Externships Finding & Registering for an Externship
Finding an externship
There are many opportunities for externships. Judicial, Criminal Justice, Government Agency, Legislative, Public Interest, and For-Profit* options are all available. Students are responsible for finding and securing an externship. They may visit the list of externship site options, refer to the Center for Career Development and 12twenty, refer to the public service jobs directory; or seek out a different opportunity on their own. There are great job search resources on the Center for Career Development Resource Center.
*For-profit externships are limited to local organizations, in-house counsel or small firm of less than 10 attorneys, 1 quarter only, and must be 4–6 credits. Details for host sites.
All externship sites and supervisors must be approved by emailing extern@uw.edu prior to registering for an externship.
Policy Regarding Externships at Current or Previous Employers
To be eligible for academic credit, an externship must offer a new and distinct learning experience for the student. Externships are intended to provide diverse legal opportunities to build new competencies. Academic credit will not be granted for a student who wishes to continue working at a current job/host site or any previously held legal position with a for profit organization (i.e., small law firm or in-house counsel).
In certain cases, an externship with a public interest organization the student has worked/interned/externed at before may be approved if it involves work in a different unit or department (i.e., civil versus criminal divisions) and it offers a clearly defined new learning opportunity. To qualify, the externship must include responsibilities that differ substantially from the student’s current or prior role and must represent a meaningful shift in both duties and educational scope.
If your proposed externship falls within this policy, email extern@uw.edu ASAP for instructions on required information.
Applying for an externship
- APPLY EARLY! Applying for an externship is like applying for a job. Students should follow each host site’s application instructions, keeping in mind to have things confirmed well in advance of a desired externship.
- Confirm Approval for Site and Supervisor. Students need to email extern@uw.edu to confirm if a host site (and supervisor at the host site) in which they wish to extern is approved. Do this early so that the approval process can be completed if applicable.
- Do not accept an externship offer until you have confirmed they are an approved externship host site and supervisor.
Registering for an Externship
Registration for externships is separate from class registration and has its own deadline for completion. You do not self-register and there are no add codes. Registration covers both parts of an externship. The externship itself and the companion seminar required for all first-time externs.
Once you have been offered an externship and confirmed that the site and supervisor are approved, you may request registration for an externship.
TO REGISTER: Email extern@uw.edu
Registration is only open the quarter prior to the quarter in which you wish to extern. The registration process (which will be outlined in an email from extern@uw.edu) includes submission of information and the following documents to 12Twenty.
- Scheduling worksheet confirming your total hours of work for the quarter.
- Externship Agreement outlining expected work and learning objectives as well as location of externship.
With those items completed and uploaded to 12Twenty, the externship team will review all materials and submit a request for both the externship and companion seminar.
Students who have previously completed an approved externship seminar may be excused from enrolling in a subsequent externship seminar.
Credits earned for the seminar are in addition to those earned for hours worked at the externship host site, and they do not count toward the externship/non-law credit limit.
Companion Seminar
All first-time externs are required to take a 2-credit companion seminar. The companion seminar will be on zoom for all students and is at 5:30 pm Pacific Time Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarters (usually Monday, but check the schedule for the quarter you are planning to extern) and Friday from 12:00-2:00 pm during the summer. The seminar is not asynchronous, so those externing out of state need to note the time difference.