ACCESS2PRACTICE
LEGAL EXTERNSHIP PROGRAM
A2P Legal Externship 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. Some public sector externships enable
you to obtain a 711 license and appear in court.
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.
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 approved
in-house corporate legal counsel.
Students interested in criminal law have externed at the
US 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.
Application Process:
Information and application packets for Spring 2012 semester
will be available in mid-October in front of the Spakateria,
in Career Services Office, and in Room 600 Law Offices reception
area.
Legal Externship Opportunities
Spring 2012 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 Tuesday, September 20, 2011.
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 Spring 2012 will be available in mid-October
in the Law Offices reception area (Room 600), in the Career
Services Office, and in front of the Spakateria.
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.
Spring 2012 Semester for Credit Only: U.S. Department
of Education Office for Civil Rights
The United States Department of Education, Office for Civil
Rights (OCR), enforces several Federal civil rights laws
that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color,
national origin, sex disability and age. OCR also enforces
the Boy Scouts of America Equal Access Act of 2001 that
prohibits the denial of equal access or a fair opportunity
to meet with, or discriminate against, any group officially
affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America. Successful extern
candidates will work with OCR attorneys and investigators
on one or more teams in the Chicago Office to resolve discrimination
complaints.
The extern will observe and participate in complainant
and witness interviews, participate in the drafting of all
documents pertinent to an OCR investigation, including letters
of notification, data requests and letters of finding. The
extern may have the opportunity to participate in local
on-site investigations and will assist with data analysis,
engage in substantial legal research and be expected to
adhere to the tight time frames of the Department. The team
attorney(s) with whom the extern will work will supervise
the extern's work. The extern coordinator, the deputy chief
attorney and chief attorney will also be available to assist
the extern.
If you are interested, please submit a letter of interest
along with a copy of your resume and writing sample, postmarked
no later than October 14, 2011 to:
Ms. Leticia Magdaleno
U.S. Department of Education
Office for Civil Rights
Citigroup Center
Suite 1075
500 W. Madison St.
Chicago, IL 60661
Applications may also be submitted by email to Leticia.Magdaleno@ed.gov.
Please notify Prof. Gross (vgross@kentlaw.edu)
if you are selected as an extern.
For a complete description of all clinical programs, please
visit the Law Offices' Home Page at http://www.kentlaw.edu/academics/clinic.
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