Information for ​Supervisors

Thank you for your interest in the Texas A&M School of Law Residency Externship Program in Public Policy! Texas A&M School of Law is committed to its land grant mission to, among other things, provide selfless service and leadership to its community, its country, and the world. The Residency Externship Program in Public Policy provides a unique opportunity for our students to train with experts in policymaking, develop their skills, build their Aggie network, and explore a great city. Like our sister programs at the Bush School, the Mays Business School, and the Public Policy Internship Program at College Station, the Texas A&M School of Law wants to give its students robust opportunities to experience policymaking firsthand. 

Students participating in the Residency Externship Program in Public Policy are uniquely qualified to work in your organization. Prior to their placements our students will have completed coursework in legislation and regulation, administrative law, substantive policy law, professionalism and leadership, and three semesters of legal writing – including an innovative class in which they are introduced to and draft several types of documents encountered in policymaking such as position papers, hearing testimony, background memoranda, and comments to rulemaking.

We encourage you to take a look at our webpage and consider bringing an Aggie into your organization. For additional information or to inquire about hosting an Aggie, please contact —

Please contact Cecily Becker, Externship Program Director, ​at cbecker@law.tamu.edu if you have additional questions.

Supervising Attorney Basic Responsibilities

Supervising Attorneys serve as mentors to the students and are asked to train students on the skills that will help them become practice-ready in the public sector. Supervising Attorneys should allow students to work on matters that will help the students develop skills and gain real life experience and insight into aspects of regulatory development and policymaking. In furtherance of the Residency Externship Program’s mission and goals, here are some basic responsibilities of Supervising Attorneys.

• Assign substantive and meaningful legal work for the extern student to accomplish. Whenever meetings, briefings, hearings, or other events are held – especially in connection with a task assigned to the student – the student should be offered the chance to attend and discuss the event afterward with his/her Supervising Attorney.


• Discuss and set learning goals with the student at the beginning of the externship.


• Approve the accuracy of the student’s time sheets and sign the sheets as required. Complete an evaluation (provided by the school) at the end of semester, and discuss it with the student. (Information on how to do this will be provided and regular contact with the director of the REP-PP will occur).


• Meet regularly with the extern student to review and critique the work he/she has completed, and provide guidance on future assignments. Feedback is an important element to the student’s learning. It is expected that a mentoring relationship will be established and the Supervising Attorney will discuss many aspects of public policy, administration, and rule making – including issues of professional responsibility – throughout the semester.


• Sign weekly time sheets for students. Students in the REP-PP are required to compact 50 hours of work for every credit (9) that they receive during the externship; students are expected to work full-time during their externship.


• The Supervising Attorney will ensure that students are not compensated by any part of the office, agency, group, or person for any work performed during the semester the student is enrolled in the REP-PP.


• Supervising Attorneys are subject to the Texas A&M University Nondiscrimination and Abuse Policy.

Download a pdf version of the Supervisor Responsibilities.

Download a pdf version of the 2021-2022 Supervisor's Handbook