Public Defender Externship

6 units

This externship is only offered in the fall 2026. Open to 3L J.D. students eligible for Missouri Supreme Court Rule 13 student practice certification. This externship provides real life lawyering experience with the criminal justice system at the state trial level, and students will work under the supervision of the faculty member teaching this course. The student's primary experience will be to serve as a Rule 13 certified attorney with the St. Louis County office of the Missouri Public Defender, the second largest criminal defense office in the state. The goal is for each student to: (1) conduct at least two, and hopefully more, preliminary hearings in felony cases; (2) conduct bond reduction negotiations and, when necessary, hearings for persons awaiting trial; (3) participate in multiple aspects of pending felony cases, such as brainstorming the theory of defense; researching and writing motions, briefs, and/or jury instructions; interviewing possible defense experts; preparing deposition questions for prosecution witnesses; and, if possible, (4) sit second-chair or third-chair in a felony trial . In addition, students may observe depositions and the entering of guilty pleas and participate in probation revocation hearings. The lawyering skills students will use and develop include: problem solving, legal analysis and reasoning, legal research, factual investigation, client interviewing and counseling, communication skills, negotiation, litigation skills, organization and management of legal work, and recognizing and resolving ethical dilemmas. Because different types of hearings take place in the morning while other hearings take place in the afternoons, each student should have at least two mornings (8:45 - 12:30) and two afternoons (1:15 - 5:00) Mondays through Thursday free to be in the externship. Students will have periodic meetings with the faculty supervisor. Students who have completed Evidence, Pretrial, Trial, a course from the ethics curriculum, and Criminal Procedure may receive preference. Students are financially responsible for their own transportation and parking, as needed. This externship is expected to be in person. [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) are not eligible to participate in a clinic/externship. The clinics/externships have a different drop deadline than other law school courses. Students will earn 6 credits for the externship. For 6 credits, students must work a minimum of 255 hours over the course of the semester. The course is graded on a pass/fail basis. Note: credit for this course will be Non-Law Classroom Units. Credits from this externship 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 offers 0 hours of BCCCR content, so in total, you will need at least 5 hours from other courses. BCCCR content are tagged in Workday to help you track your progress.