Civil and Criminal Law Externships

The Civil and Criminal Externship Law Program gives upper-division students the opportunity to put their education in practice by working at law firms, legal departments, and public interest and government agencies for academic credit.

The policies and requirements of the program are intended to ensure a high-quality experience for students working under the supervision of experienced practitioners. During the fall/spring semesters, externships for credit must be in the San Francisco Bay Area, which includes the counties of San Francisco, Marin, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, and Santa Clara. During the summer session only, students may apply for credit for externships outside of the Bay Area.

Each program has a faculty-taught course component in which the student concurrently enrolls with the externship units. Through these classes, students examine legal and professional issues that arise in their fieldwork, and receive an introduction to litigation preparation in anticipation of their postgraduate position. Participants are required to attend all corresponding classes, submit evaluations and weekly timesheets, and complete other assignments.

Half-Time Externships

Half-time (6 units) externships are permitted for work performed at a public interest or legal services offices, or the legal department of government agencies or offices, including the offices of administrative law judges. Half-time externships are not permitted in law firms or corporate legal departments. The 6-unit option is unavailable during summer sessions.

Part-Time Externships

Part-time (3 or 4 units) externships are permitted for work performed at a law firm, legal corporate department, public interest or legal services offices, or the legal department of government agencies or offices, including the offices of administrative law judges.

Students

Minimum GPA and other academic policy requirements apply in order for your externship to be approved for academic credit. Please review the FAQ for Students and Student Application Packet located under Resources to determine your eligibility to participate. A list of pre-approved employers is included in the Packet. If your desired employer is not on the list, please forward the employer the Information for New Employers Packet. As part of your Externship Application, the employer must complete the Request for Approval of New Agency form, which is included in the Student Application Packet.

• Civil and Criminal Law Externship Application Packet

Before completing these forms, please make sure that you have reviewed all of the policies, requirements, and procedures in the packet referenced above. You may also review the FAQs under "Resources".

Supervisors and Employers

The externship must offer students substantial professional experience in a variety of tasks similar to those that a practicing attorney would perform with the agency or office. Participating in an externship should give students a broad perspective of the legal system and law practice. In addition, because students pay tuition for each unit of the externship, law schools and the American Bar Association expect higher standards of teaching and oversight from an externship supervisor than from the supervisor in a volunteer internship or a paid position.

Getting Started: Please review the Information for New Employers packet, which outlines the requirements of an externship and the supervisor's obligations. The packet includes a letter to new employers, the Extern Supervisor and Extern Agreement, and the Request for Approval of a New Agency form.

Please keep in mind the following:

• The office or agency must assign a supervising attorney to oversee the student's fieldwork and provide the law school with evaluation reports
• All supervising attorneys must have been admitted to a state Bar for at least two (2) years and be in good standing with the Bar
• During the fall and spring semesters, the office or agency must be located in the San Francisco Bay Area, which includes the counties of San Francisco, Marin, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, and Santa Clara. During the summer session only, students may apply for credit for externships outside the Bay Area

After reviewing the informational packet, a supervising attorney interested in participating in the program may start the process by completing a Request for Approval of New Agency form (included in the packet). Please note that because students select the employers they would like to send applications to, our office is unable to ensure student interest in your office in any given semester.

Site Visits: Throughout the year, faculty will conduct periodic site-visits in compliance with American Bar Association standards and communicate with supervisors to ensure that the student is acquiring an appropriate amount and quality of skills in a professional working environment. Depending on these visits and communications, the USF School of Law has full discretion to disapprove or inactivate a supervisor or employer from the programs for any period of time.