Externships

Information for Students

Learn how to gain law-related work experiences outside the law school

• What is an externship?

  Legal externships specifically refer to monitored legal and law-related work experiences in which the placement is outside of the law school (versus working in an in-house clinic or as part of a lab with a faculty member). In externships, students get real-world working experience while establishing intentional learning goals and reflecting actively on what is learned throughout their experience under the guidance of both a faculty advisor and supervisor in the field. Students earn credit for their fieldwork.

• Externship Database

  The Legal Externship Program maintains a large, password protected, database for Denver Law students only that includes Supervisors that have already been approved by our program.

  The database is searchable by:

  1. Rotation/placement type, such as corporate, nonprofit, etc.
  2. Practice area, such as environmental law, family law, etc., and/or
  3. Name of the Supervisors.

  Students are provided with an individual username and password for the database upon enrollment at Denver Law. If you have not yet received it, please contact the Legal Externship Program at externships@law.du.edu.

  After you identify Supervisors of interest, consider contacting them to be sure they have an extern position for the semester in which you want to work. Don’t forget to review the binders in our office for student feedback on prior placements with supervisors.

• 2022-2023 Key Dates

  August 5, 2022:	Last day to register for fall externship.
  August 11, 2022:	Mandatory orientation for first time externs for fall semester (9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. via Zoom).
  November 4, 2022:	Deadline for registration for Spring Semester 2023 Semester in Practice. Students may be accepted to the SiP program after the deadline if there is space available. Please contact externships@law.du.edu. Initial application due October 15, 2022.
  November 21, 2022:	Priority registration deadline for Spring 2023 is November 21, 2023. Registrations for first-time externs will be accepted on a rolling, space-available basis until December 16. Registrations for repeat externs will be accepted until January 3, 2023.
  December 16, 2022:	Last day for first-time externs to submit paperwork for spring semester externship.
  January 3, 2023:	Last day for repeat externs to submit paperwork for spring semester externship.
  January 6, 2023:	Mandatory orientation for first-time externs for spring semester, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
  April 24, 2023:	Priority registration deadline for summer semester. Registrations will be accepted on a rolling, space-available basis until May 12, 2023.
  May 1, 2023:	Deadline for registration for Fall Semester 2023 Semester in Practice. Students may be accepted to the SiP program after the deadline if there is space available. Please contact externships@law.du.edu.
  May 12, 2023:	Last day to submit paperwork for summer 2023 externship.
  May 18, 2023:	Mandatory orientation for first-time externs for summer semester, 9a.m. to noon via Zoom.
  August 4, 2023:	Last Day to register for fall 2023 externships.

• Guidelines for Paid Externships

  In August 2016, the American Bar Association issued new standards surrounding field placements and externships. Students are now permitted to receive both pay and credit simultaneously.

  If you are a Denver Law student interested in seeking both pay and credit for an externship, please be aware of the following:

  1. An externship is considered paid if any sort of financial compensation is received by the extern while the extern also receives academic credit. Such financial compensation can come in many different forms including, but not limited to: an hourly/weekly/monthly wage, stipend, fellowship, and/or grant. Such financial compensation can be provided by the field placement OR another outside source. Denver Law does not provide any payment at this time for externships.
  2. Denver Law permits students to receive pay and credit simultaneously. The externship office will contact you and/or your supervisor if we have any questions about your paid externship.
  3. Regardless of pay status, both the student and Supervisors must still agree to abide by all of the requirements, rules, and regulations surrounding externships for credit as discussed in the Student Handbook, Supervisors Manual, Semester-Specific Acceptance Form, student and supervisor certifications (found in CORE), ABA standards for field placements, and any other documentation provided by Denver Law.
  4. Denver Law externship faculty will need to communicate with the Supervisor about the paid externship prior to approval. If the Supervisor is new to our system, an application is required, as it is for all new supervisors regardless of pay status.
  5. All students and Supervisors must complete the Semester-Specific Acceptance Form and indicate, as requested, whether or not payment is being provided by the placement and/or received by the extern.
  6. Students seeking credit for work with a current employer may be eligible to receive both pay and credit for an externship with the same employer. A memo describing the increased educational value of the experience and how the work will be substantially different from the work the student is already engaged in as an employee is required. This must be submitted by the Supervisor, not the student, via email to externships@law.du.edu during the semester prior to your externship (in advance of the stated externship deadline). Work might be considered substantially different, for example, if it includes different projects, a new supervisor, or involves work in a different division of the office. Evening division students and students who are employed part-time in legal offices may fall into this category of students.
  7. Students who are enrolled in paid externships are NOT ELIGIBLE to satisfy their public service requirement through such externships even if the externship was at a government agency or nonprofit (which typically does satisfy the public service requirement).
  8. If an opportunity to receive payment presents itself during the semester in which you are enrolled for an externship for credit through Denver Law (vs. pre-enrollment), email externships@law.du.edu to discuss whether you are able to adjust your externship so that it can become a paid externship.
  9. Paid externs have restrictions on their use of research databases. Unpaid externs can use any and all research databases with their accounts. Paid externs can use their Bloomberg Law accounts. Paid externs cannot use their Westlaw accounts. In fall/spring, paid externs cannot use their Lexis accounts but they can use Lexis accounts in a paid externship in the summer as Lexis has a special summer access program. Paid externs will have to gain access to these programs from their supervisors/offices.
  10. Students are limited to two paid or unpaid externships for credit with the same placement. However, allowances for additional paid or unpaid externships with a placement may be permitted in limited circumstances. Email externships@law.du.edu to schedule a meeting with externship faculty.

  If a student or Supervisor has any questions or concerns about paid externships, email externships@law.du.edu.

• Program Requirements

  If you have completed a minimum of 28 credits, congratulations! You are eligible to enroll in an externship at the Sturm College of Law. You can do an externship within the state of Colorado, throughout the country, or even internationally! In certain limited circumstances, an exception may be granted for students who have completed at least 22 credits. Preapproval from externship faculty is required.

  You may complete an externship for 2 to 6 field credits. Each credit corresponds to 50 hours of work and thus you can work from 100 hours to 300 hours. Generally, you are limited to 15 externship field credits during your time at Denver Law. Field credits are counted as part of your overall out-of-class credits, which is limited to 25.

  Please note: If you intend to start your externship more than 2 weeks after the start of the fall or spring semester, or 1 week after the start of the summer semester, you must advise the Externship Office. This does not apply to Semester in Practice – you must start your externship the first week of the semester if in SIP.

  If you are a 3L in the Semester in Practice Program, you work full-time and your externship field credit limit throughout your time at Denver Law increases to 19 credits.

  To ensure compliance with the ABA, both first-time externs and repeat externs will be required to engage with externship faculty/staff to ensure they participate in ongoing, contemporaneous faculty guided reflection. First-time externs will be required to participate in a 1 credit graded seminar.
  
  For more information on how to register for your externship, please see the Summer 2023 registration information. Please review the Student Handbook for more information. Once you have uploaded the Supervisor Acceptance Form to CORE and your supervisor is approved (if necessary), our office will get you registered.

• Specialty Programs

  The Legal Externship Program offers different specialty programs in which applications are solicited and students enroll in subject-specific, robust seminars that range from 1 to 3 credits. The seminars typically teach a mix of substantive law and skills relevant to the area of practice. These programs often have earlier deadlines than regular externships and may or may not be offered every semester/year– please review!

  
  Cannabis Specialty

  The Cannabis Specialty Externship Program is an opportunity for students to interact with organizations, law firms, government entities, and companies working in cannabis law and intersecting areas. This program is part of the Legal Externship Program at the Sturm College of Law and will take place in the spring 2023 semester.

  The Sturm College of Law posts employment and externship/internship opportunities in various industries, including the cannabis industry. Cannabis is legal in the State of Colorado; however, the University of Denver and Sturm College of Law acknowledge that cannabis remains a federally illegal Class I drug.  Students should, therefore, consider the risks before accepting opportunities within the cannabis industry. 

  
  Child Advocacy

  The goal of the Child Advocacy Program is to train law students on the underlying legal issues involving children, youth, and their families so that students are prepared to advocate on behalf of children in Colorado’s courts. It also aims to develop a robust and supportive community of students and supervising attorneys engaged in children’s legal work. It includes an externship and a 2-credit specialty seminar. The seminar focuses on the substantive law behind legal advocacy for children and youth. It primarily explores the fundamentals of dependency and neglect proceedings involving abused or neglected children but also exposes students to juvenile delinquency law, education law, immigration law, and other intersections of youth and the legal system.

  Applications are due March 7, 2022 to externships@law.du.edu for the Fall 2022 program.

  
  Lorenzo Márquez Diversity Internship Program

  The Colorado Supreme Court and the Colorado Court of Appeals seek diverse* 2L, 3L, and part-time students from CU and DU as judicial externs for the Lorenzo Márquez Diversity Internship Program. Externs typically work ten (10) hours per week, but the court will coordinate your schedule with their supervising justice/judge, including receiving time off during exam periods and law school breaks. These are unpaid positions, but students will receive externship credit for their work in the field. Program details are available for students interested in participating in this externship. Please contact Alexi Freeman at afreeman@law.edu or externships@law.du.edu with questions.

  *For purposes of this program, the courts define “diverse” students as those who are historically underrepresented in the legal profession (generally based on race, ethnicity, ability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, socio-economic status, and national origin).

  
  Public Sector Pledge for Diverse Students

  Students who identify as diverse should apply to the Public Sector Pledge Program co-sponsored by Judge Kristen L. Mix, the Legal Externship Program, and the Career Development and Opportunities Office. This program typically runs in the fall semester and includes placements and supervisors dedicated to the public good and to diversifying the legal profession. Placements typically include judicial chambers, prosecution offices, state and federal public defenders, state and federal government agencies, and nonprofits. Information session is via Zoom on February 17 at 12:00 p.m.; registration info will be sent via email. Fall 2022 applications are due March 7, 2022 to externships@law.du.edu. Include a general cover letter, resume, and a completed required cover sheet, which will be shared via email and will include the list of placements and allows you to choose preferences.

  
  Semester in Practice

  “The Semester in Practice really works…he is ready to take an associate’s job.”

  The Semester in Practice (SiP) gives students the opportunity to develop practice skills by fulfilling 15 credits (12 fieldwork credits plus a 3-credit graded seminar). Students work full time during the externship (40 hours per week).

  In this capstone experience, offered only to students in their last year of law school, students have significant exposure to the substantive law in their externship, and focus on skills and professional identity in their seminar. One of a handful of such programs in the country, the Semester in Practice is a bridge from law school to practice.

  Each SiP is customized to the needs and desires of the student. Faculty meet with prospective students to help them find the externship that will provide significant development for them on their way to becoming practicing lawyers. Students in the past have participated in the SiP at a huge range of placements, both private and public. Supervisor information about Semester in Practice.

  The Fall 2023 Semester in Practice application deadline is March 14, 2023 with priority registration of May 1, 2023. Students may be accepted to the Semester in Practice program after the deadlines if there is space available. See full timeline here. Please contact externships@law.du.edu.
   

  Veterans Advocacy Project

  The Veterans Advocacy Project, a collaboration between the Rocky Mountain Veterans Advocacy Project and the Sturm College of Law, offers a seminar and externship course in which students, together with professors and other attorneys, assist veterans with their VA Disability Benefit Compensation claims and Discharge Upgrades. Students will be simultaneously enrolled in the Military Law and Veterans Advocacy course for the Spring or Fall semesters, as well as 3 credit hours in the externship program.

• Schedule Meeting with Externship Faculty & Staff

  Schedule Meeting with Externship Faculty & Staff

  • Professor Lexi Freeman (public sector): https://calendly.com/alexifreeman
  • Professor Colleen Scarola (private sector, corporate and/or judicial): https://calendly.com/cscarola
  • Crystal Hendry (general questions): https://calendly.com/chendry-50