Law Offices

IN-HOUSE CLINICS

Please check back here for the lottery results and the list of students who have been chosen to participate in the Spring 2010 Law Offices In-House Clinic Program.

LEGAL EXTERNSHIP PROGRAM

What is the Legal Externship Program?

LEP is a 4-credit hour non-graded program which enables you to extern with a supervising attorney in a wide variety of legal areas – private or public, civil or criminal. Externships are available for the Fall, Spring and Summer semesters. Most public sector externships enable you to obtain a 711 license and appear in court.

Students interested in civil law may extern in a wide variety of places. For example, some have externed at the City of Chicago Corporation Counsel's Office, Office of the Illinois Attorney General, Illinois Commerce Commission, Immigration Court of the U.S. Department of Justice, Internal Revenue Service, and Environmental Protection Agency, as well as major corporations like Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company and Rush University Medical Center.

Students interested in criminal law have externed at the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Office of the Federal Defender, and at the offices of the State's Attorney and Public Defender in Cook County as well as the surrounding counties.

Why Extern?

To become a good lawyer and to supplement what you learn in the classroom, you need practical experience in real-world legal work. Most students aren't fortunate enough to receive a paid clerking position — or even a volunteer opportunity — that teaches what they want to learn. LEP presents a unique and important opportunity to gain exposure to an area of the law in which you are interested and helps you significantly broaden your future employment opportunities.

If you would like more information about externships, please e-mail Professor Vivien Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu) to set up an appointment. There are lots of different types of opportunities in which you might be interested.

Spring 2010 Semester: For Credit Externship with the Illinois Department of Insurance

The Illinois Department of Insurance is charged with protecting the rights of Illinois citizens in their insurance transactions and monitoring the financial solvency of all regulated entities through the effective administration and enforcement of the Illinois Insurance Code, Illinois Pension Code, and related laws and regulations.

Its Legal Department is seeking an extern to assist the Director and other senior staff with policy, legislative, and education/outreach activities. Specifically, the extern would be responsible for: (1) researching insurance laws and regulations at federal and state levels; (2) reviewing and drafting legislative proposals, (3) drafting memoranda regarding legislative and regulatory proposals, and (4) assisting in outreach and education efforts.

Candidates with an interest in insurance law and those who would be willing to stay with the Department for more than one semester are preferred. If you are interested in applying, please submit a cover letter, writing sample, resume and transcript to:

Mr. Andrew R. Stolfi
Illinois Department of Insurance
100 West Randolph Street, 9th Floor
Chicago, IL 60601-3251

All applications must be completed and submitted as soon as possible, but by no later than Friday, December 4, 2009.

Please notify Prof. Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu) immediately if you are selected as an extern.
 

Spring 2010 Semester: For Credit Externship with the Loyola University Health System, Legal Department, in Maywood, Illinois

Externs will perform legal research and draft legal memoranda on various questions posed by the General Counsel's staff in many areas, including professional liability and contracting. Externs will also help in drafting policies and procedures and will gain knowledge in many health care regulatory matters, including but not limited to Medicare, Medicaid, HIPAA, tax-exemption, conflicts of interest and research compliance.

To apply, interested students should send a cover letter, resume and writing sample by Friday, December 4, 2009 to:

Ms. Maria J. Pekar
Assistant General Counsel
Loyola University Health System
Office of the General Counsel
2160 South First Avenue
Maywood, IL 60153

Please notify Prof. Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu) if and when you are selected as an extern.
 

Spring 2010 Semester: Financial Industry Regulatory Authority
3Ls preferred

The Department of Enforcement of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is currently seeking interested first, second and third year law students to apply for its Externship Program for the 2010 Spring semester. The selected student will work approximately 12-15 hours a week from January 2010 through May 2010 and must receive school credit to be eligible to participate in the Program.

The Department of Enforcement was created through the consolidation of NASD and the member regulation, enforcement, and arbitration functions of the NYSE. It is the largest non-governmental regulator for all securities firms doing business in the United States and is dedicated to investor protection and market integrity through effective and efficient regulation.

The Externship Program for the Department of Enforcement is designed for students who have an interest in securities law and regulation. Externs will perform research, writing, investigative work and analysis as part of preliminary and formal investigations being conducted by FINRA. These investigations cover all areas of the securities industry including customer-initiated sales practice complaints, market manipulation, insider trading, member firm financial operations and trading violations. Externs will attend hearings and depositions over the course of the semester.

Interested students should submit a resume no later than Monday, November 23, 2009 to:

Mr. Dale Glanzman
Senior Regional Counsel
FINRA
Suite 2700
55 W. Monroe St.
Chicago, IL 60603

or for Job #2410 via the FINRA website at: http://www.finra.org/CareerOpportunities/index.htm.

Please notify Prof. Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu) if you are selected as an extern.

Spring 2010: Cook County State's Attorneys Office, Worker's Compensation Division

Exciting opportunity with the Worker's Compensation Litigation Unit of the Cook County State's Attorneys Office, Civil Division. The extern will assist in those matters and cases leading to and currently in litigation. Students who are eligible for a 711 license will also have the opportunity for in-court experience.

If you are interested, please contact:

Mr. Curtis A. James
Assistant State's Attorney
(312) 603-5691

To receive externship credit, please contact Prof. Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu).
 

Spring 2010: Disability Law For Credit Legal Externship Opportunity

Equip for Equality (EFE) is a private nonprofit, statewide organization whose mission is to advance the human and civil rights of people with disabilities. EFE provides legal representation in individual cases, and engages in impact litigation and public policy advocacy seeking systemic change. Externs can work in one of three programs: (1) Special Education Clinic – assisting families with obtaining the education and support that their children with disabilities need; (2) Abuse Investigation Unit – investigating abuse and neglect of people with disabilities and providing individual assistance and advocating for systemic change; and (3) Community Living Team – representing people with disabilities on a wide range of issues, including discrimination, community integration and self-determination.

Interested students should submit a resume and cover letter to Barry Taylor via e-mail at barryt@equipforequality.org. The cover letter should indicate your preference, if any, for one of EFE's three legal programs.

Please notify Prof. Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu) immediately if you have been selected.
 

SPRING 2010 EXTERNSHIP: INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, OFFICE OF CHIEF COUNSEL
3Ls preferred

Applicants with prior expertise or experience in tax matters are preferred, but the IRS will consider all applicants.

Applications should include: brief cover letter, resume, law school transcript and writing sample.

Contact:

Ms. Patricia Davis
Area Counsel
Internal Revenue Service
Suite 2300
200 W. Adams St.
Chicago, IL 60606

Please contact Professor Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu) if you are accepted or for more information about this externship opportunity.

Summer 2010 Semester: Externships with U.S. Attorney's Office
Northern District of Illinois

If you are interested in exposure to and possible participation in federal trial and appellate practice while assisting the U.S. Attorney's Office in handling its multitude of important cases, please pick up an application in Room 612 from Carole Ross, administrative assistant to Professor Gross.

Completed applications must be received at the Office of the U.S. Attorney by Thursday, December 31, 2009. The reason for this accelerated date is because each accepted extern must go through a security clearance, which takes several weeks.

To receive law school credit for this externship, should you be selected by the U.S. Attorney's Office, you must enroll in the law school's Legal Externship Program. Externship applications for Summer 2010 will be available in mid-March.

Professor Gross will be happy to answer any questions you may have about either the Legal Externship Program and/or the externship position with the U.S. Attorney's Office.

For a complete description of all clinical programs, please visit the Law Offices' Home Page at http://www.kentlaw.edu/academics/clinic.