EXTERNSHIP PROGRAMS - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

For further information, please contact Susan Rutberg, Director of Externship Programs, Room 2326, 415-442-6665, srutberg@ggu.edu

At Golden Gate University School of Law, all students are urged to participate in one or more forms of clinical legal education because our mission is to prepare our students to practice law, not merely to be ready to learn to practice law. To that end, we devote a substantial portion of our resources to skills training. Opportunities to gain lawyering experience outside the traditional classroom include:

• Two in-house "live-client" clinics that operate as law offices on campus:
• Environmental Law and Justice Clinic (ELJC)
• Women's Employment Rights Clinic (WERC)
• The Honors Lawyering Program (HLP) (separate application required)
• Golden Gate's Civil, Criminal and Judicial Field Placement clinics, known as the Externship Programs

The Externship Programs, consistent with American Bar Association standards, offer students opportunities to earn credit while participating in practical training opportunities away from the law school campus. Also known as field placement clinics, these apprenticeship programs offer students course credit for full or part-time legal experience with practicing lawyers or judges in supervised settings and with academic oversight. Yes, students must attend a companion seminar that meets frequently, although not necessarily every week of the semester. See individual course descriptions for more information about the seminar. You can work at approved placement in government agencies, non-profits, civil law firms, companies, and judicial chambers. Participation in these opportunities for experiential learning differs from paid legal work in two respects. The first is the high level of supervision and feedback provided by the field supervising attorney or judge; the second is the required externship seminar which accompanies and enriches the students' work experience. Note that the ABA prohibits students from receiving financial compensation for work for which they receive academic credit. The overarching goal of our skills program is to help students become accomplished and reflective practitioners. In the seminar component of each externship, students explore ethical, substantive and procedural issues relevant to their practice. This combination of hands-on, supervised work experience and classroom discussion helps students develop professional skills and contacts, while enhancing their critical perspective of the issues confronting lawyers and legal institutions in modern society. Students who have completed 29 units, are in good academic standing, and have received consent of the particular field placement clinic instructor or the Director of Externships, are eligible to enroll in any of the non-judicial field placement clinics.

Students on academic probation are not eligible to apply to a clinic without permission from the Dean or Director for Student Services.

For judicial externships, students must have completed 40 units and must meet other GPA and course prerequisites.

Enrollment in clinic courses is limited in number, and prior permission of the instructor is necessary. Check the specific field placement course descriptions for additional prerequisites. Night students are encouraged to consult with the clinic directors or the Director of Externship Programs to see if the particular clinic can accommodate the student's schedule. Yes, as long as there is space available. For each unit, students must work for 45 hours at an approved placement. Hours spent preparing for and/or in the accompanying clinic seminar do not count toward the units earned. A student may enroll in only one clinic course per term. With consent of the instructor, students may take a clinic more than once as long as the student has not exceeded the maximum allowable clinic units described above. Instructors may modify course attendance requirements for "repeaters." No JD student may receive more than a total of 13 units during law school for any combination of clinic courses. In rare circumstances and with consent of the instructor, the Dean or Director for Student Services may approve a total of 14 units.

Courses that count toward this unit limitation include all externships, clinics, and the Street Law Program. Note: the seminar portion of the in-house clinics (WERC and ELJC) counts as classroom, not clinic, units. For specifics about each clinic and clinical course, see the Student Clinic Handbook7-2009

• Judicial Externship Program: Students may earn 2-13 units.
• In-House Clinics: Environmental Law and Justice Clinic or Women's Employment Rights Clinic are each offered for 1-3 units. Students must also enroll in a companion 3 unit seminar. Students may enroll in subsequent semesters in the in-house clinic with permission of the instructor. For more information on the office hours for the in-house clinics, see the Environmental Law and Justice Clinic and the Women's Employment Rights Clinic.
• Field Placement Clinics: Students are encouraged to enroll for at least 3 units for their first externship experience, though the clinics are offered for 2-4 units each semester.

Students who have completed 40 units and have a grade point average of 2.5 or better may petition their instructor for a fifth unit. Note that students may choose to enroll in fewer hours than for which they are earning academic credit. For example, it is not uncommon for a student to work for 20 hours/week in their placement, but only enroll in the clinic for 3 units. Please see the Dean or Director for Student Services for advice regarding planning. Capital Post-Conviction Defense Clinic--Fall
Civil Field Placement Clinic-Fall, Spring and Summer
Criminal Litigation Clinic-Fall, Spring and Summer
Environmental Law Clinic*-- Spring
Environmental Law LLM Externship-- Fall
Judicial Externships-Fall, Spring and Summer
Lawyering Skills: Client Advocacy--Summer
Pro-Bono Tax Clinic-Fall, Spring and Summer
Real Estate Clinic--Fall and Spring

• Work with Law Career Services and/or Professor Susan Rutberg, Director of Externship Programs, to identify an area in which you'd like to gain practical experience and get referrals to placements.
• Check LCSonline for current listings, and review the Student Evaluation Binders at LCS to learn about past placements.
• Contact the instructor for the relevant field placement clinic course. The instructor may assist in finding you a placement or direct you to find your own.
• Fill out a Field Placement Clinic Application Form and submit it, along with a current resume, to the instructor.
• Enroll in the class. You should enroll even if you haven't secured a placement yet. Remember to consult with the course instructor if you have any problems securing a placement.

Only students who have successfully completed their first year are eligible to receive credit for a field placement clinical experience. In most cases, students should begin seeking placements in the beginning of the semester PRIOR to the semester in which placement will be completed. (For example, begin applying for summer placements at the beginning of the spring semester.) Placements that are located away from the Bay Area must receive special approval from the Director of Externship Programs. Please plan ahead and follow these steps:

• Be a student in good academic standing.
• Meet with the Dean or Director for Law Student Services to discuss how such a plan would fit in with your overall academic objectives.
• Create a proposal listing the name and address of the place where you will be working, and describing in detail the work of the placement agency or office. Also include a detailed description of the work you would be doing as a supervised law student extern and explain your learning objectives. Make sure to provide contact information for your supervising attorney. Attach an unofficial transcript and a resume.
• Submit your proposal to the Director of Externship Programs. The Director, in consultation with the appropriate Field Placement Clinic instructor, will determine whether or not to approve your proposed placement.
• If your proposal is approved, enroll in the appropriate Field Placement Clinic and meet with your instructor to finalize details.

You can! Both the Criminal Litigation Clinic and the Civil Field Placement Clinic are offered every semester and will accept students in approved placements in their respective fields. Students must have achieved the minimum GPA by the time they commence the externship. If your GPA is on the margin, you will need to either explain the situation to the judge or clerk when offered the position, or decide that you would be willing to volunteer if your grades for the prior term don't raise your cumulative GPA to the necessary minimum. No exceptions will be granted. Other options include: enroll in Lawyering Skills: Client Advocacy or the Street Law course. You can also investigate pro bono opportunities; participate in the Litigation Program and/or seek paid or volunteer positions.

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*What is the difference between the Environmental Law Clinic and the Environmental Law and Justice Clinic?
The Environmental Law Clinic is the name for the course where students work as externs in off-campus environmental law placements. The Environmental Law and Justice Clinic is GGU's in-house clinic.