Externship Programs

Access to top talent

Leverage our externship program to discover and engage with some of the brightest legal minds in the nation.

Shared learning opportunity

Through mentoring students, your team can also gain fresh perspectives and insights into the latest legal trends and theories.

Pipeline development

Establish a direct recruitment pipeline and increase retention rates by training and evaluating potential hires in a real-world setting.

“Professor Cecily Becker presented me with the perfect externship at a time that I wasn’t particularly looking. The externship aligned with my professional goals and allowed me to explore my interests through an untraditional lens, which helped me to further tailor my interests.”

- Arielle Williams JD ’21, Associate - Morgan, Lewis and Bockius LLP

Types Of Programs

General Externship Program

This program is designed for government entities, public interest organizations, corporate legal departments, law firms, and courts.

Time Commitment: Part-Time
Semester: Fall, spring, or summer
Location: Locally, nationally, or internationally
Legal Field: Placement in any legal field

Sponsor Requirements

• Must have at least three years of experience.
• Must be a licensed member in good standing with the appropriate jurisdictional authority (or hold a JD if in a compliance or similarly approved law-related externship).
• Should not be or have been subject to sanctions either by a court or state bar.*

*If the attorney has been sanctioned, the attorney will be requested to provide a brief statement specifying the date and nature of the sanction.

Residency Externship Program: Semester-In-Practice

This program allows an employer to offer a semester-long immersion experience to students while also serving their geographical interests.

Time Commitment: Full-Time
Semester: Fall or spring
Location: Locally, nationally, or internationally
Legal Field: Placement in any legal field

Sponsor Requirements

• Field Supervisor complete the Residency Externship: Semester-in-Practice Questionnaire-Agreement
• Submit to Externship Director, Cecily Becker

Residency Externship Program In Public Policy

This program focuses on providing robust opportunities to experience policymaking firsthand.

Time Commitment: Full-Time
Semester: Spring
Location: Washington, DC or Austin, Texas
Legal Field: Focused on public policy

Sponsor Requirements

• Sign weekly time sheets for students to note approval and accuracy.
• Complete an evaluation (provided by the school) at the end of the semester and discuss it with the student.
• The Supervising Attorney will ensure that students are not compensated by any part of the office, agency, group, or person for any work performed during the semester the student is enrolled.

Field Supervisors

We partner with Field Supervisors - attorneys committed to mentoring students - to provide an educational experience and expose students to the range of legal activities involved in the sponsoring attorney's practice.

Field Supervisors sign a Memorandum of Understanding, which outlines the student's, school's, and supervisor's responsibilities.

Supervisor Responsibilities

• Discussing goals with the student at the beginning of the externship.
• Assigning substantive and meaningful legal and law-related work. This should include opportunities for observation, especially any meetings or hearings connected with issues on which the student worked.
• Being available to discuss assignments and general observations with the student and provide feedback on performance. Feedback is critical to a student's learning, and it is expected that a supervisor will discuss the many aspects of practice or judging - including issues of professional responsibility - throughout the semester.
• Verifying the student's hours, completing an evaluation (provided by the school), and discussing it with the student at the end of the semester.
• Agreeing not to bill a client for a student's time spent on client matters unless the student is being paid by the supervisor or site.
• Being subject to the Texas A&M University Non-Discrimination and Abuse Policy.

Create An Opportunity

Interested in creating an externship opportunity with Texas A&M School of Law? We welcome you to reach out to our program director. Join in shaping the next generation of legal professionals while adding value to your organization.

Cecily Becker

• Senior Lecturer and Director of the Externship Program

cbecker@law.tamu.edu

817-212-4058