-time extern program but the externship units may not not be counted toward the unit requirements of the J.D. degree. Please check with the Records Office regarding your particular status.
Program Requirements
· Timesheets: Students must complete and submit timesheets signed by their placement supervisor.
· Agency externs must participate in a 2 unit tutorial supervised by an assigned faculty member. The faculty supervisor will be responsible for the requirements of the tutorial.
· Judicial externs are required to attend a 2 unit seminar at the law school.
· Placement Evaluations: A mid-term evaluation shall be completed jointly by the student and the placement supervisor. A final evaluation shall be completed by the student about the placement experience. Students will not receive unit credit until the final evaluation is submitted.
Other Important Information
· Accepting Offers: All students must advise the Extern Office of acceptance of an offer. Once you accept the offer, you will not be able to withdraw except for compelling reasons. To obtain permission for withdrawal, you must petition in writing to the Externship Director, Susan Gillig, prior to commencement of the externship. Under no circumstances will you be allowed to withdraw an acceptance to do a different externship. Once you accept an offer, it is your responsibility to contact all other chambers and/or agencies to withdraw your application. This is required, even if there has been no response from the placement to your application.
· Dates: Externships generally begin on the first day of classes unless other dates have been established by the Externship Office. You MUST begin your externship on the date specified by the Law School unless your agency or judge requests alternate dates in writing well in advance. You must work a total of 15 full-time weeks.
· Hourly expectations for full-time externs: Externs must comply with normal working hours and conditions of the host agency. In those instances where the work requires more than the standard 40-hour work week, externs are expected to devote additional time to their work.
· Additional Course Work: Students may not take any other courses for law school credit at this or any other institution while on an extern program. With permission of the instructor and the Director of Externships, students may audit courses relevant to their externship.
*Students may PETITION to do a full-time externship during their final semester under special circumstances. Those special circumstances include severe personal hardship, compelling curricular reasons (such as the inability to take coursed required for the externship prior to the 5th semester), logistical difficulties (such as problems surrounding security clearances) and/or institutional interest in placing the student in the externship. Students must obtain permission to do an externship during their final semester PRIOR to applying to judges or agencies for that externship. Petitions will be considered by the Externship Director in consultation with the Chair of the Standards Committee and the Assistant Dean for Students. Please consult Wendy Haro for more information.