Externship Manual

The following are a summary of the ABA Requirements for law school Externship Programs:

Substantial Lawyering Experience and Designated Externship Site Supervisor. An Externship should provide a student substantial lawyering experience that is reasonably similar to the experience of a lawyer advising or representing a client or engaging in other lawyering tasks in a setting outside a law clinic under the supervision of a licensed attorney or an individual otherwise qualified to supervise. 

Affiliation Agreement. An Externship must also include an Affiliation Agreement between the Externship Program and the Externship Site that describes both: 

·      the substantial lawyering experience and opportunities for performance, feedback, and self-evaluation; and 

·      the respective roles of faculty and the Externship Site supervisor in supervising the student and in assuring the educational quality of the experience for the student, including a clearly articulated method of evaluating the student’s academic performance. 

Externship Site Supervisor Oversight. An Externship must include a method for selecting, training, evaluating and communicating with Externship Site supervisors, including regular contact between the faculty and Externship Site supervisors through in-person visits or other methods of communication that will assure the quality of the student educational experience. 

Student Evaluation. An Externship must include an evaluation of each student’s educational achievement by the Externship Program. 

Sufficient Control over Student Experience. An Externship must include sufficient control of the student experience to ensure that the requirements of the ABA Standards and Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law Schools are met.

To qualify for an Externship, JD students must satisfy the below minimum academic requirements:

• Must have completed at least 28 credit hours toward their J.D. at the College of Law – there are no exceptions to this policy. Twenty-eight credit hours are the number of credit hours a student completes in his or her first full-time year at DePaul; and
• Be in good academic standing

Intensive Externships are only available for students who are entering their final fall or spring semester of law school. Please see the 'Intensive Externships' section of this manual for further requirements and limitations. 

LLM students please see the 'LLM Students' section of this Manual.

The ABA requires law schools to execute an Affiliation Agreement between the law school’s Externship Program and the Externship Site that describes both: 

·      the substantial lawyering experience and opportunities for performance, feedback, and self-evaluation; and 

·      the respective roles of faculty and the Externship Site supervisor in supervising the student and in assuring the educational quality of the experience for the student, including a clearly articulated method of evaluating the student’s academic performance.

Each Externship Site must execute an Affiliation Agreement prior to the first day of law school classes for the student to remain enrolled in the Externship Program and to receive credit for the Externship. The Externship Site will be sent an Affiliation Agreement after the Externship Site is approved by the Externship Director.

Externship Sites that do not execute an Affiliation Agreement prior to the first day of classes will disqualify the student from receiving academic credit for the Externship for that semester. Thus, it is vitally important that the student coordinate with the Externship Site to ensure the Affiliation Agreement is executed promptly upon receipt.

Please review the Experiential Learning Calendar for applicable deadlines and application timelines. 

i)      To become an approved Externship Site, the potential Externship Site must first complete an Externship Site Application applying to be an Externship Site. The Externship Site Application is automatically routed to the Externship Director upon submission. The potential Externship Site must meet the minimum requirements for approval which are available in the 'Externship Site, Minimum Requirements' section of this Manual.

ii)     After the Externship Director receives the Externship Site Application, the Externship Director will contact the potential Externship Site for a follow-up conference call or in-person meeting to discuss the Externship Site Application and ask and answer any additional questions.

iii)   After the Externship Director completes the follow-up, the Externship Director will either approve or reject the application to be an Externship Site and will communicate this decision to the potential Externship Site.

iv)   If the potential Externship Site is approved, the Externship Program will send the now-approved Externship Site an Affiliation Agreement for execution.

v)     After the Externship Site has executed the Affiliation Agreement, the Externship Site will then be listed as an approved Externship Site for students. Accordingly, students who have been hired by the Externship Site and meet the Academic Minimum Requirements can apply to the Externship Program. For further information, please see the 'Academic Minimum Requirements' section of this Manual.

Private Practice, Government (including Administrative Law Judges), and Public Interest Externships

1.     Students must first apply to, and be hired by, an Externship Site.

2.     To find an Externship Posting, you can either (i) choose from the available Externship Position Listings, or (ii) find an Externship on your own.

i)      If your preferred site is not in the Externship Position Listings and you want to find an Externship on your own, you will need to notify your preferred site that they must apply, and be approved, to participate in the Externship Program before the Externship Program can approve your Externship application. Please see the 'Application Process, for Externship Sites' section of this Manual for more information about how a potential Externship site applies to and is approved to participate in the Externship Program, and please see the 'Externship Site, Minimum Requirements' section of this Manual for the minimum requirements for participation.

3.     Submit an Application to the Externship Program. After a student is hired by an Externship Site, the student then applies to the Externship Program for approval to join the Externship Program. Students must apply to the Externship Program by submitting the Student Externship Application. This application must be submitted in accordance with the timeline set forth in the Experiential Learning Calendar. Please note these are firm deadlines so please review them carefully.

4.     Externship Director Then Approves or Rejects Student Application. After a student applies to the Externship Program, the Externship Director will review the student’s application and determine (i) whether the student satisfies the Academic Minimum Requirements to join the Externship Program and, (ii) whether the student’s Externship Site is approved. Please see the 'Academic Minimum Requirements' section of this Manual. If the Externship Site is not listed on the Externship Position Listings page as an approved Externship Site, the Externship Director will review the Externship Site and approve, reject or further investigate the Externship Site.

5.     Externship Director Verifies Execution of Affiliation Agreement. After the student is approved to join the Externship Program and the Externship Site has been approved, the Externship Director will verify that the Externship Site has executed an Affiliation Agreement. Externship Sites that do not execute an Affiliation Agreement prior to the first day of classes for the academic semester will disqualify the student from receiving academic credit for the Externship for that semester. Thus, it is vitally important that the student coordinate with the Externship Site to ensure the Affiliation Agreement is executed promptly upon receipt. For more information on the Affiliation Agreement, see the 'Affiliation Agreements' section of this website.

6.     Externship Program Registers Approved Student in Externship Course and Externship Seminar. More information is available in the 'Registration Process for Students' section of this Manual and in the 'Externship Seminar' section of this Manual.

Federal Judicial through the United State Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit; and the United States District Court - Northern District of Illinois, located in Chicago

Overview:

·       Most federal judges prefer that law schools send all student applications for Federal Judicial Externships in a single bulk mailing from the law school.

·       Some federal judges also have stated preferences for the applications the judges will accept for consideration. The most common preferences include students' year in law school and class rank.

·       The College of Law Externship Program assists students in obtaining Federal Judicial Externships by distributing applications directly to the federal judges on behalf of our students.

·       To apply for a Federal Judicial Externship, qualified students will submit an application packet consisting of a cover letter, resume, unofficial transcript, writing sample and FERPA release form through our online Externship Postings (search for Federal Judiciary Externships).

o   The Externship Program will determine which of these applications to forward to judges based on which applications match the judges' stated preferences.

o   The Externship Program will send those applications that meet the judges' stated preferences to the federal judges' chambers either through email or US mail in accordance with the timeline set forth on the Application Calendar.

 Best Practices:

 ·       Students will be able to find links on our online Externship Postings for applications to:  a) specific, individual judges’ chambers, and b) a single application that is distributed to several judges’ chambers within the United States Court of Appeals and the United States District Court located in Chicago which is sometimes referred to as a “bulk application”.

o   The bulk application is the best way to get your application materials in front of as many federal judges as possible and is highly recommended for all students who are interested in obtaining a federal judiciary externship.

o   The bulk application will be identified on the online Externship Posting as “Federal Judiciary Externship”.

o   Applications to an individual judge’s chambers will specifically list the judge’s name.

·       Unless specifically stated otherwise in the job description, writing samples should be no longer than 10 pages. Most judges will not consider an application that contains a writing sample that exceeds this limit.

·       Most judges wish to receive applications for externship positions anywhere from 3-6 months in advance to the start of the semester.

o   To remain competitive with other law schools, the Externship Department must submit applications earlier rather than later.

o   The deadline for bulk applications as set forth on the Application Calendar is approximately 6 months before the start of the semester 

FAQs:  

1.     Which students are eligible to apply for a Federal Judiciary Externship?

a.     Students must have completed 29 credit hours towards their JD program at the start of their judiciary externship.  

 2.     How will I know that Federal Judiciary Applications are open?

a.     This will be advertised on the College of Law Student Affairs D2L page. Students are also encouraged to check the online Externships Postings and the Application Calendar periodically for updates.

3.     What is the best salutation to use in my cover letter for the bulk application?

a.     It is recommended to use “Your Honor” or “Dear Judge” as your salutation.

 4.     How will I know if a judge plans to interview me for an externship position?

a.     You will be contacted directly from a representative of the judge’s chambers should they wish to move forward with an interview. The Externship Department does not take part in the selection process beyond the initial distribution of applications.

 5.     Who can I contact to confirm that my application has been received and submitted to the judges’ chambers?

a.     You may email the Experiential Learning Coordinator, Cassidy Evans, at c.evans@depaul.edu for confirmation.

 6.     Who can I contact with other questions regarding the Externship Program or the Federal Judiciary Application Process?

a.     You may email the Experiential Learning Coordinator, Cassidy Evans, at c.evans@depaul.edu; or the Externship Program Director, Steven Wiser, at swiser@depaul.edu

State Judicial through the Circuit Court of Cook County

What is a judicial externship?
Judicial externs are law school students who work in chambers for a judge in exchange for school credit, a stipend from an outside agency or to gain experience working in the court system. Externs perform such tasks as file evaluation, legal research or preparation of memoranda. Externs may work along with staff attorneys or directly and solely with a judge.

The Office of the Chief Judge offers law students an off-campus externship as an academic opportunity to experience the day-to-day operations of the state court system.

What time commitments are required?
Time commitments are determined by the supervising judge or legal staff and can range from 2-5 days a week. In the Summer Program, there is a 6-week minimum and up to a 12-week maximum commitment.

What are the eligibility requirements?
Students who have completed the first year of law school in day or evening studies and are in good academic standing may apply for a judicial externship.

What is the application process?

·       Submit required documents by the posted deadlines.

·       Receive an electronic acknowledgment of received documents.

·       Submitted documents are reviewed.

·       Interviews are conducted, either by telephone or in person.

·       Persons offered a position are required to submit to prescreening tests which include a background check and a drug test. These can only be scheduled by the Circuit Court of Cook County.

When are the application deadlines?
Fall Semester: July 1
Spring Semester: November 1
Summer Semester: March 1

Can I apply for a judicial externship independently of the law school?
Students may apply for judicial externships either through their law school’s externship program or independently of their law school.

Further details regarding applying for an externship in the Circuit Court of Cook County including a list of required documents and a point of contact can be found here: https://www.cookcountycourt.org/about/internship-and-externship-opportunities 

Position Listings for available Externship positions are here. These listings include positions from Approved Externship Sites and positions from Not-Yet-Approved Externship Sites.

Approved Externship Sites are those sites that have already been reviewed and approved by the Externship Program and will be designated as such on the Position Listings webpage. Not-Yet-Approved Externship Sites are sites that have not yet been approved by the Externship Program. We list the Not-Yet-Approved sites for your convenience to expand opportunities for our students.

Occasionally, students seek out, or are offered, a position with a firm, an organization or judge that has not yet been approved to participate in the Externship Program. If a student wants to create their own Externship with an Externship Site that is not currently an Approved Externship Site, the student must:

·   Ask the Externship Site to submit the Externship Site Application.

·   After the Externship Site Application has been completed, the Externship Director will contact the proposed Externship Site for a review before approving the Externship Site for hosting an Extern.

Minimum Work Hours. Externs are required to complete the following minimum number of hours over the course of the fourteen (14) week academic semester to earn the following number of credit hours:

Standard Externship

Intensive Externship 3Ls Only

Externship Seminar Credit Hours. For the Externship Seminar, Externs will earn one (1) additional pass/fail credit hour. For example, if a student enrolls in a three (3) credit Externship, the student will earn a total of four (4) credits: three (3) credits for the Externship field work plus one (1) credit for the Externship Seminar.

Full-Time Status Note. If a full-time student is registered for less than twelve (12) credits or a part-time student is registered for less than nine (9) credits, the student should consider registering for an extra class initially to ensure that he or she receives all of his or her financial aid at the first distribution. (Note that class credit requirements are different for a student’s last semester in law school.). Please review your specific circumstances with the law school’s Academic Advisor. 

Retroactive Credit for Previous Work. Students are not permitted to retroactively receive Externship credit for work completed in a prior semester or prior to the beginning of a semester.

This is an overview of the process for a student to participate in the Externship Program (Standard Externships only):

1.      Find an Externship.

i)   Students must first apply to, and be hired by, an Externship Site.

ii)   To find an Externship Posting, you can either (i) choose from the available Externship Position Listings, or (ii) find an Externship on your own.

- If your preferred site is not in the Externship Position Listings and you want to find an Externship on your own, you must notify your preferred site that they must apply, and be approved, to participate in the Externship Program before the Externship Program can register you for your Externship. Please see the 'Application Process, for Externship Sites' section of this Manual. For more information about how a site applies to and is approved to participate in the Externship Program, please see the 'Externship Site, Minimum Requirements' section of the Manual.

2.      Submit an Application to the Externship Program.

i)   After a student is hired by an Externship Site, the student then applies to the Externship Program for approval to join the Externship Program. Students must apply to the Externship Program by submitting the Student Externship Application. This application must be submitted in accordance with the timeline set forth in the Experiential Learning Calendar. Please note these are firm deadlines so please review them carefully.

3.      Externship Director Then Approves or Rejects Students Application.

i)   After a student applies to the Externship Program, the Externship Director will review the student’s application and determine (i) whether the student satisfies the Academic Minimum Requirements to join the Externship Program, and (ii) whether the student’s Externship Site is approved. To determine whether you qualify to join the Externship Program, please review the 'Academic Minimum Requirements' section of this Manual. If the Externship Site is not listed on the Externship Position Listings as an approved Externship Site, the Externship Director will review the Externship Site and approve, reject or further investigate the Externship Site.

4.      Externship Director Verifies Execution of Affiliation Agreement.

i)   After the student is approved to join the Externship Program and the Externship Site has been approved, the Externship Director will verify that the Externship Site has executed an Affiliation Agreement. Externship Sites that do not execute an Affiliation Agreement prior to the first day of classes for the academic semester will disqualify the student from receiving academic credit for the Externship for that semester. Thus, it is vitally important that the student coordinate with the Externship Site to ensure the Affiliation Agreement is executed promptly upon receipt. For more information please see the 'Affiliation Agreement, section of this Manual.

5.      Externship Program Registers Approved Student in Externship Course and Seminar.

i)   After (i) the student is approved to join the Externship Program and (ii) the student’s Externship Site is approved, the Externship Program will enroll the student in the Externship course as well as enroll the student in the applicable Externship Seminar. Please note that students cannot register themselves for an Externship. Instead, the Externship Program will register students for the Externship Program’s fieldwork component and related Externship Seminar. Externship registration does not occur during the law school registration period but later in the semester. The Externship Program will send you an email when you are being registered. If you do not have sufficient space in your schedule, you will be asked to rearrange your schedule to make room for the requisite credits needed for your Externship.

6. Students Arranges Start and End Date with Externship Site.

i)   To begin the Externship, the student: 

- should arrange a start date and end date with the Externship Site supervisor that corresponds with the academic calendar. For Fall and Spring Externships, the first day of work should be no later than the first week of classes and the last day of work should be no later than the last week of classes. For Summer Externships, please see the 'Summer Externships' section in this Manual.

- must attend the Externship Seminar. For more information please review the 'Externship Seminar' section of this Manual.

7.      Student Submits Daily Logs and Progress Reports During Externship.

i)   During the semester, the student, now an Extern, must complete and submit the Daily Logs and the Progress Reports in the timeframe required. For more information about these submissions, please see the 'Progress Reports and Daily Logs' section of this Manual and the links to reports and logs to be completed can be found here.

8.      Student Receives Pass/Fail Grade at End of Semester.

i)   By the end of the semester, the student must have satisfied all the requirements of the Externship to receive a passing grade for the Externship and the Externship Seminar. For more information about the requirements for successful completion, please see the 'Grading and Evaluation' section of this Manual.

To participate in the Externship Program, students will be enrolled in the fieldwork component of the Externship Program and co-registered for an Externship Seminar. There are four Externship Seminars based on practice area. The Externship Seminars are (i) Judicial; (ii) Private Practice; (iii) Government (excluding public defenders, but including prosecutors’ offices); and (iv) Public Interest (including public defenders).

In the Externship Seminar, Externs will have an opportunity to link their Externship field work to topics in the law through case rounds, facilitated discussion and directed reading. Students will also explore legal ethics, professionalism and continue to learn about the practice of law. The Externship Seminars are taught by practitioners experienced in the practice area of the Externship Seminar.

The Externship Seminar is a mandatory co-requisite of the Externship field work component. There are no exceptions. Students must take the Externship Seminar during the semester of the Externship, including if a student completes multiple Externships at the same Externship Site in successive semesters. If the Externship Seminar conflicts with another class, the student must choose between participating in the Externship Program and the conflicting class.

Students do not self-select their Externship Seminar. Instead, the Externship Program will assign students to the applicable Externship Seminar based on the substantive work of the Externship. The Externship Seminar course meeting times are set forth in the law school course schedule.

Per the Illinois rules on student practice, students cannot use a 711 license at for-profit Externship Sites. This prohibition means that students are not permitted to use their 711 license at private firms or corporations. Please see the DePaul Student Affairs page for more information. Note that the Illinois Supreme Court approved an exception to the student practice rules for recent graduates for the pandemic.

All of the Illinois Supreme Court Rules are available here.

Rule 711, as of June 2021, states:

Rule 711. Representation by Supervised Law Students or Graduates

(a) Eligibility. A student in a law school approved by the American Bar Association may be certified by the dean of the school to be eligible to perform the services described in paragraph (c) of this rule, if the student satisfies the following requirements:

(1) The student must have received credit for work representing at least one-half of the total hourly credits required for graduation from the law school.

(2) The student must be in good academic standing and be eligible under the school’s criteria to undertake the activities authorized herein.

A graduate of a law school approved by the American Bar Association who (i) has not yet had an opportunity to take the examinations provided for in Rule 704, (ii) has taken the examinations provided for in Rule 704 but not yet received notification of the results of either examination, or (iii) has taken and passed both examinations provided for in Rule 704 but has not yet been sworn as a member of the Illinois bar may, if the dean of that law school has no objection, be authorized by the Administrative Director of the Illinois Courts to perform the services described in paragraph (c) of this rule.

For purposes of this rule, a law school graduate is defined as any individual not yet licensed to practice law in any jurisdiction.

(b) Agencies Through Which Services Must Be Performed. The services authorized by this rule may only be carried on in the course of the student’s or graduate’s work with one or more of the following organizations or programs:

(1) a legal aid bureau, legal assistance program, organization, or clinic chartered by the State of Illinois or approved by a law school approved by the American Bar Association;

(2) the office of the public defender; or

(3) a law office of the State or any of its subdivisions.

(c) Services Permitted. Under the supervision of a member of the bar of this State, and with the written consent of the person on whose behalf the law student or graduate is acting, an eligible law student or graduate may render the following services:

(1) Counsel and advise clients, negotiate in the settlement of claims, represent clients in mediation and other nonlitigation matters, and engage in the preparation and drafting of legal instruments.

(2) Appear in the trial courts, courts of review and administrative tribunals of this State, including court-annexed arbitration and mediation, subject to the following qualifications:

(i) Written consent to representation of the person on whose behalf the law student or graduate is acting shall be filed in the case and brought to the attention of the judge or presiding officer.

(ii) Appearances, pleadings, motions, and other documents to be filed with the court may be prepared by the student or graduate and may be signed by him/her with the accompanying designation “Law Student” or “Law Graduate” but must also be signed by the supervising member of the bar.

(iii) In criminal cases, in which the penalty may be imprisonment, in proceedings challenging sentences of imprisonment, and in civil or criminal contempt proceedings, the student or graduate may participate in pretrial, trial, and posttrial proceedings as an assistant of the supervising member of the bar, who shall be present and responsible for the conduct of the proceedings.

(iv) In all other civil and criminal cases in the trial courts or administrative tribunals, the student or graduate may conduct all pretrial, trial, and posttrial proceedings, and the supervising member of the bar need not be present.

(v) In matters before courts of review, the law student or graduate may prepare briefs, excerpts from the record, and other documents filed in courts of review of the State, which may set forth the name of the student or graduate with the accompanying designation “Law Student” or “Law Graduate” but must be filed in the name of the supervising member of the bar. Upon motion by the supervising member of the bar, the law student or law graduate may request authorization to argue the matter before the court of review. If the law student or law graduate is permitted to argue, the supervising member of the bar must be present and responsible for the conduct of the hearing.

d) Compensation. A student or graduate rendering services authorized by this rule shall not request or accept any compensation from the person for whom the student or graduate renders the services, but may receive compensation from an agency described in paragraph (b).

(e) Law Student Certification and Authorization.

(1) Upon request of a student or the appropriate organization, the dean of the law school in which the student is in attendance may, if the dean finds that the student meets the requirements stated in paragraph (a) of this rule, file with the Administrative Director a certificate so stating. Upon the filing of the certificate and until it is withdrawn or terminated the student is eligible to render the services described in paragraph (c) of this rule. The Administrative Director shall authorize, upon review and approval of the completed application of an eligible student as defined in paragraph (a) and the certification as described in paragraph (e), the issuance of the temporary license. No services that are permitted under paragraph (c) shall be performed prior to the issuance of a temporary license.

(2) Unless otherwise provided by the Administrative Director for good cause shown, or unless sooner withdrawn or terminated, the certificate shall remain in effect until the expiration of 24 months after it is filed, or until the announcement of the results of the first bar examination following the student’s graduation, whichever is earlier. The certificate of a student who passes that examination shall continue in effect until the student is admitted to the bar.

(3) The certificate may be withdrawn by the dean at any time, without prior notice, hearing, or showing of cause, by the mailing of a notice to that effect to the Administrative Director and copies of the notice to the student and to the agencies to which the student had been assigned.

(4) The certificate may be terminated by this court at any time without prior notice, hearing, or showing of cause. Notice of the termination may be filed with the Administrative Director, who shall notify the student and the agencies to which the student had been assigned.

(f) Application by Law Graduate. A law school graduate who wishes to be authorized to perform services described in paragraph (c) of this rule shall apply directly to the Administrative Director, with a copy to the dean of the law school from which he/she graduated.

Amended effective May 27, 1969; amended July 1, 1985, effective August 1, 1985; amended July 3, 1986, effective August 1, 1986; amended June 19, 1989, effective August 1, 1989; amended June 12, 1992, effective July 1, 1992; amended October 10, 2001, effective immediately; amended December 5, 2003, effective immediately; amended February 10, 2006, effective immediately; amended June 18, 2013, eff. July 1, 2013; amended June 8, 2016, eff. immediately; amended June 22, 2017, eff. July 1, 2017.

Committee Comments (June 18, 2013)

This rule was amended effective July 1, 2013, to clarify that students and law graduates may perform nonlitigation legal services under this rule. Nothing in this rule should be construed to require law students or law graduates to be certified under this rule for work, including but not limited to transactional, pretrial, and policy work, that properly may be performed by a law student or other nonlawyer under Rule 5.3 of the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct.

Committee Comments (July 1, 1985)

This rule was amended, effective August 1, 1985, to allow the Administrative Director of the Illinois Courts to allow certain graduates of approved law schools to perform services under this rule pending their first opportunity to sit for the bar examination and to allow the Administrative Director, upon good cause shown, to extend the termination date of a certificate beyond the period prescribed by the rule. “Good cause shown” would ordinarily be limited to evidence that the licensee was unable to sit for the first bar examination offered following his graduation because of illness, a death in his family, military obligation, etc.

Students may receive compensation and course credit for an Externship. Except as stated in this section, Externship Sites cannot bill client(s) for the Extern’s work on client matters or for its time spent supervising the student. However, if an Externship Site is compensating the Extern in accordance with all applicable wage and hour rules, the Extern may work on client matters and the Externship Site may bill its client(s) for such work as deemed appropriate by the Externship Site.

1)      Prior Approval. Each Externship Site must be approved by the Externship Director prior to the student beginning work and prior to the student being registered for the Externship. The link to the Externship Site Application is below.

2)      Minimum Number of Attorneys. Each Externship Site must have at least three (3) full-time, licensed attorneys in good standing unless the Externship site is a healthcare compliance department at a hospital, healthcare compliance department at a healthcare organization, or if the Externship site is the Patent Office at the United States Patent & Trademark Office. Healthcare compliance departments at hospitals or healthcare organizations must have at least one (1) full-time licensed attorney in good standing. The Patent Office must have at least three (3) full-time Supervisor Patent Examiners. There are no other exceptions. 

3)      Externship Site Application. Each Externship Site must complete an Externship Site Application to obtain approval to be an Externship Site.

4)      Malpractice Insurance. Each Externship Site must have current malpractice insurance.

a.      Note that government entities and judicial chambers will have this provision waived.

5)      Commercial General Liability Insurance. Each Externship Site must have a minimum general liability insurance. 

a. Note that government entities and judicial chambers will have this provision waived.

6)      Designated Externship Site Supervisor.

a.       Each Externship Site must have a designated Externship Site Supervisor for each Extern. A single Supervisor can supervise more than one Extern, but each Extern must be assigned to a designated Supervisor. 

b.      Externship Site Supervisor Qualifications 

i.        The Externship Site supervisor must be an experienced attorney that is employed on an in-house, full-time basis at the Externship Site. 

ii.      The Externship Site supervisor must have practiced for at least five (5) years, and must be currently licensed and in good standing in IL or the jurisdiction where the Externship Site is located.

1.      Note that federal placements and those practicing federal law may be able to satisfy this requirement with being currently licensed and in good standing in another state.

c.       Externship Supervisor Supervision Requirements 

i.        Monitor the Extern’s responsibilities on a regular basis.

ii.      Involve the Extern in meaningful legal work. Externships are primarily academic in nature and thus the Externship should involve quality legal work, supervision of the student's work, and meaningful supervision and feedback for the student.

iii.    Complete and submit within the required time frame, the two (2) evaluations of the Extern. Externship Sites that fail to comply with this requirement may be prohibited from continued participation in the Externship Program.  

iv.    Immediately notify the Externship Director if the Supervisor will no longer supervise an Extern.

7)      Affiliation Agreement

a.       Each Externship Site must execute an Affiliation Agreement prior to the first day of class. If the Affiliation Agreement has not been executed prior to the first day of classes, the student will not be permitted to remain enrolled or earn credit in the Externship Program. Please see the 'Affiliation Agreement' section of this Manual for more information.

Students are permitted to enroll in an Externship and a law school clinic during the same semester.

If students have a job or volunteer position in addition to their Externship in the same semester, the student must inform the Externship Site and the Externship Program prior to commencement of the Externship so that the Externship Site and the Externship Program can be aware of any potential ethical conflicts.  If there are potential conflicts, the student, the Externship Director and the Externship Site may be able to help address the conflict, but students should be aware that the student may not be permitted to do both.

Students are not permitted to work, volunteer and/or intern for a prosecutor’s office and the public defender during the same semester to avoid ethical conflicts of interest.

Existing Approved Externships. Many Externship position postings are available on the Externship Position Listings.

Creating a New Externship. See the 'Creating Your Own Externship' section of this Manual for more information.

The Externship course and the Externship Seminar are Pass/Fail courses. The grade is determined by:

·         Satisfactory completion of the minimum work hours required by the Externship credit hours within the 14-week academic semester.

·         Satisfactory Attendance and class preparation for the Externship Seminar;

·         Completion and timely submission of the Progress Reports and Daily Logs (please see the 'Progress Reports and Daily Logs' section of this Manual); and

·         The written and oral reports of the Externship Site supervisor.

o   The Externship Site supervisor will be asked at the middle of the semester and at the end of the semester to evaluate the Extern’s performance. These evaluations are made available to the Externs for review when they are posted to D2L.

Intensive Externships are only available for students who are entering their final fall or spring semester of law school.

• Must have completed their first and second year of law school and be in the last or second to the last semester of law school.
• Must enroll in the fall or spring semester; no student may enroll in an intensive externship over the summer.
• Must be in good academic standing.
• Externships field work is considered non-classroom credits, but the seminar is not. A JD student may earn a maximum of 12 credit hours for out-of-class (non-classroom) courses. Thus, applicants will have to use available credit; they will not be given a waiver. For example, if you have already used 5 out-of-class credits, you may earn up to 7 credit hours for the externship (5 + 7 =12) and you will earn one academic credit for the seminar.
• The externship site must meet the site requirements and the affiliation agreement must be executed by the date set forth in the Externship Calendar.
• May only have completed two or fewer externships.
• No exceptions to any of these requirements will be granted.

There are restrictions on the use of LexisNexis and Westlaw student accounts for research at for-profit Externships. Please review the LexisNexis and Westlaw rules to determine whether student accounts can be used during your Externship.

LL.M. students at DePaul can participate in the Externship Program after the completion of their first semester of enrollment. LL.M. students should verify with their program director that the Externship counts toward their program requirements and the maximum number of out-of-classroom credits permitted.

The law school caps the credit hours a JD student can earn for non-classroom courses. Externships are considered non-classroom credits. For information on the policy governing maximum non-classroom credit hours, please see the Student Handbook. Students are encouraged to meet with the law school Academic Advisor to review the student’s current and anticipated accumulation of non-classroom hours. 

Students may not complete more than three (3) Externships for credit, with a maximum of two (2) during the fall and spring semesters. If a student elects to complete three (3) Externships, one of those Externships must take place during the summer. For example, an eligible student may enroll in the Externship Program during fall and spring semester of their 2L year but may not take an Externship during the fall or spring semester of their 3L year. In this example, the only additional Externship can occur during the summer term.

Students are permitted to work at the same Externship Site during subsequent semesters. However, students are restricted to a maximum number of Externships and the semesters during which those Externships can be performed. Please review the 'Maximum Number of Externships' section of this Manual for more information.

Paid Externships are permitted and, thus students may receive compensation and course credit for an Externship.

Please see the “Externship Site, Billing Student Time” section of this Manual for more information on an Externship Site’s ability to bill for student time.

Progress Reports (First, Second and Final Progress Reports)

·         At the beginning, midway and at the end of the semester, each Extern must complete and submit reports of the Extern’s educational progress in the Externship. The link for these reports can be found here.  Once the Extern completes the report, the Externship Program will upload the report to D2L for archiving and for review by the Externship Seminar Professor. 

Daily Logs

·         It is the Extern’s responsibility to complete on a continual basis the time “log” of his or her day-to-day Externship experiences and responsibilities. These logs must be submitted every week on Mondays. The link for these reports can be found here.

·         The final log must reflect the total minimum required hours of work required by the approved Externship credit hours.

Documentation Submission

·         All required documentation for the Externship Seminar, unless otherwise indicated, should be submitted via D2L.

After (i) the student is approved to join the Externship Program and (ii) the student’s Externship Site is approved, the Externship Program will enroll the student in the Externship course as well as enroll the student in the applicable Externship Seminar.

Please note that students cannot register themselves for an Externship. Instead, the Externship Program will register students for the Externship Program’s fieldwork component and related Seminar. Externship registration does not occur during the law school registration period but later in the semester.

The Externship Program will send you an email when you are being registered. The student must have room in the student’s schedule to accommodate the credits for the Externship fieldwork component and Externship Seminar. If you do not have sufficient space in your schedule, you will be asked to rearrange your schedule to make room for the requisite credits needed for your Externship.

If you do not have sufficient space in your schedule at the time the Externship Program begins its registration, you will be asked to rearrange your schedule to make room for the requisite credits needed for your Externship.

Applying for Externships is akin to applying for a job, so it is recommended that if any uncertainty exists about securing the position or the Externship Site being approved, a student should consider registering for another class on the off chance that the Externship position is not obtained or the Externship is not approved. If the position is obtained, this class can be dropped, and the student can then be registered for the Externship fieldwork component and the Externship Seminar.

Add/Drop Restrictions. Please note that once the last day to add a class for the law school registration period has closed, students cannot switch between the different credit hour Externship options. To switch before the Add/Drop deadline, the student must email the Externship Program (lawexternships@depaul.edu) to request the adjustment sufficiently in advance of the Add/Drop deadline.

Summer Tuition. Students must pay tuition for a summer Externship.  

Summer Work Hours. The official summer semester runs from early June to late July. Externs can either work longer hours per week during the official semester, or can work shorter hours during a more flexible schedule from any time in mid-May to the end of the first week of August.

Stanfard Externships are available for the following credit hours: 2, 3, and 4.

Intensive Externships are available for the following credit hours: 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.                                                                                                           

A student may only participate in an Intensive Externship if they are entering their final fall or spring semester of law school.

Please note these credit hours do not include the one (1) credit hour earned for the requisite Externship Seminar. For more information, please see the ‘Externship Seminar’ section of this Manual.

Once a student commits to extern with an Externship Site, the student must abide by that commitment and cannot later drop the Externship. An Externship may only be dropped with the express written permission of the Externship Director.

Work Schedule

·         Externs should begin work no later than the first week of classes and should complete work no later than the last week of classes. Please see special notes in the 'Summer Externships' section of this Manual.

·         Externs should report to work as agreed and assigned unless the Extern has previously notified the Externship Site Supervisor of an absence. In the event of an emergency preventing the Extern from reporting to work as agreed, the Extern must notify the Externship Site Supervisor as soon as possible.

·         Failure to complete the minimum number of work hours required to earn the credit hours before the end of the last week of classes can result in a failing grade for the Externship.

Externship Conduct

·         All DePaul academic and conduct policies remain in place during the Externship Program, including on-site at the Externship. Students are expected to comply with all of the policies set forth by the Externship Site as well as the Student Handbook.  Failure to comply with university or law school policies or the policies of the Externship Site may result in a failing grade or sanctions, including removal from the Externship and/or the Externship Seminar.

·         Externs must conduct themselves in a professional manner as Externships are work environments and should be treated as such.

Extern Resources

·         If the Extern experiences unresolvable issues with the Externship, the Extern should notify the Externship Seminar professor, the Externship Director, the Associate Dean for Experiential Learning, and/or the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, as appropriate. 

·         We rely on the Extern to immediately notify the appropriate law school or University personnel in the event that the Extern encounters problems with the Externship Site supervisor or at the Externship so that we can provide the necessary support and resources.