Externship Program Information for Students

Externships broaden your employment opportunities by providing you with practical legal experience often not available through paid clerking or volunteer positions.

Serving as excellent preparation for post-graduate judicial clerkships, judicial externships acquaint you with the day-to-day operation of the courts as you work with trial and appellate court judges and their law clerks to research and write legal memoranda and draft opinions.

In legal externships, you'll work in civil or criminal practice in a specialized area of your choice with supervising attorneys in federal, state and local government agencies, corporate legal departments, or public interest organization.

JUDICIAL EXTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Judicial Externship Program (JEP) is a 4-credit hour Pass/Low Pass/Fail program open to students who have completed at least their first full year of law school and want to do legal research and writing for a federal appellate, district or magistrate judge or designated Illinois appellate or circuit court judges. JEP enables a student to become involved in particular legal problems through research and writing, and to contribute to the resolution of those problems by participating in drafting memoranda and opinions. Depending upon the judge, an extern may also have the opportunity to observe the judge’s day-to-day routine and to discuss with him/her the issues and problems that judges confront. Take advantage of this prestigious learning opportunity while enhancing your marketability in the legal world.

Application Process - Spring 2022 Semester

While the deadline has passed for applying to work with a judge from the list we provided, you can still still participate if you secure your own externship with a judge.

Judicial Externship Application - Secured Your Own

Completed applications should be submitted to Suzanne Blaz (sblaz@kentlaw.iit.edu) by Tuesday, January 4, 2022.

Note: Open forms in Adobe PDF ("Open With Different Viewer" once it opens in the browser) to fill them out.

ACCESS2PRACTICE
LEGAL EXTERNSHIP PROGRAM

What is LEP?

Access2Practice (A2P) Legal Externship is a 4-credit-hour Pass/Fail program which enables Kent 2Ls and 3Ls to gain supervision/mentoring in a wide variety of legal areas – both civil and criminal. LEP externships are offered in the Fall and Spring semesters and in the Summer session and consist of two separate components: fieldwork and class. Externs must work 16 hours a week during the Fall/Spring semesters and 32 hours per week in the Summer semester for a minimum total of 224 hours. In addition, externs attend a series of classes that meet on designated Wednesdays from 4:00 p.m. - 5:50 p.m. Classes focus on different legal areas and the often complex realities at the core of law practice.

For additional information about LEP, you may also refer to the “Types of Externship Programs.”

Informational Meeting on Spring 2022 Access2Practice LEP

On Wednesday, October 20, 2021, via Zoom, Prof. Gross will conduct an informational meeting about legal externships. For more information on this information meeting, please contact sblaz@kentlaw.iit.edu.

How to Apply:

The Information and Application packets for the Spring 2022 LEP are available online in Symplicity and below:

Legal Externship Application

After you accept an offer to extern for credit, you must submit the packet and also schedule an interview with Professor Gross. No application will be approved for registration if you have not had a prior interview with Professor Gross. Additionally, if the placement is not pre-approved / pre-screened, Professor Gross will need to ensure the placement agrees to comply with externship requirements of the ABA and law school.

Applications to register for A2P Legal Externship Spring 2022 must be submitted to Professor Gross (vgross@kentlaw.iit.edu; cc sblaz@kentlaw.iit.edu) no later than Tuesday, January 4, 2022 to allow sufficient time for final school approval and registration.

Note: Open forms in Adobe PDF ("Open With Different Viewer" once it opens in the browser) to fill them out.

If you would like more information, please check the Externship web page.

Exciting and Prestigious Law Firm Externship Opportunities
Spring 2022 Legal Externship Program
For Credit Only (4 Credits)

As part of Chicago-Kent’s Spring 2022 Legal Externship Program, the two prestigious law firms listed below will select a Chicago-Kent student extern. The extern receives 4 (Pass/Fail) credit hours and must devote 16 hours a week to fieldwork at one of the firms. There will also be an accompanying classroom component on designated Wednesdays at 4:00 p.m.

Take advantage of these exciting opportunities!

Participating Firms & Practice Areas:

Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP

In Person

The selected extern will work in 3 groups: Business Litigation, Government Litigation and Insurance.

Seyfarth Shaw, LLP

Remote

The selected extern will essentially become a member of the firm’s IP group for a semester, performing legal research and writing in copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, advertising, privacy, Internet, and other related IP issues. The position is not limited to people with technical backgrounds.

To Apply to One of the Above Firms:

Only 2Ls and 3Ls can apply and you must have a minimum G.P.A. of 3.3.

Please submit your resume, unofficial transcript and writing sample to Suzanne Blaz (sblaz@kentlaw.iit.edu) by Wednesday, October 27, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. Please indicate to which firm(s) you are applying.

Do not apply directly to the law firm.

Each firm will conduct its own selection process. You must accept the first offer you receive and cannot withdraw after your acceptance with the respective firm. If you have any questions, contact Prof. Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu)

SEMESTER LAW FIRM ASSOCIATE PROGRAM

Chicago-Kent’s Semester Law Firm Associate Program (SLFAP) is a unique for-credit non-graded program open to 2Ls and 3Ls with a cumulative minimum 3.2 GPA. Semester Associate externs work for academic credit (without pay) as “Associates” for the designated and prestigious law firms listed below.

Semester Associate externs receive 6 credits and devote 24 hours a week during the semester to the fieldwork component. Students gain experience, skills and perspective from work on different aspects of litigation and transactions. The firms strive to expose students to a range of legal problems demanding varying skill sets and competencies. In conjunction with the fieldwork, there is an accompanying classroom component, scheduled on designated Thursdays from 4:00-5:30 p.m.

Even though COVID will require most of the fieldwork experience to be remote, this is still a terrific opportunity to learn about life in a law firm, substantive law from highly qualified practicing attorneys, more about your own strengths and interests, and to make an impression on the lawyers with whom you come into contact (even though there is no expectation of future employment). Since the start of COVID, all the previous effected externs will tell you that the necessary limitations in no way affected the success of their externship experience.

To Apply for Spring 2022 SLFAP:

Below are the participating firms and legal practice areas. All 2Ls and 3Ls who wish to apply for an externship at any of the firms listed below, please email a current resume and unofficial transcript to Suzanne Blaz (sblaz@kentlaw.iit.edu), assistant to Professor Gross, by the end of the day on Wednesday, October 27, 2021. Also indicate to which firm(s) you are applying.

Each firm will conduct its own selection process. You must accept the first offer you receive and cannot withdraw after your acceptance with the respective firm.

Participating Firms:

Beermann LLP

Matrimonial Law (In-person)

Dickinson Wright PLLC

Commercial Litigation (Hybrid)

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

Corporate Law (Remote)

Michael Best & Friedrich LLP

IP Law (Patent & Soft IP) (science background desired) (In-person)

Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney

Litigation (commercial/possibly some toxic tort) (In-person)

Please contact Professor Gross immediately if you are selected or if you have any questions.

More program information

If you have any questions about the Legal or Judicial Externships, please contact Professor Vivien Gross (vgross@kentlaw.iit.edu).

Recent Legal Externship Placements

American Dental Association	Beerman Swerdlove	Blair Caravelli Irmen Law
Center for Disability and Elder Law	Center for Law & Social Justice	Chicago Office Illinois Human Rights Commission
Cook County Public Defender Office	Domestic Violence Legal Clinic	Equip for Equality, Inc.
Federal Defender's Office	FINRA	Hinshaw Culbertson
Illinois Attorney General	Illinois Pollution Control Board	Int'l Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) in New York
Internal Revenue Services	Lane & Lane, LLC	Lawyers for the Creative Arts
Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago	Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago	Maron Marvel Bradley Anderson & Tardy LLC
Merieux Nutrisciences Corporation	Mintel Group Ltd.	Office of the Cook County Public Guardian
Rosenbaum IP	Saper Law	Seyfarth Shaw
State's Attorney's Offices--Cook, DuPage, Lake & Will counties	U.S. Attorney's Offices, Northern District of Illinois	U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement	U.S. Environmental Protection Agency	U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
ULTA Beauty	Walgreen Co.	Brightstar Corporation