Course Number
621
Credits
3
Domestic Externship
(from Rule 3-25)
1. The Domestic Externship Program is designed to allow a student to receive academic credit for gaining legal experience beyond that available in the classroom setting by working under the supervision of a licensed attorney or judge in a governmental or non-profit entity.
2. A student who has completed the first year of law school may participate in a Domestic Externship during any semester in which the student is enrolled as a full-time law student. If the student will be advising or representing clients in the externship placement, the student must have completed three semesters of law school, in accordance with North Carolina State Bar Rules, Chapter 1, Subchapter C, Section .0200 et seq.
3. The amount of credit awarded for the field placement component of the externship will be based on the number of hours that the student works during the semester in the externship placement, with 1 credit awarded for every 50 hours of work. The expectation is that a student will work in the externship placement over the course of the entire semester, with 1 credit of work correlating to approximately 4 hours in the placement each week. In addition to the hours spent working in the externship placement, the student will be required to submit biweekly reflection papers to the faculty supervisor and to the Domestic Externship Administrator on a schedule administered by the Domestic Externship Administrator. Credit for work in the externship placement and the associated reflection papers will be awarded on a Credit/No Credit basis.
4. The Domestic Externship Administrator is responsible for assisting in the location of suitable field placements where appropriate, working with field supervisors to explain and implement the Law School's expectations for field placements, developing appropriate policies regarding site visits, assisting students in understanding the rules governing placements, developing policies to implement the provisions of this rule, and generally providing guidance to the externship program to achieve the goal of providing students with a sound educational experience.
5. A student wishing to work in an externship with a particular entity is responsible for contacting the entity and fulfilling any procedures that entity may establish as part of the application process for an externship, including, but not limited to, submission of a resume and transcript and completion of an in-person interview. The decision whether to host a particular student in a given externship rests with the entity where the student will work.
6. A student participating in a Domestic Externship must be supervised by a Duke Law School faculty member who will be responsible for evaluating the student's biweekly reflection papers and any research paper undertaken by the student in conjunction with the externship. The student is responsible for identifying a faculty supervisor prior to the grant of approval for the externship.
7. A student participating in a Domestic Externship must have completed or be currently enrolled in a course designated as satisfying the ethics rules component of the Ethics and Professionalism Requirement for graduation. This requirement may be waived by the Domestic Externship Administrator.
8. As explained below regarding the various types of Domestic Externships, a research paper may be done in conjunction with a Domestic Externship. The amount of credit to be awarded for the paper component of the Domestic Externship will be determined by the length of the paper. The faculty supervisor will be responsible for evaluating the quality of the paper and determining a grade for the paper, and will then notify the Domestic Externship Administrator of the grade. Credits earned for completion of a paper undertaken in conjunction with a Domestic Externship will not count toward the limit imposed for Independent Study credits that a student may earn.
9. With the exception of credits allocated to the classroom component of Integrated Domestic Externships described below, no credit associated with a Domestic Externship will count toward the 64.5 credits of regularly-scheduled law school classes required for graduation.
10. A student participating in a Domestic Externship may not earn a salary or receive other compensation for the work performed in the placement except for reimbursement for travel and other work-related expenses required by the placement entity.
11. A student who wishes to participate in more than one externship under this rule or who wishes to extend an existing externship for an additional semester must obtain the prior approval of both the Domestic Externship Administrator and the Curriculum Committee.
12. There are three types of Domestic Externships available under this rule, the Individual Domestic Externship, the Faculty-Mentored Domestic Externship, and the Integrated Domestic Externship. The characteristics of each of these are set out below. All of the above requirements apply to all three types of Domestic Externships.
A. Individual Domestic Externships:
1. A student may earn from 1 to 4 credits for placement work in an Individual Domestic Externship. The number of credits available for any particular placement will be determined in advance by the Domestic Externship Administrator with input from the supervising faculty member.
2. If a student desires, the student may earn up to an additional 2 credits beyond those awarded for work in the externship placement by completing a substantial research paper under the guidance of the faculty supervisor that is related to the substance of the externship experience.
3. Individual Domestic Externships are expected to occur in the local area, with placements in close enough proximity to the Law School to permit the student to fulfill the remaining credit requirements for the semester by attending regularly scheduled law school classes.
B. Faculty-Mentored Domestic Externships:
1. A student wishing to undertake an externship that either involves more credits than permitted for an Individual Domestic Externship or that is in a distant location may seek approval for a Faculty-Mentored Domestic Externship. This type of externship assumes a particularly high level of engagement by the faculty supervisor, the field supervisor, and the Domestic Externship Administrator to ensure a high-quality educational experience for the student. To that end, the faculty supervisor is expected to participate in the selection and approval of the externship placement. In addition, it is expected that there will be regular contact throughout the semester between the faculty supervisor, field supervisor, and Domestic Externship Administrator, beyond the level of contact that might otherwise arise from the student's reflection papers.
2. A student may receive up to 9 credits for work at the externship placement in a Faculty-Mentored Domestic Externship. In addition, the student may receive 2 to 4 credits for work on a related research paper, and up to 2 or, in extraordinary circumstances, 3 credits for completion of a set of readings or a tutorial under the direction of the faculty supervisor. In no event may a student receive more than 14 credits for a Faculty-Mentored Individual Domestic Externship.
3. A student wishing to undertake a Faculty-Mentored Domestic Externship must obtain the approval of the Curriculum Committee. Approval should be sought through submission of a written proposal that fully describes the proposed externship and outlines the student's goals in undertaking the externship and the means by which the externship will help achieve those goals.
C. Integrated Domestic Externships:
1. An Integrated Domestic Externship is a curricular offering in which multiple students participate during the same semester in similar externship placements and in a classroom component for which a Duke Law School faculty member serves as instructor. In such an externship, the placements share a theme, such as federal criminal prosecution or policy-making placements in federal entities, which allows for classroom discussions on issues common to the several placements. The faculty member teaching the course component serves as faculty supervisor for each student in the Integrated Domestic Externship.
2. As with Faculty-Mentored Domestic Externships, this type of externship assumes a high level of engagement by the faculty supervisor, the field supervisors, and the Domestic Externship Administrator. The faculty supervisor is expected to participate in the selection and approval of the externship placements, and it is expected that there will be regular contact throughout the semester between the faculty supervisor, field supervisors, and Domestic Externship Administrator, beyond the level of contact that might otherwise arise from the student's reflection papers.
3. An Integrated Domestic Externship must be approved by the Curriculum Committee under its normal procedures for course approval, based upon a proposal submitted by the faculty member who will teach the course. Prior to seeking Curriculum Committee approval, the faculty member should consult with the Domestic Externship Administrator to ensure that the course proposal is consistent with this rule and with the practices developed under other previously approved Integrated Domestic Externships.
4. Credit to be awarded for an Integrated Domestic Externship will be based on a combination of credits for the externship placement, the associated course, and any substantial research paper required as a part of the course offering. Up to 9 hours of placement credit is permitted where the placements are part of a comprehensive proposal for a semester-away program or a highly structured local externship. The course component of the externship will carry 2 or, in exceptional cases, 3 credits. The faculty member has the option of requiring a major research paper as part of the offering, which may carry up to an additional 4 credits. In no event may the credits awarded for an Integrated Domestic Externship exceed 14.
5. The faculty member is responsible for identifying entities willing to host student externs participating in the Integrated Domestic Externship, but students remain responsible for obtaining approval to work as an extern with a particular entity. No student may participate in an Integrated Domestic Externship unless the student has successfully obtained an externship position with an entity approved by the faculty member.
1. The Domestic Externship Program is designed to allow a student to receive academic credit for gaining legal experience beyond that available in the classroom setting by working under the supervision of a licensed attorney or judge in a governmental or non-profit entity.
2. A student who has completed the first year of law school may participate in a Domestic Externship during any semester in which the student is enrolled as a full-time law student. If the student will be advising or representing clients in the externship placement, the student must have completed three semesters of law school, in accordance with North Carolina State Bar Rules, Chapter 1, Subchapter C, Section .0200 et seq.
3. The amount of credit awarded for the field placement component of the externship will be based on the number of hours that the student works during the semester in the externship placement, with 1 credit awarded for every 50 hours of work. The expectation is that a student will work in the externship placement over the course of the entire semester, with 1 credit of work correlating to approximately 4 hours in the placement each week. In addition to the hours spent working in the externship placement, the student will be required to submit biweekly reflection papers to the faculty supervisor and to the Domestic Externship Administrator on a schedule administered by the Domestic Externship Administrator. Credit for work in the externship placement and the associated reflection papers will be awarded on a Credit/No Credit basis.
4. The Domestic Externship Administrator is responsible for assisting in the location of suitable field placements where appropriate, working with field supervisors to explain and implement the Law School's expectations for field placements, developing appropriate policies regarding site visits, assisting students in understanding the rules governing placements, developing policies to implement the provisions of this rule, and generally providing guidance to the externship program to achieve the goal of providing students with a sound educational experience.
5. A student wishing to work in an externship with a particular entity is responsible for contacting the entity and fulfilling any procedures that entity may establish as part of the application process for an externship, including, but not limited to, submission of a resume and transcript and completion of an in-person interview. The decision whether to host a particular student in a given externship rests with the entity where the student will work.
6. A student participating in a Domestic Externship must be supervised by a Duke Law School faculty member who will be responsible for evaluating the student's biweekly reflection papers and any research paper undertaken by the student in conjunction with the externship. The student is responsible for identifying a faculty supervisor prior to the grant of approval for the externship.
7. A student participating in a Domestic Externship must have completed or be currently enrolled in a course designated as satisfying the ethics rules component of the Ethics and Professionalism Requirement for graduation. This requirement may be waived by the Domestic Externship Administrator.
8. As explained below regarding the various types of Domestic Externships, a research paper may be done in conjunction with a Domestic Externship. The amount of credit to be awarded for the paper component of the Domestic Externship will be determined by the length of the paper. The faculty supervisor will be responsible for evaluating the quality of the paper and determining a grade for the paper, and will then notify the Domestic Externship Administrator of the grade. Credits earned for completion of a paper undertaken in conjunction with a Domestic Externship will not count toward the limit imposed for Independent Study credits that a student may earn.
9. With the exception of credits allocated to the classroom component of Integrated Domestic Externships described below, no credit associated with a Domestic Externship will count toward the 64.5 credits of regularly-scheduled law school classes required for graduation.
10. A student participating in a Domestic Externship may not earn a salary or receive other compensation for the work performed in the placement except for reimbursement for travel and other work-related expenses required by the placement entity.
11. A student who wishes to participate in more than one externship under this rule or who wishes to extend an existing externship for an additional semester must obtain the prior approval of both the Domestic Externship Administrator and the Curriculum Committee.
12. There are three types of Domestic Externships available under this rule, the Individual Domestic Externship, the Faculty-Mentored Domestic Externship, and the Integrated Domestic Externship. The characteristics of each of these are set out below. All of the above requirements apply to all three types of Domestic Externships.
A. Individual Domestic Externships:
1. A student may earn from 1 to 4 credits for placement work in an Individual Domestic Externship. The number of credits available for any particular placement will be determined in advance by the Domestic Externship Administrator with input from the supervising faculty member.
2. If a student desires, the student may earn up to an additional 2 credits beyond those awarded for work in the externship placement by completing a substantial research paper under the guidance of the faculty supervisor that is related to the substance of the externship experience.
3. Individual Domestic Externships are expected to occur in the local area, with placements in close enough proximity to the Law School to permit the student to fulfill the remaining credit requirements for the semester by attending regularly scheduled law school classes.
B. Faculty-Mentored Domestic Externships:
1. A student wishing to undertake an externship that either involves more credits than permitted for an Individual Domestic Externship or that is in a distant location may seek approval for a Faculty-Mentored Domestic Externship. This type of externship assumes a particularly high level of engagement by the faculty supervisor, the field supervisor, and the Domestic Externship Administrator to ensure a high-quality educational experience for the student. To that end, the faculty supervisor is expected to participate in the selection and approval of the externship placement. In addition, it is expected that there will be regular contact throughout the semester between the faculty supervisor, field supervisor, and Domestic Externship Administrator, beyond the level of contact that might otherwise arise from the student's reflection papers.
2. A student may receive up to 9 credits for work at the externship placement in a Faculty-Mentored Domestic Externship. In addition, the student may receive 2 to 4 credits for work on a related research paper, and up to 2 or, in extraordinary circumstances, 3 credits for completion of a set of readings or a tutorial under the direction of the faculty supervisor. In no event may a student receive more than 14 credits for a Faculty-Mentored Individual Domestic Externship.
3. A student wishing to undertake a Faculty-Mentored Domestic Externship must obtain the approval of the Curriculum Committee. Approval should be sought through submission of a written proposal that fully describes the proposed externship and outlines the student's goals in undertaking the externship and the means by which the externship will help achieve those goals.
C. Integrated Domestic Externships:
1. An Integrated Domestic Externship is a curricular offering in which multiple students participate during the same semester in similar externship placements and in a classroom component for which a Duke Law School faculty member serves as instructor. In such an externship, the placements share a theme, such as federal criminal prosecution or policy-making placements in federal entities, which allows for classroom discussions on issues common to the several placements. The faculty member teaching the course component serves as faculty supervisor for each student in the Integrated Domestic Externship.
2. As with Faculty-Mentored Domestic Externships, this type of externship assumes a high level of engagement by the faculty supervisor, the field supervisors, and the Domestic Externship Administrator. The faculty supervisor is expected to participate in the selection and approval of the externship placements, and it is expected that there will be regular contact throughout the semester between the faculty supervisor, field supervisors, and Domestic Externship Administrator, beyond the level of contact that might otherwise arise from the student's reflection papers.
3. An Integrated Domestic Externship must be approved by the Curriculum Committee under its normal procedures for course approval, based upon a proposal submitted by the faculty member who will teach the course. Prior to seeking Curriculum Committee approval, the faculty member should consult with the Domestic Externship Administrator to ensure that the course proposal is consistent with this rule and with the practices developed under other previously approved Integrated Domestic Externships.
4. Credit to be awarded for an Integrated Domestic Externship will be based on a combination of credits for the externship placement, the associated course, and any substantial research paper required as a part of the course offering. Up to 9 hours of placement credit is permitted where the placements are part of a comprehensive proposal for a semester-away program or a highly structured local externship. The course component of the externship will carry 2 or, in exceptional cases, 3 credits. The faculty member has the option of requiring a major research paper as part of the offering, which may carry up to an additional 4 credits. In no event may the credits awarded for an Integrated Domestic Externship exceed 14.
5. The faculty member is responsible for identifying entities willing to host student externs participating in the Integrated Domestic Externship, but students remain responsible for obtaining approval to work as an extern with a particular entity. No student may participate in an Integrated Domestic Externship unless the student has successfully obtained an externship position with an entity approved by the faculty member.
Please note that course organization and content may vary substantially from semester to semester and descriptions are not necessarily professor specific. Please contact the instructor directly if you have particular course-related questions.
Sections/Instructors
Domestic Externship 621.01
Fall 2012
E-mail List
Domestic Externship 621.01
Fall 2011
E-mail List
Domestic Externship 621.01
Fall 2010
Kathryn Webb Bradley
Domestic Externship 621.01
Fall 2009
E-mail List