Some states have requirements for hours of study in a law school under immediate faculty supervision. It is the intention of the Law School that only externships involving intensive supervision by an attorney at the house site, and careful guidance by a member of the Law School faculty, be permitted. Students should check the requirements of states in which they may wish to be admitted to practice to determine the permissibility of a semester spent on externship.

Students are responsible for following the correct procedures for their externship application/proposal.

Students who choose to go on externship in South Africa are required to enroll in LAW 680, Constitutionalism in South Africa. Students who propose a final semester externship must also include in their application packet a completed Registrar Checklist showing that at the end of the externship all requirements for their degree will have been met.

A student may not engage in both the externship and study abroad program during his or her matriculation at the Law School.

Only students in good standing are eligible for externship programs. In deciding whether to approve an externship program, the members of the Committee may take into account the student's academic performance at the Law School.

The Committee will more than likely not approve a proposal from a student who has two or more outstanding Incompletes on his or her transcript at the time the proposal is submitted. Students with two or more Incomplete grades who receive permission from the Committee to participate in the externship program will be required to resolve at least one of the Incompletes before the start of the externship term. Students are not permitted to enroll in an externship with more than one Incomplete grade on their transcript at the time of their departure.

Prior to applying, it is recommended that students read the Winter 2014 Application Memo. Applicants should be prepared to adhere to the limitations and restrictions in this memo. Applicants should also read the placement site descriptions to help guide their decision on preferred placements. The Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) at the University of Witwatersrand is a new addition to our list of placements. A description of CALS is here.

The online externship application can be accessed here.

The electronic documents consist of an Essay of Interest and Preferred Placement Cover Letters, both described below, and the student's resume.

Once a student's application package is complete, they will be contacted to set up an application interview with Dean Gregory and the professor who will be teaching the South Africa Externship seminar course.

It also provides a way for host sites to evaluate and distinguish student applications, as well as develop a sense of the student's background, interest areas, and expertise. Students are advised to highlight their particular strengths, relevant experiences, and practice area interests. Students should also include how the externship builds on work he or she has done, or how it will contributed to the student's educational pursuits.

The essay of interest must be submitted as an e-mail attachment to the Office of Student Affairs to be included as part of the application package.

The essay of interest must be submitted as an e-mail attachment to the Office of Student Affairs to be included as part of the application package.

These interviews will take place soon after the application packages are due. The Office of Student Affairs will contact each applicant to schedule this interview.

As part of the application process, the applicant's former professors may be contacted by the Office of Student Affairs.

See the Overseas Travel Requirements page for more complete information, and a link to the Overseas Travel Waiver.