Externships

Loyola's Externship Program is designed to provide students with practical experience under the supervision of a judge or attorney and a supervising attorney from the School of Law. This program provides students with the opportunity to develop practice ready and problem solving skills while working at an approved field placement outside of the classroom. An externship qualifies as Live Client Experience.

Students may select from a variety of externship opportunities at sites that have been pre-approved by the law school. Students may earn 1, 2 or 3 hours of academic credit per semester. After completing all required first year course work, a student may earn up to 8 hours of academic credit through the Externship Program. Students who have secured an externship field placement are also required to enroll in an externship seminar course. The externship seminar course has been designed to complement the field work performed by the student by incorporating and emphasizing professional responsibility and ethics in all classroom assignments and activities.

Eligibility

Externship field placement opportunities are available to all law students who have successfully completed all required first year course work. Certain approved sites may also have additional requirements which must be adhered to in order to apply to the site and to qualify for the externship field placement.

Externship Opportunities

Externship Application Process

The School of Law makes every effort to assist students throughout the school year in obtaining appropriate and approved externships. Information sessions, both group and individual, are offered by Megan Bess, Executive Director of Academic Administration and Student Services each semester. During these sessions, students have the opportunity to learn about the various externship opportunities that are available to them, as well as the application process. A list of approved extern sites is included below, along with the internal School of Law application and Field Supervisor’s Participation Agreement. In most cases, students will contact the approved sites on their own. Contact information is included with the list of approved sites. Students should also monitor law school announcements and this website for new externship opportunities as they become available.

Academic Credit

Students may earn 1, 2 or 3 credit hours for their work as an extern.  Students seeking to earn 1 credit hour are expected to work a total of 55 hours in the field.  In order to earn 2 academic credits, students are expected to work a total of 110 hours in the field.  A minimum of 165 hours in the field is expected of students seeking to earn 3 academic credit hours. All students participating in the Externship Program will also be enrolled in a seminar course during the semester that the student is working in an approved field placement.  The seminar course is graded pass/fail.

Conflicts Policy-Circuit Court of Cook County Illinois

Students working in chambers for a state court judge (Circuit Court of Cook County) will need to disclose whether they also will be working or intend to work in any other legal capacity to the judge and law school. Students may not work in other legal capacity while working as an extern for a state court judge. This is a directive from the Office of the Chief Judge for the Circuit Court of Cook County. Conflicts should be disclosed in all cases with prospective supervisors. Certain federal court district court and magistrate judges may also have similar policies in place. It is important that you disclose this information.

Education Law Field Placements

Field placements at approved sites in the category of Education Law will no longer be offered through the Externship Program. Field placements and related opportunities will instead be offered solely through the Education Law Practicum. For additional information please contact Professor Miranda Johnson.