Student Information

Summer Judicial Extern Clinic- Law 672
Course Instructor: Associate Professor and Clinic Director, Mary Rudasill

The Summer Judicial Extern Clinic is offered in the Summer term only and is open to students who have completed their first or second year of law classes and have a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.5. See the School of Law Rules relating to Clinics on the Clinic/Public Services web page for more details about enrollment in clinical courses.

Students who enroll in the Summer Judicial Extern Clinic will work in the chambers of federal or state, trial or appellate courts. Placements may be anywhere in the U.S. during the summer, as the classroom portion of this course takes place on the first three days of the week immediately following the end of final exams for the Spring semester.

Each judicial placement site must be pre-approved by the Clinic Director. A list of currently approved sites is located in the Placement Library in a notebook labeled Approved Sites for Summer Judicial Extern Clinic. The currently approved site list is also included on the Clinic web page. See “Currently Approved Summer Judicial Extern Clinic Placements”. If a student wants to arrange to do a judicial extern placement in a qualified office which is not currently approved, the proposed site may apply for approval prior to the time the student enrolls for the course. Applications are available in Room 104, the Legal Clinic.

The type of experiences students have at a judicial placement site will vary with the type of office the student selects. Judicial externs in federal court chambers do mainly research, writing and court observations. They work closely with the federal judge and the judge’s law clerks. In state court chambers, students may work for several judges doing research and writing, but can also expect to get to observe all kinds of civil and criminal court proceedings. Generally in state court, the student works directly with the supervising judge because the judge has no paid law clerks. In appellate courts, whether state or federal, students assist paid law clerks with research and writing duties, but also usually observe oral arguments and perhaps assist their judges is writing opinions assigned from those oral arguments.

In addition to working in the chosen judicial chambers, extern students must submit various paperwork throughout the semester and participate in class discussions via the course TWEN page.

Summer Judicial Extern Clinic Class Meetings

In order to allow students to have the entire summer to work in the selected judicial chambers, classes for this Clinic are held immediately after the Spring semester ends on the following Monday through Wednesday. In 2006, classes were held on May 15, 16 and 17. Classes include a research refresher and practice in writing for a judge. In the past, a federal law clerk has presented the class on writing for judges and a state or federal judge has talked to students about what the expectations are for student law clerks. Students will also learn how to apply for law clerk positions after graduating from law school.