Externship: Legal Services

The Legal Services Externship has two components: 1) a weekly two-hour seminar; and 2) 12 hours per week of supervised fieldwork with a provider of legal services to people who are in poverty or people who are disadvantaged, a public interest legal organization, the legal department of a not-for-profit health care provider, or a government agency. Students spend a day and a half, or three half-days, per week "in the field," at the placement office or in court. Students in this program have interviewed clients, investigated factual claims, conducted administrative hearings and routine court appearances (answering calls and the like), drafted affidavits, and researched memoranda and briefs. Students also prepare seminar presentations and simulations, meet with the professor for individual tutorials, and maintain work logs and weekly journals. Fieldwork is supervised primarily by mentoring attorneys, with back-up from the professor. Seminar topics include legal skills, ethics, legal issues affecting people in poverty, legal issues relating to bias and discrimination, and "case rounds" for mutual consultation. Fieldwork may include library research and other tasks that can be performed outside the placement office. Summer only: The summer program is appropriate for students have a secured a non-paid legal position with a suitable organization. Students are required to work at their field placement 35 hours per week during the 8-week summer session. Some field placements may require students to work additional hours per week and/or for additional weeks during the summer. Permission of the professor is required. Administrative Law is recommended. Health Law in America is required for Health Law placements.