The Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law offers a special program for second and third year law students who seek legal experience with a federal agency or non-profit organization in Washington D.C. (Classes are offered in the fall semester only; classes are not available during the spring or summer at this time.) The D.C. Externship Program helps students acquire expertise in important legal areas, develop an informed insider perspective on policy developments on Capitol Hill and in federal agencies, and foster relationships and experiences that are invaluable assets to new attorneys when they enter a legal practice anywhere in the world. The D.C. experience may also assist students secure future legal employment in D.C. and elsewhere.
Students must fill out a D.C. Application and submit it to Carolyn Landry in Room 101 at least four months before the externship semester begins. The D.C. Application alerts the Externship Program to both student interest and externship options. Late applications may be accepted, but a timely application is highly recommended. Students do not need to have secured a postion in order to fill out the D.C. Application.
Students are responsible for securing their own placements in D.C. in government or non-profit organizations. A website that may assist students is psjd@nalp.org. Once accepted, students must provide the name and address of the agency or judge and supervisor contact information to the Externship Program.
Students will earn credit for both the externship and for academic courses taught by College of Law faculty in D.C..
Students may pursue a minimum of 12 with a maximum of 15 credit hours during the semester. Most externship placements earn nine credit hours at 60 hours per credit. Students may earn 3- credits per course and students may take one or two courses while in DC. Students accepted into the program will pay all standard tuition and fees required by their enrollment at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law and are eligible for financial aid through the law school.
If you are petitioning for Arizona residency, please note that leaving Arizona for this program may negatively impact your petition for residency. Once you have obtained residency, participating in this program will not result in a review of your residency status.
Articles: For valuable information about the Washington D.C. Program, please read the following articles (but note that the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law is no longer affiliated with The Washington Center): http://www.law.asu.edu/news/CollegeofLawNews.aspx?NewsId=3206 http://www.law.asu.edu/news/CollegeofLawNews.aspxNewsId=3207 http://www.law.asu.edu/News/CollegeofLawNews.aspx?NewsId=3026
Additional links: D.C. Externship Placements Eligibilty and Requirements