Students taking this course should register for 2 or 3 credits of fieldwork under the course titled “Legal Externships” or they should enroll in one of the CUA clinical courses.

This course is required for second-year students in the Law and Public Policy Program and is open to other students if space is available. In consultation with the instructor, each student selects either a live-client clinical course or a field placement at which to do uncompensated legal work under the supervision of an attorney at a nonprofit organization, a government office (executive, legislative, or judicial branch of federal, state, or local government), a law firm, or a corporation. Placements and clinical courses should involve the students in the development or implementation of law and/or public policy, and must be approved by the instructor. Students enrolled in externships receive one credit for each 60 hours of fieldwork. Students are encouraged to complete three hours of fieldwork credit but may elect to complete only two fieldwork credits. For additional information about the externship program, refer to the description of "Legal Externships" on page 40.

This two-credit seminar will include reflective oral and written dialogue and readings designed to foster learning from the field and clinical experiences, to advance the students’ professional development and to allow discussion of a range of public policy issues. Participants study various aspects of their own and others’ field experience, including the goals and operations of the organizations where they are working, the process and problems encountered in the making or implementation of law or policy, the professional conduct and roles of the lawyers with whom they work, and other topics. The course will expose students to a wide variety of legal organizations and substantive fields. The course is designed to assist students in identifying professional goals and paths through which they might pursue those goals. The seminar is graded; fieldwork credit is awarded on a pass-fail basis.