Events
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 key professional development skills. The course provides law students an opportunity to understand the relationship between legal doctrine and practical legal skills.
Contact Us
Director:
Amanda Rivas
arivas@stmarytx.edu
210-431-5712
Faculty Supervisor:
Karen Kelley
kkelley2@stmarytx.edu
210-431-5708
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 Faculty Supervisor Karen Kelley to discuss enrollment.)
- Not exceed the semester enrollment credit limit or the pass/fail credit limit.
General Course Requirements
Students earn three experiential learning credits (pass/fail) in the course by:
- Completing a minimum of 150 hours of substantial legal work over at least 10 weeks while supervised by a licensed attorney, and
- Completing approximately 15-20 hours of course work.
Curriculum
During the Externship semester, in addition to the work at their sites, students will complete approximately 15-20 hours of curriculum.
This includes:
- Orientation
- Goals Conference to finalize Learning Plan
- Reflective Assignments
- Timesheets
- Class Meetings (2)
- Small Group Meetings (2)
- Midterm and Final Evaluation Feedback Meetings
- Pre- & Post-Semester Assessments
- Evaluation of the Course, Placement, and Supervision
Finding a Placement
- Pre-approved 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 pre-approved, but the supervisor and site must complete the Vetting and Approval Process.