I’ve accepted an offer from an agency and now I’ve changed my mind. What should I do? If you apply for and accept an offer, you have made a commitment to the externship site, and you may have taken a position another student wanted. The site will be expecting your assistance during the semester, and your professional reputation, as well as that of the College of Law, depends on your meeting those expectations. Accordingly, students who accept an offer are not be permitted to drop an externship, either before or during the semester, in the absence of significant hardship. The explicit approval of a faculty Co-Director is also required. Students who nevertheless drop an externship will have a letter of reprimand placed in their permanent file and will not be allowed to participate in the Externship Program in the future. Students who do not complete the second semester of a two-semester commitment will receive no academic credit for either semester.
I was just offered a paid legal position, and I really need the money. Does this count as hardship so that I can drop my externship? No. Securing a paid position will almost never qualify as grounds to drop an externship. Students who think there is a possibility that they will need or want a paying job during the semester that may interfere with their ability to complete an externship should not apply for an externship.
I accepted an externship before knowing my class schedule for academic classes. I have a conflict with a class that I need. Can I drop my externship? No. Students are expected to work their class schedule around their planned externship. Class conflicts will not be considered sufficient grounds for withdrawal from the program or being excused from the class component of the externship.
Is there any particular way that I will need to arrange my schedule as an extern? There is no particular schedule required by the Externship Program outside of the ten hour weekly minimum. Many sites, however, require students to be present on particular days because of court or work schedules. Many also prefer or require students to work two five-hour days rather than a few hours each day. We strongly recommend that you discuss scheduling expectations with your site supervisor before accepting a placement.
In terms of the time requirement, is it possible to front-load or back-load my externship hours? For example, can I work 20 hours the first seven weeks rather than 10 hours for 14 weeks? No. You must work a minimum of 13 weeks throughout the semester. Although you may end your externship one week early with the permission of the site and the completion of the 140 hour requirement, you cannot otherwise end the externship early absent extraordinary circumstances and the approval of an Externship Faculty Co-Director.
Is it possible to begin my externship before the first week of classes? No. This is not permitted in the absence of extraordinary circumstances and the explicit advance approval of a Faculty Co-Director.
The semester is about to begin and I haven’t heard from my site supervisor. What should I do? Students should contact their site supervisor prior to the beginning of the semester to set up work schedules and start times. Students who are unable to do so after diligent effort should contact a Faculty Co-Director for further instructions.
The semester has started and I still haven’t received security clearance from my work site. What should I do? Students who need clearance to perform legal work and who have not secured clearance within the first two weeks after the semester begins will be required to drop their externship absent extraordinary circumstances. Students who have not received clearance before the beginning of the semester should contact their Faculty Co-Director immediately.
Who keeps track of my hours? How will I know whether I’ve completed 140 hours at the end of the semester? You are responsible for reporting and keeping track of the hours worked each week during the semester. These hours will be verified by your site supervisor and the Externship Office at the conclusion of the externship.
What happens if my regularly-scheduled work hours fall on a holiday and the agency office is closed? You will be required to make up the time missed prior to the end of the externship. Students for whom this presents a problem should consider that most federal holidays fall on Monday when creating their work schedule.
Is it okay if I do my externship work from home or at school? I don’t like the office space at my work site. It is acceptable to occasionally perform externship work off-site with the explicit approval of your site supervisor. However, students are expected to appear at the externship site on a weekly basis for the majority of their work hours in order to maximize the learning experience of the externship.
My site supervisor is pressuring me to work more than 10 hours a week. Am I required to do so? No. You are only required to work 10 hours per week in the Externship Program. Nevertheless, many students find that they want or need to work more than the minimum in order to get the maximum experience from the externship. If you are experiencing difficulty with the time expectations of your site supervisor, you should contact a Faculty Co-Director to discuss your options.
I am not getting quality work at my externship. What should I do? Externships, above all, are intended to be learning experiences. Although sites may legitimately require students to perform incidental clerical or non-legal tasks from time to time, students should primarily be engaged in substantive legal work during their time at an externship site. Students not receiving quality work assignments should note this fact clearly on their Work Summary Forms and notify a Faculty Co-Director promptly to discuss their options.
I am not getting any guidance or feedback from my site supervisor. What should I do? Mentorship by practicing attorneys is a key component of the Externship Program. Site supervisors agree, as a condition of participating in our program, to provide guidance and feedback to student externs. Students who are not receiving feedback should discuss their work performance directly with their supervisors. Students who are unable to secure feedback or regular contact with their supervisors should note this clearly on their Work Summary Forms and contact their Faculty Co-Director promptly.
Is it possible to end my externship before the conclusion of the semester if I’ve already completed 140 hours? You are permitted to end your externship one week early with the permission of the site and the completion of the 140 hour requirement. You cannot otherwise end the externship early absent extraordinary circumstances and the approval of an Externship Faculty Co-Director.
What happens if for some reason I don’t complete 140 hours by the end of the semester? Students who do not complete at least 140 hours of work by the end of the semester will receive no academic credit for the externship, regardless of the number of hours the student has completed. For this reason, it is critical that students monitor their work hours on a weekly basis to ensure that they satisfactorily complete this requirement.
What happens if I don’t complete a written requirement of the Externship Program? What happens if I don’t attend the classroom component of my externship? A key component of the Externship Program is professional responsibility. Students are expected to attend all externship classes and to turn in each piece of required written work to the Externship Office by the deadline noted in the syllabus. Students who fail to complete any of the academic responsibilities of the Externship Program, or who repeatedly turn in work after the noted deadlines, will receive no academic credit for the externship regardless of the number of hours the student has worked at the externship site.
