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Externship Program
The Basics
The Externship course allows law students (2Ls or 3Ls) to gain practical work experience at a nonprofit, government agency or in-house counsel offices while completing a curriculum that builds critical professional development skills. The course provides law students an opportunity to understand the relationship between legal doctrine and practical legal skills.
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Student Eligibility Requirements
In order to be eligible for the Externship course, a student must:
- Complete all 1L courses.
- Be in good standing at the law school. (If cumulative GPA is below 2.3, the student must meet with Externship faculty to discuss enrollment.)
- Not exceed the semester enrollment credit limit or the pass/fail credit limit. See Student Handbook for pass/fail credit limit.
General Course Requirements
Summer 2025
For Summer 2025 ONLY: Externship may earn up to five (5) field placement credits (pass/fail; experiential learning credits) in the course depending on the committed time at the placement.
Eligible Externship Field Placement hours: Based on the hours of substantive legal work students are expected to complete at their field placement while supervised by a licensed attorney for the semester.
- 2 credits: 90 field placement hours (minimum)*
- 3 credits: 135 field placement hours (minimum)
- 4 credits: 180 field placement hours (minimum)
- 5 credits: 225 field placement hours (minimum)
* NOT eligible for full-time J.D. students
For Summer 2025: Externs will also complete an additional 20 hours (approx.) of curriculum (synchronous and asynchronous work).
Fall 2025 and Beyond
Starting Fall 2025: Students enrolling in Externship will be required to enroll in two components and may earn up to six (6) experiential learning credits (pass/fail).
Externship Seminar (1 credit) – Required
General Externship Seminar (Ext. I)
or
Advanced Externship Seminar (Ext. II)
- Repeat Externs OR
- Significant professional experience
Field Placement Credits
2 credits: 90 field placement hours (minimum)*
3 credits: 135 field placement hours (minimum)
4 credits: 180 field placement hours (minimum)
5 credits: 225 field placement hours (minimum)
(10- WEEK MINIMUM)
* NOT eligible for full-time J.D. students
Vetting and approval by the Externship faculty required.
Externship faculty will determine seminar and field placement credits.
Once approved, Externship team will register student.
Curriculum
The Externship Seminar consists of approximately 45 hours of synchronous and asynchronous curriculum
This includes:
- Orientation
- Goals Conference to finalize Learning Plan
- Reflective Assignments
- Timesheets
- Weekly Hybrid Class Meetings
- Weekly Hybrid Small Group Meetings
- Midterm and Final Evaluation Feedback Meetings
- Pre- & Post-Semester Assessments
- Evaluation of the Course, Placement, and Supervision
Finding a Placement
- Externship sites are advertised on CORE every semester. Contact the Externship Office to explore pre-approved sites for future semesters.
- Students can obtain a position at a nonprofit, government, or in-house counsel office that is not on CORE.
- All Externship supervisors and field placement sites must complete the Vetting and Approval Process.
EXAMPLES OF EXTERNSHIP WORK SITES
Nonprofit and Government sites:
- Bexar County District Attorney’s Office
- Department of Justice – U.S. Attorney’s Office
- CentroMed
- City of San Antonio
- City of Austin
- Judge Advocate General’s Office
- Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF)
- Office of the Attorney General of Texas
- San Antonio Board of Realtors
- RAICES Inc. (Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, Inc.)
- Texas Advocacy Project
- Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
- Texas State University Attorney for Student’s Office
- Trinity University Title IX Office
- United States Equal Employment Opportunity
- University Health Systems
- University of Texas San Antonio: Equal Opportunity Services and Title IX Office
In-house Counsel sites:
- Valero
- USAA
- Spurs Sports and Entertainment
SUPERVISING ATTORNEY ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Attorneys are eligible to supervise Externs if:
- They are licensed at least three years.
- They can provide substantial legal work.
- They are comfortable providing regular feedback.
- They are able to conduct their own student selection process.
- They have the capacity to participate in the Externship curriculum. They will be expected to:
- Sign a Commitment form at the beginning of the semester.
- Collaborate with the student in a Goals Conference to finalize the student’s Learning Plan.
- Complete two evaluations & feedback meetings with students.
- Connect with the Faculty at least once during the semester.
- Approve final timesheet by signing Timesheet Verification Form.
- Identify two Exemplar assignments completed by student during the semester and assist to ensure proper redactions are completed.
Externship Compensation
- The student may receive compensation from their placement site and still enroll in Externship. Compensation be dispersed directly from the field placement or a third party.
Vetting and Approval Process
- Secure a position with a supervising attorney and/or placement that will qualify for the Externship class (nonprofit, government, in-house counsel).
- Submit your placement and supervising attorney information through the vetting and approval process on CORE.
- Log in to CORE. Go to the “Externship and Pro Bono” tab and click “+New Experience.” Fill in the required information (employer, work mode, term, etc.).
- The Director will connect with you and your supervising attorney during the vetting and approval process to review the proposed Externship details and confirm the student and supervisor understand the educational standards for the course and have the capacity to meet the requirements. With a previous Externship partner, the process is usually abbreviated. The timeline for this process will vary based on the director and supervising attorney schedules.
- During the vetting and approval process, the director, student, and supervisor will discuss the hours the student will commit to for the semester.
- Externship Faculty will evaluate and identify the appropriate Seminar and Field Placement credits for registration through the vetting and approval process.
- Once the vetting is complete, the student will receive a final approval letter from the Externship Faculty identifying the Seminar and Field Placement credits. This packet will also contain the Seminar syllabus and Externship Commitment Form.
- The student and supervising attorney will need to review and sign the Commitment Form available on CORE.
- Upload the completed commitment form on CORE and notify the director via email.
- The student’s Experience on CORE will be listed as approved once the Commitment Form is received.
- The student will be registered for the approved Seminar and Field Placement credits by the Externship team. The Externship team cannot register a student for the Externship class without a completed commitment form.
Frequently Asked Questions
DO I HAVE TO FIND MY EXTERNSHIP SITE MYSELF?
Yes. If you do not have an internship offer, reach out to our office or the Office of Career Strategy to help you start on the job search.
DO I NEED TO HAVE MY EXTERNSHIP SITE APPROVED?
Yes, the placement will need to be approved before enrollment in the course. You should contact Director Amanda Rivas (arivas@stmarytx.edu) once you have a job offer and are considering the Externship course.
WHERE HAVE EXTERNSHIPS BEEN IN THE PAST?
DOES THE PLACEMENT HAVE TO BE A NONPROFIT OR GOVERNMENT AGENCY?
No, in-house counsel offices are also eligible. All sites must be vetted and approved. Contact our office for a list of pre-approved Externship sites.
CAN I EARN CREDIT FOR MY WORK AT A PRIVATE FIRM OR WITH A PRIVATE ATTORNEY?
No, the faculty has only approved nonprofit, government, and in-house counsel sites as eligible for the Externship course.
WHAT IS AN IN-HOUSE COUNSEL EXTERNSHIP?
It is for students working in an in-house counsel’s office in a corporation. Students are required to complete the same curriculum as other Externs.
CAN I ENROLL IN THE EXTERNSHIP COURSE AS A 1L?
No. Only 2Ls and 3Ls are eligible to enroll in the Externship course. 1L evening students in their last semester do not qualify for this course. Students must have completed their 1L curriculum before they start the Externship semester.
WHEN AND HOW SHOULD I REGISTER FOR THE EXTERNSHIP COURSE?
Registration for Externship is NOT online. This is a manual process that takes time and coordination.
- Contact our office to ensure all eligibility requirements are met. See Student Eligibility and Supervising Attorney Eligibility.
- All Externship sites must complete the Vetting and Approval Process before registration.
- Students should discuss the course requirements and expectations with their supervising attorney.
- Once the Externship office completes the Eligibility and the Vetting and Approval Process, an approval letter and the Commitment Form will be sent to the student.
- Students are responsible for signing and obtaining their supervisor’s signature before returning the Commitment Form to our office by the registration deadline.
- The Faculty Supervisor will sign the registration forms and the Externship team will send the forms to the Registrar.
IS IT POSSIBLE TO COMPLETE AN EXTERNSHIP OUTSIDE OF SAN ANTONIO?
Yes, but the Externship office must approve it in advance. Please contact the Director at least one month prior to the semester start date.
CAN WE GET A LETTER GRADE FOR OUR EXTERNSHIP?
No. It is a pass/fail course. Keep in mind the pass/fail limit outlined in the student handbook.
IS CLASS ATTENDANCE REQUIRED FOR THE EXTERNSHIP? WHEN AND WHERE ARE THE EXTERNSHIP CLASSES?
Yes, class attendance is required. Class and meeting dates are listed in the syllabus.
MAY I BE PAID FOR MY WORK?
The student may receive compensation from their placement site and still enroll in Externship. Compensation be dispersed directly from the field placement or a third party.
HOW MANY HOURS MUST I COMPLETE FOR THE COURSE?
Review our General Course Requirements tab for a breakdown of the minimum hours and weeks required to earn course credits. Note: Summer 2025 will have a different credit structure than Fall 2025 and beyond.
CAN I DO MORE THAN ONE EXTERNSHIP?
Yes, but repeat Externships at the same site are not allowed. Remember the pass/fail limit outlined in the student handbook.
CAN I COMPLETE MY WRITING REQUIREMENT IN THE EXTERNSHIP?
No, you cannot complete your writing requirement during the Externship course.