Legal Externships

The purpose of the Legal Externship Program is to help law students who meet legal externship qualification standards (link) earn academic credit while developing their professional identity and professional skills (link) needed to practice law through unpaid externships they secure with law firms, businesses, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and non-governmental organizations. Thus, the Program provides students with the opportunity to include practical, hands-on experience as part of their law school education, and is intended to ensure a high quality experience for students working under the supervision of experienced practitioners.

Legal Externships also include Health Law Externships with corporate counsel of non-profit hospital systems and government agencies in conjunction with the Health Law Certificate Program (link). To find out how to obtain and enroll in Health Law Externships, and the academic requirements associated with them, students should contact:

Professor Marguerite Chapman
Director of the Health Law Program
marguerite-chapman@utulsa.edu
918-631-2463

Some Legal Externships may offer students the opportunity to participate in representing clients in court proceedings. Students who wish to secure these externships must obtain an Oklahoma Legal Intern License (link) or similiar mandated license if the externship is outside of Oklahoma.

To earn academic credit for their externships, students must work 45 hours in the legal workplace per credit hour earned. In addition, they are required to attend a faculty-led Legal Externship Course, submit evaluations and weekly timesheets, and complete other assignments.

To enroll in a Legal Externship, students must secure an externship with an eligible employer and submit the following documents to Professor Jim Brandon, Director of Experiential Learning, in care of Marta Swanson, Administrative Assistant to Vice Dean Allison.

     

Students enrolling in Legal Externships must enroll in the 0 credit Legal Externships & Course (course number 6200) and the Field Studies Externship (course numbers 6202, 6203, 6204, 6205, 6206, 6208) or combinations thereof corresponding to the credit hours they wish to receive. Students enrolling in Health Law Externships enroll in Health Law Externship-1 hr (course number 5901), Health Law Externship-2 hrs (course number 5902), or Health Law Externship-3 hrs (course number 5903).

Students are primarily responsible for securing their own externships. In this endeavor, they will be aided by the Professional Development Office (link), which will each semester and summer term have listed on Symplicity (link) the law firms, businesses, government agencies, non-profit organizations and non-governmental organizations that are willing to host externs (Legal Externships will be listed on Symplicity as a Legal Externship, and you can search for the posting by using keyword "Externship"). To secure a legal externship through Symplicity, students must submit via Symplicity a transcript, résumé and cover letter at least 45 days prior to the next enrollment period.The Professional Development Office will also consult with students about how to secure externships other than those available on Symplicity.

Further information about how to secure a legel externship and qualify it for academic credit, students should consult the complete Legal Externship Student Application Packet and contact the following person:

Professor Jim Brandon
Director of Experiential Learning
c/o Marta Swanson
Administrative Assistant to Vice Dean
marta-swanson@utulsa.edu
918-631-2402

Assistant Dean Kristine Bridges
Director of Professional Development
c/o Terry Douglas
Administrative Assistant of Professional Development Office
terry-douglas@utulsa.edu 
918-631-2402