Externship Course
Craig Defoe, '07 (PLSG intern); Phil Wickizer, '05 (Assistant Counsel to the Governor); Myron Rahn, '07 (PLSG intern); Steve Schulz (Counsel to the Governor); and Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels meet in the Governor's office at the Indiana State House.
The Program on Law and State Government (PLSG) integrates the practical experience of working with attorneys in law offices throughout the legislative and executive branches of state government with seminar style classroom learning. Designed to enhance students' understanding of public lawyers' roles within state government and legal infrastructure of that government, the classroom component of the Externship Course complements the placement experiences of the students in the course. With numerous placement options, ranging from the Department of Commerce to the Family and Social Services Administration, Program on Law and State Government externships offer students opportunities to:
- Use and test skills of legal research, legal writing, case analysis, and statutory construction
- Participate in hearings, work on administrative appeals, and assist in rule and statute drafting
- Observe how state agencies carry out mandates, create regulations, defend agency actions, and comment on drafted legislation
Brent Pierce, J.D., anticipated in 2010
2009 PLSG Extern, Office of the Attorney General
"The PLSG externship with the Indiana State Police exemplified the integration of law in society from a perspective not typically found in a traditional law school setting. The PLSG externship provided a unique opportunity to gain firsthand knowledge of the formation, implementation and the enforcement of various laws and the impact of these laws at the state level."
Jessica Wiseman, J.D., anticipated in 2010
2009 PLSG Extern, Indiana State Police
"After presenting my analysis and recommendation in a rather lengthy legal memorandum, my supervising attorney informed me that I would be presenting to our clients directly."
Zoretta Ward-Holloway, J.D., anticipated in 2010
2009 PLSG Extern, Department of Education
"Through the internship (in the Governor's office) I have learned how law and policy interact at the state's highest office. The internship at the Office of the Governor offers a candid look at legal decisions made everyday on behalf of the Governor. The Governor's General Counsel, Steve Schultz, has been extremely accessible and helpful- he has provided guidance on projects and given a general glimpse at his own decision-making process. I would recommend the PLSG Externship Course to all students because it gives students learning opportunities not available in the classroom."
Craig Defoe, '07 (PLSG extern)
"I learned so much from having the opportunity to work with the law hands-on. To work as a student administrative law judge was a completely different experience than anything that can be taught in a classroom, and is equally valuable. I was able to put what I had learned in law school into practice, making independent decisions that affected real people. In addition, my confidence in my abilities to practice law in the future benefited tremendously. I would recommend this program to anyone. It is truly a valuable, one-of-a-kind experience."
Margaret Olek Esler, '06 (student Administrative Law Judge)
"The Program on Law and State Government's externship course gave me hands-on opportunity that helped strengthen my skills in legal research and writing. The chance to write about law to people other than lawyers is an uncommon experience in law school."
Elliott McKinnis, J.D., anticipated 2010
2008, Extern, Indiana's Office of the Public Access Counselor
2009, PLSG Fellow
"When selecting which law school to attend, the PLSG was an important part of choosing IU in Indianapolis. The opportunity to be involved in the legislative process while in law school was very attractive to me. Because of the wide array of placement opportunities I felt that I could find an opportunity that fit my interests."
Jennifer Root, '04
2003 PLSG Fellow
2003 Extern, Office of Governor
2002 Extern, IN Trial Lawyers Ass'n
2002 Mediation Course Certificate
The Program on Law and State Government Externship Course is offered every semester. Information about educational objectives, course format, selection process, participant responsibilities, and the evaluation of extern performance is set forth below. All interested students are encouraged to apply. You may download an application form and return it to Therese Kamm at the reception desk in the Atrium.
Students will not be able to register for the Program on Law and State Government Externship Course or any particular externship placement available through that course on the first day of registration. Due to limited class size and the necessary process of matching individual students to their placements, registration is possible only with approval from the Director.
- Educational Objectives
- Course Format
- Selection Process
- Participant Responsibilities
- Evaluation of extern
- Placement Descriptions
Joel Nagel, '07 (PLSG intern); Gregory Kellam Scott, '77 (Director, Indiana Civil Rights Commission); supervising attorney Michael Healy.
The educational objectives of the Program on Law and State Government externship course include offering students the opportunity to:
- Learn about the practice of law within the state government setting;
- Use and test skills of legal research, legal writing, case analysis, and statutory construction in the context of a state government legal office;
- Participate in hearings, work on administrative appeals, and assist in rule and statute drafting under the supervision of an attorney;
- Communicate legal conclusions and recommendations of legal work to supervising attorneys and state policymakers;
- Observe how various state agencies carry out statutory mandates, create regulations, defend agency actions in administrative hearings, and comment to drafted legislation;
- Experience how the ethical, policy, and legal issues of the governmental process entwine to affect Indiana's government and the practice of law within that government; and,
- Develop their ability to learn from experience and to manage their own education.
To reach the educational objectives, the three credit externship course has four components:
- required number of hours at the extern placement or doing externship activities and related work (60 hours per credit hour sought; therefore, 120 hours for 2 credits of externship placement and 60 hours for the class component of the externship course);
- six mandatory class meetings coordinated by the faculty advisor;
- at least two individual meetings between the extern and the faculty advisor during the course of the semester;
- reflective learning assignments due during the course of the semester.
III. SELECTION OF EXTERNS/INTERNS
The externs will be selected by the faculty advisor who, in consultation with the field supervising attorneys, will make the specific externship assignments. externs will be selected through an application process, and preference will be given to students based on academic merit, prior law related experience, interest in state government, and interest in public service. Applications from students who have completed one full year of law school and who have earned an overall grade point average of 3.0 or more on a 4.0 scale will be given priority in the selection process.
IV. PARTICIPANT RESPONSIBILITIES
The three main participants in the externship course are: the student extern, the faculty advisor, and the supervising attorney. Success in reaching the educational objectives of the course depends on the main participants and the interrelationship between them. Outlined below are the course responsibilities of the participants.
- Student extern is responsible for:
- Spending one hundred and eighty (180) hours, sixty (60) hours per credit sought, during the semester in externship activities and related work. externship activities and related work includes, e.g., being present at their assigned field placement, addressing the legal assignments from their supervising attorney, preparing for and attending the class meetings or individual meetings with the faculty supervisor, and completing their reflective learning assignments. Two-thirds of the required 180 hours must be spent at the legal office of the assigned externship placement. For example, for the three credit externship course, the student would be responsible to spend twelve (12) hours a week in externship activities; eight (8) of these must be spent in the field office, the other four (4) hours could be spent in the field office or at another location (e.g., law school library, law school computer center, class, or home) as long as the time is spent doing externship course work.
- Completing the experiential and reflective learning assignments as assigned by the faculty supervisor;
- Preparing for and participating in six (6) class meeting sessions scheduled at the law school;
- Preparing for and attending two (2) individual meetings with the faculty advisor during the course of the semester;
- Submitting accurate time logs accounting for their time at the externship placement and working on externship activities and related work to the faculty advisor at the extern's individual meetings with the faculty advisor.
- Supervising Attorney is responsible for:
- Orienting the extern to the office during the first week of the externship;
- Assisting in the skills training of the student extern by assigning legal projects to the extern;
- Providing to the extern a variety of challenging tasks that draw on the extern's legal skills throughout the course of the externship;
- Meeting regularly with the extern to discuss matters pertinent to an understanding of the legal process;
- Giving specific feedback to the extern during the course of the externship;
- Allowing extern, when feasible, to participate in, and not merely observe, the strategic decision-making process;
- Conducting a brief evaluation of the extern's performance at mid-semester and communicating that evaluation to the faculty advisor; and,
- Evaluating the extern's performance and work product in writing at the end of the externship.
- Faculty Advisor is responsible for:
- Overall coordination and administration of the externship course, including the development, monitoring, and maintenance of the agreement between the law school and the field placement agency;
- Coordinating the class component of the course;
- Maintaining communication between the law school, the law student, and the supervising attorney;
- Reviewing externs' time logs;
- Meeting with the externs on an individual basis at least twice during the course of the semester;
- Assigning, reviewing, and grading the reflective learning; and,
- Assessing a grade for one credit of the externship course (based on the quality of the assigned reflective learning projects, and the extern's participation in the class and individual meetings) and assessing whether the extern earned a passing or failing grade on the remaining credits (based on doing satisfactory work at the externship placement and meeting or failing to meet minimum the number of hours required to be spent at the field office and doing externship course related work).
V. EVALUATION OF EXTERN PERFORMANCE
- Pass/Fail portion of grade -- 2 credits. A grade of S (satisfactory) or F (failing) will be given by the faculty advisor based on whether the extern satisfied all of the requirements of the externship course, including whether the extern met or failed to meet the number of hours required to be spent at the field office (120) and doing externship activities and related work (60).
- Letter grade portion of grade -- 1 credit. externs will receive a letter grade for one credit of the externship course. This letter grade will be based on the quality of the reflective learning essays, the quality of the student's participation during the mandatory class meetings, and the quality of the student's discussion in individual meetings with the faculty advisor.
For information about individual externships, see the placement descriptions.
