Externships A to Z

Your Guide to the Judicial Externship Program and the new Government and Non-Profit

Externship Program

Judicial Externships Government and Non-Profit Externships Students may not receive credit for externships

with for-profit corporations or with law firms. Additionally, students may not receive credit for paid work, including work for which they receive PILF funding.

Students may apply a total of 8 externship credits towards graduation. Students may do more than one externship in each program, if they choose.

Externship Opportunities

Judicial Externships Perform unpaid work for a judge and his or her

staff in chambers Participating judges include: United States

Circuit, District, Bankruptcy, and Magistrate Judges; Ohio Supreme Court Justices; and Franklin County Domestic Relations and Juvenile Court Judges

Judicial Externships - Basics

Offered summer, fall, and winter semesters Summer – May/June

2 credits Students work 8 hours per week for 8 weeks

Fall/Winter Semesters 3 Credits Students work 8 hours per week for 14 weeks

Limited to the number of judges willing to participate

Judicial Externships - Basics

Graded “satisfactory”/”unsatisfactory Must attend mandatory one-hour class once

per month (ABA requirement) Keep a journal of your experiences as an

extern Write a 5-6 page reflective essay Submit a sample of work that you wrote for

the Court during your externship

JEP - Academic Component

Government and Non-Profit Externships Perform unpaid work for a governmental entity or non-

profit organization that is approved as an externship placement by the law school.

The law school has secured a number of placements with state and federal governmental agencies and Ohio-based non-profit organizations.

Students may also find their own placements, provided space in the program is available and the placement obtains approval from the law school.

Students may work at out-of-state placements.

G/N-P Externships - Basics

Offered summer, fall, and winter semesters Summer

2 credits or 4 credits Students must work 50 hours per credit at the placement. The hours may be worked over the entire summer or

during half of the summer. Fall/Winter Semesters

3 Credits Students must work 50 hours per credit.

Limited to 40 students per semester (including summer).

G/N-P Externships - Basics

Graded “satisfactory”/”unsatisfactory Must attend an orientation session Must attend mandatory one-hour class once per

month (ABA requirement) Must attend a final wrap-up session to share

experiences Submit weekly journal entries Write a 5-6 page reflective essay Submit a sample of work that you wrote during your

externship

G/N-P Externships – Academic Component

Students who take the 4-credit externship will qualify for financial aid for tuition and living expenses.

Some governmental and non-profit agencies will not permit students to volunteer.

Earning externship credits will enable rising 2Ls to light-load during the infamous “App Ad/OCI” semester.

Students who take classes both summers and meet all graduation requirements may be able to graduate in December.

Summer Externships - Pros

Externing during the summer is expensive: During the summer you “pay per credit”

instead of paying the semester full-time “flat rate.”

You can earn 88 credits easily without earning credits during the summer, so you are essentially paying for “unnecessary” credits.

You may be able to volunteer and get the same experience for free

Summer Externships - Cons

You can complete a 2-credit judicial or government/non-profit externship before you leave.

This will enable you to receive your summer financial aid in May, as opposed to July. A word of caution: the amount of financial aid you

receive will be exactly the same; you will just get it sooner.

You can use your summer credits to graduate early, thereby defraying the cost of the externship and Oxford experiences.

Special Considerations for Students Considering the Oxford Program

Students may obtain a government or non-profit placement outside of the State of Ohio.

Students who extern outside of Ohio will be required to participate in TWEN discussions in lieu of attending class.

Students who extern in Ohio must attend the monthly externship class, even if the student is not externing in Central Ohio.

Please be advised that students who extern outside of the State of Ohio during the summer will not be eligible for in-state residency for their 2L and 3L years.

Out-of-State Externships

Application materials may be found at http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/programs/externships/index.php

Complete an application and submit your resume and a 5-page writing sample with your application

If you plan to find your own placement, you must ensure that your placement submits a placement application. Please note: There is no guarantee that your placement will

be approved. Deadline: Monday, March 26 Late/incomplete applications will be considered only after

timely/complete applications have been considered.

The Application Process

You must apply now for externships for this summer and the upcoming academic year.

You may apply for both the judicial externship program and the government and non-profit externship program.

You may apply to participate in the program for more than one semester.

However, if you have a preference for a particular program or semester, please state your preference(s) clearly.

The Application Process

We anticipate that competition for the government and non-profit externship program will be stiff, especially for the summer semester.

If we have more applicants than spots, we will give preference first to 3Ls graduating in December, then to 3Ls graduating in May, and then to 2Ls. We will also give preference to those placements that will not permit students to volunteer.

When it is time to register for classes, register as if you will not receive an externship. If you are selected, we will register you for the externship, and you can decide if you are going to drop a class based on your acceptance.

The Application Process

Students in both programs will be matched to placements by Student Services and Career Services staff (except for students who have found their own placements).

When matching students to placements, staff will consider student preferences, a students’ demonstrated interest in a relevant area of law, and the preferences of the placement.

Students’ class rank and GPA will be neither irrelevant nor controlling.

Matching Students to Placements

The Columbus Chapter of the FBA offers two $5,000 scholarships to judicial externs from OSU and Capital.

The scholarship is awarded on the basis of academic merit, financial need, character, and diversity.

To qualify, your judicial externship must take place during the fall or winter semesters.

Applications are due on Monday, March 26. Applications are available at:

http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/programs/externships/index.php

Federal Bar Association Columbus Chapter Scholarship

Questions?