Internship Program

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The Tulsa internship program offers students a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the Irish legal system from the inside - seeing the theoretical concepts learned from class applied in practice! Interns work half days with Irish barristers or Irish institutions throughout the four week program.  Most placements can accommodate students working either mornings or afternoons, depending on the intern's class schedule, although intern providers have noted that students who are able to work in the mornings often have a greater opportunity to observe court proceedings.  Approximately half of the students who participate in the Tulsa program each year choose to enroll in the intern program.

Placements vary each year, but typically include various government and legal aid organizations and barristers in private practice. Students enrolled in the program are given the opportunity to indicate their preference for the type of work they would like to do, and an effort is made to match those preferences with the range of internship opportunities available each year.  Placements in 2009 included the Chief State Solicitor's Office, the Office of the Attorney General, the Health and Safety Authority, the Department of Agriculture, two agencies assisting refugees, the Children's Rights Alliance, Treoir (National Federation of Unmarried Parents), Irish Penal Reform Trust, Irish Business and Employers' Confederation, and a number of barristers in private practice.

Students who work as interns are required by ABA standards to attend the four-hour class on Irish law and legal systems offered by Dr. Fergus Ryan, Head of the Department of Law, Dublin Institute of Technology, who has directed Tulsa's Dublin internship program since 2001. This year Dr. Ryan will be assisted by Professor Seamus Clarke, who will serve as Assistant Director of the Program.  Students must keep a weekly journal of their experiences and impressions.  Assessment of interns is based on the intern provider's general assessment of the intern's work, the intern director's assessment of the journals, attendance and participation in the class component, and if available, the director's assessment of any work completed by the intern.

In order to be considered for an internship, you must submit a resume with your application form or other required program forms.  Students desiring internship placements should apply as early as possible to receive priority placement.  Students applying after April 1st will be considered only if internship placements are still available.