Experiential Internship (EXPIN)

Internship placements offer students the opportunity to integrate classroom knowledge and practical work experience in a wide range of different placement opportunities. Students work at the placement site under the supervision of a judge or an attorney. Internship placements are in federal and state judicial chambers, public service and nonprofit offices, state administrative agencies, non- profit, and corporate entities. Students' work with experienced supervisors in these offices to develop stronger research and writing skills, judicial memorandum and opinion drafting, client counseling and interviewing skills, statutory and regulatory analysis interpretation and application, criminal practice, public interest and corporate compliance work. Through their work and classroom assignments and discussions, students are expected to develop a heightened awareness of the methods and functions of judicial, legislative, regulatory, public service and public interest, and corporate entities. Students in litigation placements will have the opportunity to obtain student intern certification and appear in court under the supervision of an attorney.

The International Justice Program allows students to work on cases before one of international courts with jurisdiction over international crimes such as the International Criminal Court and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Students will work under the direct supervision of an experienced international prosecutor or within the judicial chambers of the court.

The Semester in Washington Program allows students to spend a semester in Washington, D.C. earning academic credit for approximately 32 hours per week of supervised legal work at an approved federal government agency, nonprofit organization or public interest group during the third year of law school. The program provides advanced study in federal law and serves as a capstone experience for students interested in federal practice.

The Semester in Harrisburg Program allows students to spend a semester in the Pennsylvania state capital earning academic credit for approximately 24 hours per week of supervised legal work at an approved state government agency, the state legislature, or a nonprofit group that focuses on state government affairs. The program is recommended for students who are interested in pursuing a career in state government or a particular regulatory area, such as banking regulation, environmental law, or securities regulation. The program provides advanced study in state government law and serves as a capstone experience for students interested in a state governmental practice.

The Legislative Process Internship will focus on legal analysis and problem solving in the area of legislative and regulatory practice.

Internships for academic credit serve to integrate legal doctrine, theory, skills and legal ethics. Students will engage in the performance of professional skills including six general competencies (1. Reporting; 2. Workload Management; 3. Written Work; 4. Working Relationships; 5. Legal Thinking and Application; and 6. Professional Engagement) as well as self-identified professional skills that they seek to improve over the course of the semester through experiential learning. The class component will be utilized to develop the concepts underlying the professional skills being taught, provide multiple opportunities for performance, and provide opportunities for contemporaneous reflection and self-evaluation. In addition to attending the course, students are expected to intern on-site at their internship for a minimum of 10 hours week for 14 weeks or 140 hours over the course of the semester.

The intermediate internship course designed for students who have already successfully completed a placement in the general Internship Program and are interested in pursuing an additional internship placement or continuing with their placement for a second semester. Internships for academic credit serve to integrate legal doctrine, theory, skills and legal ethics. Students will engage in the performance of professional skills including six general competencies (1. Reporting; 2. Workload Management; 3. Written Work; 4. Working Relationships; 5. Legal Thinking and Application; and 6. Professional Engagement) as well as self-identified professional skills that they seek to improve over the course of the semester through experiential learning. The purpose of the advanced internship course is to allow students to expand upon the training they received in a prior placement. Students are expected to create new individual development plan goals, engage in more in-depth reflection on these new goals, be working on more advanced issues, and have more responsibility at their internship site.

The advanced internship course designed for students who have already successfully completed two placements in the general internship program and were already enrolled in the Basic and Intermediate. Internships for academic credit serve to integrate legal doctrine, theory, skills and legal ethics. Students will engage in the performance of professional skills including six general competencies (1. Reporting; 2. Workload Management; 3. Written Work; 4. Working Relationships; 5. Legal Thinking and Application; and 6. Professional Engagement) as well as self-identified professional skills that they seek to improve over the course of the semester through experiential learning. In this course, students will be engaged in more individual reflective written assignments. Regular individual or small group meetings with the faculty supervisor will be used to provide opportunities for performance, reflection and self-evaluation. In addition to attending the course, students are expected to intern on-site at their internship for a minimum of 10 hours week for 14 weeks or 140 hours over the course of the semester.

Federal judicial internships begin in the spring semester of a student's second year and continue in the fall of their third year. Federal Judicial Interns work in chambers with judicial law clerks and federal judges in the United Stated District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Internships for academic credit serve to integrate legal doctrine, theory, skills and legal ethics. Students will engage in the performance of professional skills including 6 general competencies (1. Reporting; 2. Workload Management; 3. Written Work; 4. Working Relationships; 5. Legal Thinking and Application; and 6. Professional Engagement) as well as self-identified professional skills that they seek to improve over the course of the semester through experiential learning. During the second semester at the federal judicial internship site, students will expand upon the training they received the prior semester. The class component will be utilized to develop the concepts underlying the professional skills being taught, provide multiple opportunities for performance, and provide opportunities for contemporaneous reflection and self-evaluation.

Externships for academic credit integrate legal doctrine, theory, skills, and legal ethics. In the placement offices, students engage in the following professional skills and competencies: communication, legal analysis and writing, legal research, project and time management, and lawyer professionalism. Students participate in a faculty supervised guided, contemporaneous reflection in which students reflect on the concepts underlying professional lawyering skills and participate in self-evaluation. Students are expected to work at their placement offices a minimum of 30 hours each week for 6 weeks for a total of 180 hours. Students must have completed their 1L courses.

Externships for academic credit serve to integrate legal doctrine, theory, skills and legal ethics. Students engage in the following professional skills and competencies: communication, emotional intelligence, legal thinking and applications, problem-solving, project management, professionalism, workplace skills, drive, and meeting goals. Additionally, students self-identify professional skills that they seek to improve through experiential learning. In the guided reflection component, students will develop the concepts underlying the professional skills used in the workplace, will have multiple opportunities for performance, and will have opportunities for contemporaneous reflection and self-evaluation. Students will extern virtually with the placement office a minimum of 10 hours per week for 14 weeks or 140 total hours over the course of the semester.

After completing the Introduction to CASA Training and Dependency Law course, students will begin serving as CASA volunteers. This course will support this service by focusing on the advocacy skills needed to represent a court appointed child's best interest in the legal system. The course will complement the CASA volunteer work by helping students develop a fuller picture of each child's life and using that information to advocate with judges to make the most well-informed decision for each child.

Special Topics Externship. Topics vary by semester.