Study

*Note: Only offered 2020-2021*  

This externship is limited to 3L students.  This appellate externship will provide an opportunity to work with appellate lawyers at one or more Federal Public Defender offices operating in different judicial districts within in the Fourth Circuit.  (By federal statute, federal public defender organizations are federal entities, and their staffs are federal employees.  These offices exist to provide legal assistance to people facing federal criminal charges or convicted of federal crimes but who are unable to afford counsel.  These offices litigate against U.S. Attorney offices in their respective districts, and so the United States is an opposing party.)  Appellate work principally entails research and writing, and so the appellate lawyers involved in this externship are responsible for briefing and orally arguing federal criminal appeals to U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.  They also may be involved with some matters before the appeal stage, for purposes of providing guidance on substantive law, strategic input, and drafting to preserve issues for appeal.  Appellate lawyers in these offices may also be involved with some post-conviction motions under 28 U.S.C. 2255, compassionate release filings, and filings under the First Step Act.  This is an integrated externship; this means that, aside from the field work with the appellate lawyers, the course has a weekly seminar component, which will be led by Prof. Andrussier.  Outside of that seminar, Prof. Andrussier will also meet individually with each student regularly to discuss the externship and student reflections.

Students will be expected to complete a minimum of 100 hours of field work to receive credit for the externship portion of the course. 

*NOTE: Students may count 2 of the 3 credits towards the JD experiential learning requirement.*

*Note: Only offered 2020-2021*  

This externship is limited to 3L students.  This appellate externship will provide an opportunity to work with appellate lawyers at one or more Federal Public Defender offices operating in different judicial districts within in the Fourth Circuit.  (By federal statute, federal public defender organizations are federal entities, and their staffs are federal employees.  These offices exist to provide legal assistance to people facing federal criminal charges or convicted of federal crimes but who are unable to afford counsel.  These offices litigate against U.S. Attorney offices in their respective districts, and so the United States is an opposing party.)  Appellate work principally entails research and writing, and so the appellate lawyers involved in this externship are responsible for briefing and orally arguing federal criminal appeals to U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.  They also may be involved with some matters before the appeal stage, for purposes of providing guidance on substantive law, strategic input, and drafting to preserve issues for appeal.  Appellate lawyers in these offices may also be involved with some post-conviction motions under 28 U.S.C. 2255, compassionate release filings, and filings under the First Step Act.  This is an integrated externship; this means that, aside from the field work with the appellate lawyers, the course has a weekly seminar component, which will be led by Prof. Andrussier.  Outside of that seminar, Prof. Andrussier will also meet individually with each student regularly to discuss the externship and student reflections.

Students will be expected to complete a minimum of 100 hours of field work to receive credit for the externship portion of the course.