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. Examples of the Affiliation Agreement can be found at the bottom of this webpage. Please see the 'Affiliation Agreement' section of the Externship Manual for more information.