Externship Program Information for Employers

Externship sites must be approved by the externship director before a student begins work and before the student is registered for the externship. Proposed externship sites must complete an Externship Site Application and meet the program’s minimum requirements for approval. 

Each externship site must provide a substantial lawyering experience reasonably similar to the experience of a lawyer advising or representing a client or engaging in other lawyering tasks outside a law clinic. Each site also must have a designated externship site supervisor for each extern. A single supervisor may supervise more than one extern, but each extern must be assigned to a designated supervisor. 

After receiving the application, the externship director will contact the potential site for a follow-up conference call or in-person meeting, then approve or reject the application. 

Approved externship sites must execute an Affiliation Agreement before the first day of class. If the Affiliation Agreement is not executed by that deadline, the student will not be permitted to remain enrolled or earn credit in the Externship Program. 

The Affiliation Agreement describes the student’s substantial lawyering experience, opportunities for performance, feedback and self-evaluation and the respective roles of faculty and the site supervisor in supervising the student, evaluating the experience and ensuring the educational quality of the experience. 

Approved externship sites may be posted for students after the Affiliation Agreement is executed. To post a new externship position, the site should email the Externship Department.

Externship sites must receive prior approval from the externship director, complete the Externship Site Application and execute an Affiliation Agreement before the first day of classes. Each site must provide:

• A designated externship site supervisor for each extern
• Meaningful legal work, supervision and feedback
• Regular monitoring of the extern’s responsibilities
• Two required evaluations submitted within the required time frame
• Current malpractice insurance and minimum general liability insurance, except that government entities and judicial chambers are exempt from these requirements

Each externship site generally must have at least three full-time, licensed attorneys in good standing. Health care compliance departments at hospitals or health care organizations must have at least one full-time licensed attorney in good standing. The Patent Office at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office must have at least three full-time supervisory patent examiners. There are no other exceptions.

Externship site supervisors must be experienced attorneys employed on an in-house, full-time basis at the externship site. Supervisors must have practiced for at least five years and must be currently licensed and in good standing in Illinois or in the jurisdiction where the externship site is located. Federal placements and those practicing federal law may be able to satisfy this requirement by being currently licensed and in good standing in another state. 

Site supervisors must monitor the extern’s responsibilities on a regular basis, involve the extern in meaningful legal work, provide supervision and feedback and submit the required evaluations. Site supervisors also must immediately notify the externship director if they will no longer supervise an extern.

The following versions of the Affiliation Agreement are provided for informational purposes only. Questions regarding the content may be directed to lawexternships@depaul.edu. 

Proposed externship sites must submit a site application and be approved by the Externship Director prior to receiving an Affiliation Agreement. Students should not complete any fields of the Affiliation Agreement.

• Affiliation Agreement for Private Firms and Businesses Externships and for Public Interest and Not-for-Profit Externships
• Affiliation Agreement for Government Service Externships and for Judiciary Externships 

Externship Supervisor Forms and Information

• Externship Supervisor Training Video
• Fair Labor Standards Act Guidance (Employee vs. Intern)
• Externship Supervisor MCLE Information
• Mid-Semester Evaluation
• Final Evaluation
• Due Dates for Evaluations (click link and scroll down to Externships Program table)

General Externship Program Information

• Externship Manual
• Experiential Learning Application Calendar