General Externship Program

Welcome to the General Externship Program

Mission Statement:

The General Externship Program at Texas A&M School of Law offers our students the opportunity to earn academic credit for performing legal and law-related work outside of the classroom in approved legal settings, such as government entities, public interest organizations, corporate legal departments, law firms, and courts. Its mission: To provide practical, meaningful and substantive hands-on experience to compliment and build upon a student’s classroom learning. Under the supervision and mentorship of attorneys or judges, students apply their academic learning to real world issues and cases, gaining valuable insight into the practice of law and the operations of legal institutions and thereby becoming better prepared for practice upon graduation.

Students can choose to participate in the:

In-House Externship Placement + Seminar
- This experience allows students to gain practical training in the legal and/or compliance departments of corporations’ and non-profits’ in-house counsel offices. Students have the opportunity to work on legal and law-related assignments to contribute to the work of the office while learning under the mentorship of the supervising attorneys.
  
  Students who accept an externship with a corporate or non-profit’s in-house legal department, must:
  1. Complete fieldwork hours: ranging between 8 to 16 hours per week; and
  2. Attend an In-House Externship Seminar:
  This seminar, taught by a general counsel attorney, supports the students’ fieldwork experience, and discusses the role of in-house counsel, the common legal and ethical issues they face. The seminar is not separately graded and time spent in class is equivalent to a 1 credit course.
  
  Organizations who have hosted students include:
  - AZZ Inc.,
  - Baylor Scott & White
  - CHRISTUS Health
  - Parkland Health & Hospital
  - Pioneer Natural Resources
  - Susan G. Komen
  - Texas Rangers
Judicial Externship Placement + Seminar
- This experience allows students to gain practical training with state or federal judges. Students have the opportunity to observe matters before the court and work on legal assignments while learning under the mentorship of the judge.
  
  Students who accept an externship with judge must:
  1. Complete fieldwork hours; and
  2. Attend a Judicial Externship Seminar
  This seminar, taught by a judge and/or career staff attorney, supports the students’ fieldwork experience, discusses the role of the courts and topics to foster the students’ professional development. The seminar is not separately graded and time spent in class is equivalent to a 1 credit course.
  
  Courts who have hosted students include:
  - Second Court of Appeals
  - U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas- District and Federal Judges
  - U.S. District Court for the Norther District of Texas- Bankruptcy Courts
Criminal Law Externship Placement + Seminar
- This experience allows students to gain practical training with prosecutor’s offices, criminal defense firms and public defender’s offices. Students have the opportunity to work on legal and law-related assignments to contribute to the work of these offices while learning under the mentorship of the supervising attorneys.
  
  Students who accept a criminal law placement must:
  1. Complete fieldwork hours; and
  2. Attend the Criminal Law Externship Seminar
  This seminar, taught by practicing attorneys, supports the students’ fieldwork experience, and discusses the criminal law justice system and practical aspects of criminal law in practice. The seminar is not separately graded and time spent in class is equivalent to a 1 credit course.
  
  Organizations who have hosted students include:
  - Cofer Luster Law Firm
  - Lankford Law Firm
  - Varghese Summersett
  - Federal Public Defender
  - Dallas County District Attorney’s Office
  - Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office
  - U.S. Dept. of Justice, United States Attorney General’s Office
Public Interest Externship Placement + General Seminar
- This experience allows students to gain practical training with various non-profit organizations that offer legal services, and government agencies the federal, state and local level. Students have the opportunity to work on legal and law-related assignments to contribute to the work of these offices while learning under the mentorship of the supervising attorneys.
  
  Students who accept a public interest placement must:
  1. Complete fieldwork hours; and
  2. Attend the General Externship Seminar
  This seminar, taught by the externship director, supports the students’ fieldwork experiences, and allow students to share experiences and discuss topics to foster their professional development. The seminar is not separately graded and time spent in class is equivalent to a 1 credit course.
  
  Organizations who have hosted students include:
  - City of Fort Worth City Attorney’s Office
  - Environmental Defense Fund
  - Fort Worth Independent School District
  - U.S. Securities Exchange Commission
  - U.S. Housing and Urban Development
Civil Law Firm Externship Placement + General Seminar
- This experience allows students to gain practical training with pre-approved civil law firms. Students have the opportunity to work on legal and law-related assignments to contribute to the work of these offices while learning under the mentorship of the supervising attorneys.
  
  Students who accept a public interest placement must:
  1. Complete fieldwork hours; and
  2. Attend the General Externship Seminar
  This seminar, taught by the externship director, supports the students’ fieldwork experiences, and allows students to share experiences and discuss topics to foster their professional development. The seminar is not separately graded and time spent in class is equivalent to a 1 credit course.

The educational goals for this program are to have students:

Improve their lawyering skills such as research, writing, analysis, and oral advocacy,
Increase their understanding of the range of skills necessary to effectively perform legal and law-related work,
Develop their understanding of substantive law, and the legal or law-related issues facing the host organization and its mission,
Enhance their understanding of the issues related to professionalism, professional responsibility and other workplace issues which arise in legal practice and in professional work environments,
Develop productive working relationships, and
Engage in critical self-reflection to promote self-directed, lifelong learning.

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