Congressional and Administrative Law Externship

8-12 units

Open to second semester 2L and 3L J.D. students. Involves working for a semester in a Congressional office, administrative agency, or nongovernmental organization (NGO) in Washington, D.C. Admission to the program is by application only and occurs in February of the academic year preceding the externship. Placement process: Students will collaborate with the instructor during the semester prior to their placement to select and secure an appropriate position. Congressional placements: In these roles, students will engage in professional staff work such as research, writing on legislation, and attending Congressional hearings, mark-ups, and floor debates. A background course in legislation is recommended. Administrative agencies: Students will be placed within federal administrative agencies where they will perform professional staff work, observe rule-making decisions, public advising, and court/administrative case handling. A course in Administrative Law is recommended, along with courses related to the specific agency subject area. NGO Placements: Opportunities are also available at various NGOs, matching students' areas of interest. [Note: Students are prohibited from taking more than one clinic/externship/supervised practicum in the same semester. Students who are not in good standing (for either academic or disciplinary reasons) the semester prior to taking this course and the semester of this course, are not eligible to participate in the externship. Students in the United States on an F-1 Visa who register for an externship course are required to submit a Curriculum Practical Training (CPT) authorization form to the University’s Office for International Students and Scholars (OISS) and obtain that office’s approval prior to beginning their externship. Failure to obtain CPT authorization prior to the beginning of the externship could result in changes to a student's F-1 Visa status. The clinics/externships have a different drop deadline than other Law School courses. A student will not be allowed to drop the externship after they have accepted a placement with an office.] This course is graded on a credit/no credit basis. 8 units working remotely; 12 units on-site or hybrid on-site/remote. Credits from this course count toward the 19 maximum credits a J.D. student can take in non-law classes and law classes without a classroom component. To participate in this externship, you must either have completed or be currently enrolled in courses containing at least 5 cumulative hours of education on bias, cross-cultural competency, and racism (BCCCR content). This externship includes 0 hours of BCCCR content, so in total, you will need 5 hours from your other courses to meet the requirement. This means that first semester 2L students cannot do a 12-credit out-of-town externship. Courses that include BCCCR content are tagged in Workday to help you track your progress.