Welcome to the Externship Program

The Externship Program at Georgia State operates on the premise that the potential for learning outside of the law school is tremendous. The kinds of experiences available to our students in the rich metropolitan Atlanta legal community far surpass the opportunities of even the most expansive in-house clinical programs. Students interested in acquiring experience in almost any area of expertise may do so.

To date, we have placed students in offices where they have learned the practice of banking law, securities law, corporate law, immigration law, criminal defense, welfare entitlements, prosecution, tax law, etc., in addition to the plethora of opportunities which the state and federal court systems have made available in the form of judicial clerkships. In addition to the variety of experiences the program offers, we have found a growing number of attorneys and jurists eager to take on the dual role of supervisor and mentor to our students.

The College of Law has the role of overseeing and complementing the work that the students perform in these externships.

The Externship Program at Georgia State has the following goals:

• to train students in lawyering skills;
• to give students greater insight into the workings of the legal system;
• to promote the development in students of a sense of professional responsibility;
• to develop the ability of students to learn from their experience.

The Externship Program comprises numerous governmental agencies, not-for-profit public interest organizations and county, state and federal judges.

The purpose of the Externship Program is to tie theoretical knowledge to practical experience. Externships allow students to render legal services and apply what they have learned in the classroom to real life legal problems. Students selected to take part in the externship program are assigned to work with attorneys or judges, who serve as mentors throughout the externship experience.

The field experience is further supplemented by an academic component offered at the law school or at the externship site and individual meetings with a faculty supervisor. In addition to exposure to the legal system gained through on-the-job training, students also receive academic credit for their externship. The primary objectives of the externship program are to train students in lawyering skills, to give students greater insights into the workings of the legal system, to promote a sense of professional responsibility, and to develop the ability of students to learn from their legal experience.

Overall, the mission of the program is to make each and every student extern better prepared for the professional, emotional, and ethical demands of the legal profession.