Field Placement/Externships

• Open to rising 2Ls and 3Ls who meet the current the current Handbook requirements (2Ls must have a 2.51 GPA or above; rising 3Ls must be in good academic standing)
• 1 - 5 credit hours available
• Mandatory coursework

• Open ONLY to 3L students in the top 75% of their class
• Semester-long placement for half-time to full-time work (12 credits)
• Work for 50 hours per credit during the desired semester
• Can be remote, if the supervisor has noted that is an option
• Can be in any state or country if you are doing legal work for a public service entity and the placement has been approved by the Externship Director. 
• Mandatory classroom component and course work.
  • Classes are all held via Zoom to allow students to participate from any location.
  • Course is pass/fail.
  • Must receive a satisfactory rating from your supervisor to pass AND complete all requirements for the classroom component.
  • Must track all hours worked and submit timesheets.

• Rising 2Ls- must have 2.5+ GPA to participate in an externship
• 2Ls- must be in good academic standing to participate in an externship
• 3Ls- must be in top 75% of class to participate in an externship or semester-in-practice

Some externship placements may require proof of COVID-19 vaccination or Covid testing for employees, volunteers, and students to work on-site. Many placements do not have a remote work option if you are not able to comply with their workplace requirements. Placements are updating their Covid protocols often as the Covid situation and governing regulations and requirements shift. So, we cannot tell you in advance what each supervisor might require or how that might change if there is a Covid outbreak/spike during your externship. Consider this before you apply for externships. There are clinic and other experiential learning course options for students.

Externship credits are earned only in the Law 9730, 9750 and 9760 courses; they are not the same as clinic or other experiential learning courses, which may have their own credit limitations. All the externship courses are considered non-classroom, regardless of whether you attend some zoom classes or watch prerecorded classes as part of your coursework for an externship class. Of the 90 credits needed to graduate, at least 64 must be classroom credits. Please review the full rule on non-classroom credit limits, included in the Student Handbook and the footnote below for a more detailed description.

Footnote

Of the 90 credits needed to graduate, at least 64 must be classroom credits, or "class hours" as defined by the American Bar Association's Standards for Approval of Law Schools. For non-classroom credits, the following limits apply:

• A maximum of 12 externship credits may count toward the 90-credit requirement. All externship courses are non-classroom credit, and include Law 9730, 9750, and 9760.
• Please read the current version of the Student Handbook for the most accurate and up-to-date information. The 2023-24 Student Handbook provides that a maximum of 4 other non-classroom credits from the following list will count toward graduation:
  
  • Law 9820 Law Review (1NC cr, max 4)
  • Law 9830 Directed Study (1-2 NC cr, max 4)
• A maximum of 2 non-classroom credits from Law 9560 Moot Court
• A maximum of 6 credits from non-law graduate-level courses, not earned pursuant to a concurrent or joint degree program.
• A maximum of 12 credits from non-law graduate-level courses, earned pursuant to a concurrent or joint degree program.

Of the 90 credits needed to graduate, at least 64 must be classroom credits, or “class hours” as defined by the American Bar Association's Standards for Approval of Law Schools. For non-classroom credits, the following limits apply:

• A maximum of 12 externship credits may count toward the 90-credit requirement. All externship courses are non-classroom credit, and include
  • Law 9730
  • Law 9750
  • Law 9760
• A maximum of 4 other non-classroom credits from the following list will count toward graduation:
  
  • Law 9820 Law Review (1 NC cr, max 4)
  • Law 9830 Directed Study (1-2 NC cr, max 4)
• A maximum of 2 non-classroom credits from Law 9560 Moot Court
• A maximum of 6 credits from non-law graduate-level courses, not earned pursuant to a concurrent or joint degree program
• A maximum of 12 credits from non-law graduate-level courses, earned pursuant to a concurrent or joint degree program

A maximum of 21 distance credits may count toward graduation. You are not limited in the number of distance credits you may take; however, if you take only the 90 total credits needed to graduate, only 21 may be distance credits. No more than 6 of these credits may come from coursework outside of the College of Law unless those credits are earned pursuant to an approved concurrent degree program. Distance courses may be offered live (such as courses simultaneously offered in Moscow and Boise), online, or by other means: the Assistant Registrar - Law will determine whether a course is considered distance. The distance credit rule applies to both law school and graduate school credits. You must have passed at least 28 credits before you can enroll in a distance education course.

NOTE:

No more than 21 distance credits may count toward graduation.

Credits for Law 9750 and Las 9760 are not distance even though the classroom component meets via Zoom.  The credits for the course are non-classroom credit only. 

9730 Field Placement – Independent Study 1 – 5 non-classroom credits Fall & Spring

Students perform legal work in selected public service positions under the supervision of experienced judges and lawyers. Students will complete reading and writing assignments under faculty supervision. Graded pass/fail. Credits earned are not classroom credits.

Prerequisite: Externship Director Permission Required

Additional information: Students must be in good academic standing to register for an externship. This is a variable credit course where students may select the number of credits, subject to instructor approval. This course provides experiential learning credit. Students may participate in clinics and externships during the same semester only with the approval of both the clinic and externship instructors.

9750 Field Placement – Public Service 1–5 non-classroom credits Summer, Fall, or Spring

Students perform legal work in selected public service positions under the supervision of University of Idaho College of Law faculty instructor and experienced judges and lawyers. Students must attend periodic classes. Graded pass/fail.

Prerequisite: Externship Director Permission Required

Additional information for Summer Term: Students taking an externship during the summer must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.51 or above at the time externships are due. After that summer, students must be in good academic standing to register for an externship. This is a variable credit course where students may select the number of credits, subject to instructor approval. Law 9750 is a 1 to 5-credit course. Although students may sign up for fewer than 5 credits, the number of credits will not be increased or decreased past the drop deadline shown on the University’s Summer Session web page.

Additional information for Fall and Spring Terms: Students may participate in clinics and externships during the same semester only with the approval of both the clinic and externship instructors. This course provides experiential learning credit.

9760 Semester in Practice 5–12 non-classroom credits Fall & Spring

Maximum 12 credits Students perform legal work under the supervision of a field supervisor. Open only to students in their last year of law school. Students attend periodic classes focused on professional growth and formation, ethics, and reflecting on the transition to practice. Graded pass/fail.

Prerequisite: Externship Director Permission Required

Additional information: Semester in Practice is limited to 3Ls in the top 75% of their class throughout law school. Many, but not all, positions require student to be qualified for an Idaho Legal Intern Limited License. Students must be in good academic standing to register for Semester in Practice. Students whose cumulative class rank is in the fourth quartile of the class are not eligible for Semester in Practice. If a student is not in the top 75% of the class and desires to participate in an externship, please contact the Associate Dean of Students or Externship Director to discuss the matter.

Application Process

Applying to an externship means you agree to participate in the externship program and will accept the first position offered to you. 

The externship team will send an email to students when the positions are posted on Idaho Law Careers (ILC). Once posted, students can begin submitting their applications. Students are asked to apply to their top 3 placement choices, and to upload a document to their ILC documents listing their top choices. These are not rolling deadlines meaning there is no benefit to the student to apply early. All applications will be reviewed after the closing date.

In order to apply for an externship, the student MUST have an approved resume on ILC, after meeting with Career Development staff. Some positions require a cover letter, transcript, references, and/or writing sample. The Career Development Office can also review these documents. For any tips/tricks on your resume/cover letter, there are a number of resources in the Idaho Law Careers Document Library.

DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST DAY

Read through the list of placement options. Consider what your top three might be or if you would like to look for a different placement in another state or at a public service or non-profit entity.

• Seek help from the Career Development Office now
• Seek career guidance
• Review resume and cover letter
• Learn what your class standing is to ensure you are in the top 75% of your class as of the spring semester (cumulative) and if you are on academic probation from your first year then schedule a visit with an academic success professional to discuss your plans.

Students may pursue self-placement at other organizations not included on Idaho Law Careers. Please note that externship placements are generally limited to public interest employers such as government agencies, courts, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations. We also have some options for in-house counsel work or to work in Idaho in a rural law practice. You can extern in any state if you have selected a qualified externship supervisor. If you are pursuing your own placement, please meet with the Externship Director to discuss your proposed placement.

Self-Placements at Private Entity

You cannot self-place at a private entity except in limited circumstances. Please make an appointment with the Externship Director to see if aproposed private employer fits within our very limited exceptions to public service placement externships.

Out of State Self-Placement

You are allowed to extern in any state if you have selected a qualified externship supervisor. Please meet with the Externship Director to discuss externship supervisor requirements. You may also want to reach each out to the interested placement to determine if they are accepting applications, what materials they need, and when the applications are due.

The Idaho Legislature typically selects student externs from the second and third year law class in the fall semester for a spring externship during the legislative session (which typically runs from the second week of January through the end of March). Applications typically are sent directly to the Legislative Services Office in October or November. You should apply as soon as the Legislature starts accepting applications and you know you are interested in a spring legislative externship(because the applications are reviewed in the fall on a rolling basis). You should apply early particularly if you want to work with a certain legislator. You can reach ou to Amy Henson or Katie Ball to learn more about the application process.

These are unpaid positions but you can earn pro bono hours or externship credit.

When the fall application period opens, we will email application information to all 2L and 3L students.

Below are the procedures we ask that you follow when interviewing for multiple positions, considering that we want you to have as much interview experience as possible and find a good fit for you, but also that we are trying to find an educational externship experience for all students who want one. For that reason, the timeliness of accepting and rejecting offers is important.

• You may accept more than one interview request. Please try to plan for those to occur as close in time together as possible given the supervisor’s schedule.
• When interviewing for an externship position, if you already have another (second) interview scheduled and are offered a different externship position at an earlier (first) interview, you can let the supervisor making the offer at that first interview know that you have another interview scheduled and when it is. You may ask if you can give them a final answer after that second interview. You may take up to two full business days to decide between two placement offers after you have received a first offer. If the supervisor at the second interview delays deciding beyond the two business days, please accept the first offer and withdraw your application from consideration for the second supervisor who interviewed you. (Also, if you interview for two placements in one day and then get an offer from one the next day, you can check in with the other placement to let them know you have an offer and ask the supervisor who offered you the position for one additional business day to commit to that first offer.)
• You may let supervisors know that the law school has tighter deadlines for the externship program offers and acceptance because the interview is for an educational experience that we want all interested students to be able to have. In other words, interviewing and accepting offers for externship positions is different than interviewing for and negotiating for paid positions. You should accept an offer within two business days if you have interviewed for two field placements, even if you hope that another offer might come in later. And you should let anyone you interviewed with know when you accept another offer. All these field placements provide excellent practical experience for students so having even one offer is exciting.
• When you accept an offer, please email us at law-externships@uidaho.edu within two business days and let us know your supervisor’s name and email address so we can send out some additional paperwork to finalize the externship.

You are welcome to reach out to Professor Ball with individual questions if you have them.

The Idaho Heritage Project – Rural Services Scholarship Fund provides scholarship support for some students serving summer internships, externships, or pro bono service in rural communities throughout the state of Idaho.

John Paul Stevens Fellowship Program - The University of Idaho College of Law is a participant in the John Paul Stevens Fellowship Program which provides grants to students at participating law schools to work in public interest summer internships or externships. The Fellowship will fund four students to conduct 10 weeks of full time (40 hours/week) of public interest work each summer. The stipend amount is $6000 for the summer. To qualify for the fellowship, students must not receive other sources of funding for this work. Applications for the Stevens Fellowship are accepted in February for the following summer term. For more information about the John Paul Stevens Foundation, go to www.jpstevensfoundation.org. 

Henry's Fork Foundation - non profit conservation organization. Please visit www.henrysfork.org for information. 

What is the maximum number of externship & "non-classroom" course credits?

Of the 90 credits needed to graduate, at least 64 must be classroom credits, or "class hours" as defined by the American Bar Association's Standards. In no event may the number of non-classroom credits counting towards graduation exceed 26 credits.

You cannot register for or take more than 12 externship credits during law school. The externship courses that count toward this 12-credit limit are Law 9730, 9750 and 9760, regardless of whether offered in the summer, fall, or spring term. Externship credits are earned only in the Law 9730, 9750 and 9760 courses; they are not the same as clinic or other experiential learning courses. Clinic courses have their own 12 credit limit. All the externship courses are considered non-classroom, regardless of whether you attend some zoom classes or watch prerecorded classes as part of your coursework for an externship class.

Do externship courses count toward distance credits?

Although a maximum of 21 distance credits may count toward graduation, none of the externship course credits are considered distance credits. So, you do not need to consider distance credit limits when registering for your externship courses. 

Can I register for 5 summer externship credits in Law 9730 after my 2L year and then register for 8 SIP credits in Law 9760 for my 3L spring semester?

No. Although the system will let you select 8 credits, you only have 7 credits left of your 12 allowed remaining credits. You cannot register for more than 12 total externship credits regardless of whether you take Law 9730, 9750 or 9760.

What happens if I end up taking more than 12 total externship credits like in the above scenario?

None of the credits you register for in your most recent externship semester will count toward your required 90 credits so please ensure you do not register for more than 12 externship credits.

Can I do an externship outside of Idaho?

Yes. If it is a public service placement with a government or non-profit entity that has been approved by the externship program director.

Can I use a paid position for externship credit?

Yes. If it is a public service placement with a government or non-profit entity and you receive externship director approval.

What if I have a vacation planned during a summer externship?

You can work out a work schedule with your supervisor letting them know of any conflicts you may have. In the summer, it is acceptable to start before the official summer course start date or end shortly after the official end date to ensure you have completed the necessary hours, with approval from the externship director. Please specify your planned start and end dates, and hours, in the required Externship Agreement form you will complete with your field placement supervisor. 

Will there be a "class" session for the SIP (semester-in-practice) course?

Yes. There is a mandatory classroom component for this externship course, that includes timekeeping, goal setting and reflection on your experience. The course is taught via Zoom to allow students to extern in any state or country.

Do I have to sign up for the SIP or an externship course?

Yes, for the fall and spring semesters. If you applied for the position through Idaho Law Careers, you must register for the required externship course by the registration deadline.

For the summer term, we allow students to complete their field placement work for either externship course credit or pro bono hours. Either way, students must complete the equivalent of 8 weeks of full time work (37-40 hours a week is considered full-time for the externship program).

What if I apply for externship placements and do not receive any offers?

The Externship Coordinator will work with you to evaluate available positions.

Who do I talk to about placement options?

We encourage you to make an appointment through Idaho Law Careers with career development professionals to identify your career goals and what placements might be a good fit for that path. You are welcome to join the externship director's office hours too if you have additional questions about the class requirements, externship program, or expected work projects at a field placement.

What are the deadlines for these externships?

Summer Externships - January 31 of 1L or 2L year

Fall SIP -March 31 of 2L year

Priority Spring SIP -March 31 of 2L year

Spring SIP - September 30 of 3L year

How many hours do I need to complete?

Summer Externships -  Students are expected to work the equivalent of a full time schedule (37-40 hours per week) for at least 8 weeks no matter your credit load.

Semester in Practice - Students are expected to work for 50 hours per credit, e.g., 5 credits SIP = 250 hours; 6 credits SIP = 300 hours.

Can I apply for an externship and other positions? 

No. If a student chooses to apply for an externship, they are committing to accept an externship position. If a student wants to apply for paid positions that do not qualify for externship credit, they should do so first and then seek an externship if the student has not received a paid position and there are still externship positions available. After the externship priority application deadline has passed, the remaining externship placements will be posted for a two-week period. 

What if I want an externship that is not on the list?

You are welcome to find your own externship/SIP placement if it qualifies as a non-profit, community service, or other public service placement. Before accepting a field position that a student wants to use for externship credit, students must seek approval from the externship director. 

Can an externship be paid?

Yes, students can get paid for an externship in a public service or non-profit placement but still need to meet all the externship requirements. Very few externship positions offer students pay though.

When do I need to tell you I am looking for a self-placement?

ASAP. Please keep us in the loop if you are looking for a self-placement as we may be able to provide resources or advice in the process and because students need approval from the externship director to register for the externship course.

What is the deadline for self-placements?

Students should complete the self-placement externship application at least two months prior to the start of the semester. Please keep in mind that your proposed placement may not be approved, so meet with the externship director before you accept a position that you want to use for externship course credit. 

What if my placement is one that has never had a U of I student?

We will require the field placement supervisor to submit an application and meet with externship staff before the placement is approved. Students should provide their proposed supervisor with the law-externships@uidaho.edu email contact to begin this process. For more information, please see the For Supervisors section. 

Are there any stipends or funding opportunities?

The Steven's Fellowship helps to fund students to engage in summer public interest work. Information about the Fellowship can be found on the Idaho Law Careers website, job postings, externships tab, Stevens Fellowship Position Job #9674.