Connect Your Education to the Real World
Nebraska Law is proud to debut a new field placement (externship) program for spring 2023! Led by the new Director of Externships, Elsbeth Magilton, the program supports students seeking course credit for work completed outside the college in professional settings. Placements vary from non-profits, to government and military, to law firms, and companies. Simply put, these placements are experiential learning opportunities that give students practical experiences for academic credit. The experience allows students to apply their learning in a real life setting with classroom and peer support.
Finding and Developing a Placement
Students are generally responsible for finding and securing their own placements, but the Director of Externships, the Career Development Office, and the faculty are here to help! If you're an employer seeking a student, we'd love to help you post a position and identify a great fit for your office.
Students often have a lot of questions about how externships work and fit into their schedules. Please check out the FAQ page for details on all the biggest questions student's usually have!
The Field Placement (Externship) Courses
The Field Placement (Externship) Courses are the classroom components for Nebraska Law students completing field work. The general course is for most externships (1-6 credit hours), and is designed to complement fieldwork, offering opportunities for thoughtful reflection about student experiences and to enhance and improve student skills. Students must also be mindful of the hours required for work and how to plan for each semester or session. Most academic year semesters are 16 weeks. The course will meet for a total of 6.25 hours per semester and assignments are estimated to take around 8 hours for the whole semester. All other hours must be completed in your placement.
The college also offers a two-semester, two-credit Board Service Externship Program Course and a Semester in D.C. Externship Program in collaboration with the University of Iowa.
Student Proposal for an Externship
This is "Form A: Student Proposal." Students are required to submit this form and receive confirmation from the Director of Externships before registering for credit hours. Please contact Elsbeth Magilton at elsbeth@unl.edu with any questions.
Supervisor Agreement and Responsibilities
This is "Form B: Supervisor Agreement." A student's onsite supervisor must submit this form before a student may register for credit. The supervisor manual is available on this form and must be reviewed and agreed to when submitting. Questions may be sent to the Director of Externships, Elsbeth Magilton at elsbeth@unl.edu.
Educational Planning and Weekly Time Logs
"Form C: Educational Planning" is to assist the student and the onsite externship supervisor in the discussion and formulation on of mutual educational goals for the semester and to think about mechanisms for achieving those goals. This should be completed while together, virtually or in person, prior to or very near the beginning of the placement.
Time log forms must be submitted weekly throughout the semester or summer session by Fridays at 10:00pm central. When a student submits this form both their onsite supervisor and the Director of Externships receive a copy. Submission and supervisor review of time logs is required for academic credit under the ABA rules. If the onsite supervisor notes a discrepancy or wishes to contest a time log, they should contact the Director of Externships, Elsbeth Magilton at elsbeth@unl.edu. Different offices and businesses may also require the student to fill in other logs for their administrative purposes. This is distinct and separate and students are expected to complete both.
Evaluations of the Student's Performance
The purpose of the mid-semester ("Form D") and final evaluations ("Form E") is to provide the student and the Director of Externships feedback on the student's performance. Students and the Director of Externships will contact supervisors with timelines for these forms, but generally they are done at the halfway point and at the conclusion of the placement.
These evaluations will be shared with the student via email, but preferably the supervisor and the student will schedule time to discuss it. Supervisor feedback is most valuable when the student has the opportunity to ask questions - and practice the difficult skill of receiving feedback.
Performance evaluations are required for academic credit under the ABA rules.
Who is Eligible?
To be eligible to participate in an externship for academic credit, the student must have successfully completed the first-year law student curriculum prior to beginning participation in the externship. Under this Externship Program Policy, a maximum of six hours of externship credit shall be counted toward the graduation requirements for the J.D. degree. To have more than six credit hours for a single externship counted toward the graduation requirements for the J.D. degree, the externship must be approved by the faculty as a separate, distinct and ongoing externship program. A student may participate in more than one externship during the student’s course of study at the College of Law, but the total number of credit hours awarded under this Externship Program Policy for all externships shall not exceed six credit hours.
What is the goal of a Field Placement (externship)?
The educational goals of the Externship Program are:
- To encourage the further development of the student’s legal research, writing and drafting skills through work on various types of documents;
- To expose the student to lawyering skills through participation in or observations of activities such as interviewing, counseling, negotiation, mediation, oral and written advocacy, factual investigation, public hearings and the development of strategies for case management and the legislative process;
- To develop the student’s advocacy skills through participation in or observations of court proceedings, discovery, administrative agency proceedings, lobbying activities and legislative hearings and debate;
- To give the student practical legal experience and to enhance the student’s understanding of the application of the principles learned in law school to real world legal problems;
- To give the student the opportunity to participate in, and reflect upon, the work of legal institutions;
- To expose the student to issues of professional responsibility within the context of the workplace;
- To encourage the student to explore and consider the different roles that lawyers have in the economy and in society, and to expose them to the range of career opportunities available to those individuals who possess a J.D. degree; and
- To permit the student to gain practical experience in specialized areas of the law through experiences that will supplement the student’s course work within the law school.
6+ Credit Hour Placements
Under Nebraska Law's policy, a maximum of six hours of externship credit shall be counted toward the graduation requirements for the J.D. degree. To have more than six credit hours for a single placement counted toward the graduation requirements for the J.D. degree, the placement must be approved by the faculty as a separate, distinct and ongoing externship program. A student may participate in more than one externship during the student’s course of study at the College of Law, but the total number of credit hours awarded shall not exceed six credit hours.
Some examples include approved placements at NORAD and NORTHCOM, Senator Fischer's Office, and the Honors Program Described below. Student's with questions about 12 credit hour, full time, placements should contact the Director of Externships, Elsbeth Magilton (elsbeth@unl.edu).
Honors Externship in the Department of Defense Office of General Counsel (International Affairs)
In addition to the 'Semester in DC Program' Nebraska Law is also home to the 'Honors Externship in the Department of Defense Office of General Counsel (International Affairs)' supervised by Professor Jack Beard. This honors externship in Washington, D.C. is one of the most prestigious international law/national security externship opportunities for law students in the United States Government and meets the requirements of a full semester (12 credits) at the University of Nebraska College of Law. Students serving in this externship are involved in significant work and every effort is made to integrate them into the professional life of the office. Duties include legal research, drafting memoranda and assisting in the drafting of international agreements, attending departmental and inter-agency meetings, and dealing with senior national security officials of the U.S. Government. The externship offers an unparalleled opportunity to observe and participate in international legal practice in the United States government, hands-on experience in national security legal matters, and a unique and valuable insight into career opportunities in this field. A security clearance is necessary.
This program is facilitated directly by Professor Beard, separately from the other externship programming, and interested students should contact him directly.
Questions?
Elsbeth Magilton
Director of Externships
402-472-6295
elsbeth@unl.edu