LEGAL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. Can I receive academic credit and receive monetary compensation from the field supervisor at the same time?
A. No. The American Bar Association prohibits the award of academic credit for hours worked for pay. While some legal educators around the country have challenged this restriction, it remains in effect and we enforce it.
Q. How many internship credits can I earn while I am in law school?
A. You may earn up to 12 credits in internship and clinical programs.
Q. How does an internship differ from a clinical program?
A. The world of legal education is changing so these definitions are in flux. However, originally, clinics were law offices where law school faculty members directly supervised legal work done by law students for live clients. In contrast, internships were situations in which non-faculty lawyers supervised law students in settings outside of the law school, and the work was overseen by faculty members who gave additional guidance and encouraged ethical, professional, and other reflections upon the experience.
In reality now, some of our legal internships are in private practice with lawyers who are also adjunct professors at the law school in substantive areas. And, in some of our clinics, supervision is done by lawyers who work outside of the law school context and our inside faculty oversee the field supervisors and give additional guidance and encourage reflection
In general, clinics at our law school involve supervision of indigents in pro bono litigation. In our internship program, many of the same opportunities are available for a single semester (prosecutors, defenders, legal services, children's defense), so if you get closed out of a clinic or want to do one for a single semester, you may want to consider an internship option.
Q. Will the internship lead to a full-time job upon graduation?
A. Internships often lead to many things but students should focus on the present and on getting the most out of their field placement experience.
Some field supervisors do not hire students upon graduation from law school but require lawyers with experience (e.g. U.S. Attorney's Office). Some field supervisors hire students for paid part-time jobs after they become acquainted with the student and his or her work (this is quite common). Others have hired students for full-time associate jobs upon graduation, but we have never kept tallies.
Students usually receive: great experience; new knowledge and skills; a mentor in the field supervisor; opportunities to meet other lawyers in the same field; and great source of future information concerning professional opportunities.
Q. How do I decide how many credits to earn for my placement?
A. The student and Director make this decision together. Many factors influence this decision: 1) student's academic load; 2) student's extracurricular and other activities; 3) whether the field supervisor has been previously affiliated with the Internship Program and 4) field supervisor needs. Many students' schedules (especially night students) do not permit them to take more than 2-3 credits of internship. However, most students enjoy their placements more if they have more time in the placement. We aspire for the student to be immersed in the legal environment and immersion requires time! Some placements have minimum hours requirements.
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