The School of Law offers students the opportunity to receive academic credit while gaining valuable experiential education through the Public Interest and Judicial Externship Programs.
Students in the Public Interest Externship Program work two full days each week throughout the semester at a not-for-profit legal services organization or a government agency, and participate in a co-requisite seminar on “Public Interest Lawyering and Ethics.” Students can be certified through the R.I. Supreme Court to represent indigent clients under the supervision of licensed attorneys. The Externship Program works with a variety of public interest placements in Rhode Island, Southeastern Massachusetts, and Boston. Students are also encouraged to design their own placements, but these must be pre-approved by Feinstein Institute Director Laurie Barron before any work can begin.
The Judicial Externship Program offers students the opportunity to work for state and federal judges two days each week throughout the semester. The School of Law has placements with both state and federal judges, and at both the trial and appellate level. The co-requisite seminar on “Judicial Process and Ethics” is taught by a former justice of the R.I. Supreme Court. Many students find this experience opens them to the possibility of clerking after law school and introduces them to an experience they might not have considered. Students receive a total of five credits for the Externship Program—three ungraded credits for the field work and two graded credits for the seminar.
An informational session (for both the externship programs and the clinics) will be held in advance of the application time period for each semester. Attendance is not mandatory, but it is highly recommended.
Students will be alerted to the date, time, and location of the informational session.
