Externships
UC Irvine School of Law places a strong emphasis on experiential learning and offers various opportunities for students to provide legal services directly to the community. A key component is the Externship Program, which provides academic credit for students doing legal work for judges, non-profit organizations, and government agencies.
Program Goals
The UCI Law Externship Program's primary goals and the methods employed to achieve those goals include:
- Further developing the student's professional identity through participating in, and reflecting upon, the work of legal institutions;
- Increasing the student's understanding of the fundamental values of the legal profession including a commitment to a broad view of problem solving, promoting access to justice, and an ongoing process of self-growth through practice, feedback and reflection;
- Further developing the student's understanding of professional responsibility through observation of, and participation in legal practice;
- Improving the student's research, writing and analytic skills through drafting documents such as bench memoranda, legal memoranda, pleadings and orders upon which students are expected to receive detailed feedback;
- Improving the student's oral advocacy skills through observation of legal practitioners making such presentations and engaging in informal presentations themselves; and
- Increasing the student's knowledge of substantive law thorough work on legal issues on behalf of the placement organization.
Externships in the News
- UCI Law receives A+ grade for practical training – preLaw magazine
- UCI Law Student Gets First-Hand Experience of Impeachment Trial – UCI Law
- Dean Richardson, D’lorah Hughes, Crystal Adams ’15, Shirley Diaz ’18 and Sean Lobb ’18 quoted on UCI Law’s involvement in the UCDC Law Program – Orange County Lawyer
- D’lorah Hughes writes column on externships – Daily Journal
- UCI Law receives Public Law Center Community Partner of the Year Award – UCI Law
Externship Profiles in Practice
- TJ Thompson, UC Office of the President (Summer 2019)
- Prof. Porter opens congressional office to student amid shutdown
- UCI Law student gains trial experience through Washington, D.C. externship
- Laila Rashid, UCDC Department of Justice (Fall 2018)
- Julia Jones, Federal Public Defender (Spring 2018)
- Daniel Werner, Dolores Street Community Services (Spring 2018)
- Jaquesha Scott, Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office (Spring 2018)
- Erika Bertelsen, Rainbow Services (Fall 2017)
- Matthew Jacinto, United Nations (Fall 2017)
Learn more about Externships at UCI Law (PDF) >