Field Placement Application 2015-16
University of Oregon School of Law
Please complete this application, replacing the italicized sample answers with appropriate
information, and sign the document. If you need more information, contact the Director of
Externships, Stuart Chinn, at [email protected], or the Administrative Coordinator of the
Externships Program, Jill Elizabeth, at [email protected]. Externship requirements and deadlines are
included in an Appendix on the final page.
I. Placement Information. Please describe the organization, its regular activities, and any other
information that would be helpful to the law school’s Curriculum Committee in making its decision
about the appropriateness of this placement.
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Name of Organization, Location of office
Explain in detail what clientele the organization serves (children and youth, animals, etc.)
State if the organization is a non-profit (e.g., 501(c)(3))
Explain in detail what the organization does to help its clients (i.e. advocates for clients by
assisting with other legal issues resulting from their involvement in the juvenile justice and
child welfare systems.)
II. Externship Duties. Please describe the type of work that the extern will be engaged in during
the externship. This description should be as detailed as possible.
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Explain who the extern will work with and what will be expected (e.g., the extern will provide
legal research and writing assistance to attorneys directly representing clients; work on
special advocacy projects, including possible appellate work; interview clients; prepare for
initial appearance hearings. Third-year, court-certified externs may have the opportunity to
appear in court.)
Please check here to affirm that externs will perform at least 80% of their work on site. ☐
Explain briefly how you will accommodate this requirement.
If the placement is with a for-profit organization, include in the list of duties above the percentage of
time the student will likely spend on each activity. Also, check here to affirm that the office will not
bill for the student’s time. ☐
Does this extern need security clearance in order to begin working?
III. Field Supervisor. Please identify a field supervisor who will be the extern’s and the law
school’s primary contact and who will be responsible for
(1) training the student extern to ensure competent performance of the work assigned;
(2) overseeing the student extern’s work assignments through weekly meetings;
(3) providing the student extern with a productive and varied educational experience with
personal supervision and extensive feedback;
(4) identifying and discussing the professional and ethical implications of the work assigned;
and
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(5) submitting to the faculty supervisor a written evaluation of the student extern midsemester and at the end of the semester.
Identify the field supervisor. The placement must be supervised by a specific person with a law
degree (except for unique situations) and three to five years of professional or supervisory experience.
Please notify the Externships Program if there any changes in the field supervision described below.
Please be sure to include the field supervisor’s name, qualifications, and contact information.
Chris Smith, ABC Law Center
Main Street
City, State Zip
Main phone number (541) 554-0925
[email protected]
Chris Smith, Supervising Attorney, is a 1998 graduate of the University of Oregon School of
Law with 18 years experience in family law, specializing in juvenile justice and child welfare.
IV. Semesters and Credits. Please indicate which semesters your organization anticipates possibly
wanting an extern (fall, spring, summer) and the range of credits that the organization would
anticipate being able to support. Information in the Appendix to this application explains the
relationship between hours worked and academic credit available to the extern.
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Semester(s) desired (Fall, Spring, Summer)
Position start date and end date
Hours per week
How many credits
V. Application Process. The law school does not “place” students at externships; rather, students
pursue externships like they pursue paid employment opportunities. For this reason, you should put
in place whatever application and selection process fits your office’s needs.
Please describe your office’s application and selection process, including what materials students
should submit (e.g., resume, cover letter); how they should submit the materials (e.g., electronically
or in print); when they should submit the materials; all required and preferred qualifications for
externs; whether you conduct interviews; when you expect to extend offers; and any other details that
may be helpful to students and their law school advisors.
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Name of position (e.g., Summer 2015 Extern, Part-time Legal Researcher)
Applicants should submit a resume and cover letter via email to Name, Title, Email.
Qualifications (specific experience or leadership positions, if relevant)
Application deadline
How many positions are available?
Equal Opportunity Employer (Y/N)
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Note: Please keep us informed of your organization’s needs. The externship coordinator works with
Oregon Law’s Center for Career Planning and Professional Development to advertise your externship
openings.
By submitting this application, my office intends to create an externship placement. I understand the
following:
 Every student registered with a placement must be overseen by a specific field supervisor (an
attorney with at least three to five years of professional experience or experience in a
supervisory role).
 The field supervisor will meet at least weekly with the extern, assign projects, supervise and
advise the extern, and provide the required evaluations.
 Each placement must be approved by the School of Law Curriculum Committee and regularly
reviewed by the faculty supervisor.
 Each placement must comport with the purpose of externships, explained in the Appendix.
This application must be signed by an authorized person at the office that desires to create an
externship.
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Print
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Signature
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Submitted to Curriculum Committee on [Date]
Approved by Curriculum Committee on [Date]
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Date
Appendix
University of Oregon School of Law Externship Program
Purpose of the Externship Program
The purpose of Oregon Law’s externship program is to allow students to develop practical lawyering
skills and gain insight into the operation of legal systems through rigorously supervised placements in
which students have regular opportunities for guided reflection on their placement experiences.
Through the externship program, students should
(1) enhance their professional identities,
(2) enhance their problem-solving skills,
(3) enhance their interpersonal and professional skills,
(4) learn how to learn from experience, and
(5) gain substantive knowledge and understanding of practice skills.
Components of an Externship
Externships consist of, essentially, two components. The first is the placement. Placements are
typically judicial, government, or non-profit organizations. Through the placement, externs engage
in substantive legal work and are supervised by an on-site, licensed attorney who serves as the field
supervisor. (There are some exceptions to this general description.) The second component of the
externship is the course component, which is taught by the extern’s faculty supervisor. As part of the
course component, the extern will write regular journals in reflection on her experience, meet with
her faculty supervisor, and track her time.
Semesters and Credits
Students extern during the fall, spring, and summer semesters:
The fall and spring semesters are 14 weeks long. During these semesters, students must work
4 hours a week for each credit they earn (a 3 credit externship requires 12 hours of work a
week, a 4 credit externship requires 16 hours of work a week, etc.).
The summer semester is 8 weeks long. During the summer semester, students must work 7
hours a week at the office for each credit they earn (a 3 credit externship requires 21 hours of
work a week, a 4 credit externship requires 28 hours of work a week, etc.).
With limited exceptions, externships must be completed during the semester, with students beginning
work on the semester start date and ending work on the semester end date. Field supervisors submit
evaluations midway through and at the end of a semester, regardless of whether a student continues to
volunteer at the placement beyond the end date of the semester.
Timeline
Each application must be approved by the Curriculum Committee. It is in the best interest of the
student and the organization to submit an application as soon as possible. At the latest, applications
for fall and summer externships should be submitted by mid-April, while applications for spring
externships should be submitted by early December.
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