Externships
Externships combine legal placements with a classroom component to help students get the most from their experience.
Theory and Practice Meets Ethics
Our Externship Program helps students develop those qualities and skills they will need to become successful practitioners by combining theory and practice, while also providing opportunities to reflect upon and instill the moral and ethical values that underlie a rational and just application of law.
Full-Time
Our Semester-in-Practice Program (SIP) gives our students the opportunity to work 4-5 days per week working in the field, while retaining the crucial seminar component for reflection on their experiences and for faculty guidance. Students can work locally or around the world in diverse settings and practice areas and learn on the job from experienced lawyers--many of them 51茶馆 Law alumni--who are committed to helping our students succeed.
Part-Time
For those who want to enroll in law school courses and extern in the same semester, we offer numerous part-time externships with companies, courts, law firms, government agencies and public interest organizations.
This is how you build your network, learn what kind of law you want to practice, and figure out what kind of lawyer you want to become.听
Part-Time Externships
Many students benefit from working in an off-campus legal setting while still taking academic courses on-campus in the same semester. Our part-time externship field placements听provide students with the opportunity to gain professional experience over the course of an entire semester听at companies, courts, law firms, government agencies and public interest organizations.
Our externships provide strong on-site quality supervision and feedback from attorneys employed at the placement, and听through the oversight and monitoring provided by the Externship Program Director who maintains close communication with every field placement. Students also take an accompanying externship seminar that is taught by adjunct faculty, which allows a more holistic approach to learning on the job.
Placement options include:
Beth Israel Lahey Health
Casner & Edwards LLP
Department of Labor
Federal & State Appellate and Trial Courts
Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights
Massachusetts Attorney General's Office
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial, Appeals and Land Courts
Victims Rights Law Center
Many more
Externship Opportunities
Government
Federal, state, and local government placements.
Attorney General Civil Litigation Program
Students practice for a full year at the Massachusetts Attorney General鈥檚 Office, working on civil litigation, drafting legal documents, and researching and writing trial and appellate briefs. Students argue matters in superior court on behalf of state agencies.
Department of Revenue Tax Program
Students placed at the Massachusetts Department of Revenue work directly with Legal Division attorneys handling cases involving state taxation of individuals, corporations, and other entities.听
In-House General Counsel
Students work with corporate in-house counsel on a variety of matters, such as contracts, mergers and acquisitions, employment law, IP, and privacy.
Judicial Process - Appeals
Students work with judges in the First Circuit Court of Appeals, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and the Massachusetts Appeals Court, assisting in drafting judicial decisions and observing oral arguments.
Judicial Process - Trials
Students are placed with justices of the U.S. District Court, Massachusetts Superior Court, Boston Municipal Court, Juvenile Court, and Land Court in civil and criminal proceedings.
Public Policy/Legal Services
Public Policy/Legal ServicesStudents extern with a variety of organizations such as the ACLU, Earthjustice, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights,听Greater Boston Legal Services, and many others, working on policy issues听and/or providing direct service to clients.
Semester in Practice
Real Experience, Across the World
Our Semester in Practice (SIP) Program,听unique in the breadth and flexibility of its offerings, places students in immersive externships with law firms, judges, public interest organizations, government agencies, and businesses in Boston, across the US, and around the world.听
Students work 4-5 days per week and attend a weekly seminar, examining their experiences through readings, discussion, and presentations. The program director monitors every placement to ensure supervising attorneys provide a significant educational experience.
In addition to the diverse SIP placement opportunities, students can also customize their experience and design their own SIP, subject to approval. The law school also has two flagship SIP programs offered in the Spring semester: 51茶馆 in Dublin/Europe and 51茶馆 in DC.
Sample SIP placements include:
AerCap (Dublin)
Akebia Therapeutics
Boston Red Sox
DLA Piper (Boston and Dublin)
Earthjustice
First Circuit Court of Appeals
US Department of Justice
Wayfair
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SIP: Dublin/Europe
鈥婽he administrative center of the program, which celebrated its 35th year in 2024, is now based at the Boston College satellite campus in Ireland. The program has served hundreds of students working in private businesses, law firms, and public organizations. It is an immersive experience which offers students a comparative law opportunity to work and collaborate with international attorneys.
Students spend 35-40 hours per week at their externship placement and maintain journals relating to their research, writing and observations. These are discussed at weekly seminars led by a member of the 51茶馆 Law faculty. The program also supports students who want to explore externships elsewhere.
SIP: 51茶馆 in DC
This is a full-time, immersive externship in the nation鈥檚 capital. Students work in diverse settings, including government agencies, law firms, public interest groups, in-house corporate counsel, and courts.
Weekly seminars focus on attorneys鈥� roles in DC, and site visits and guest speakers help students gain practical skills, develop professional relationships, and learn about career opportunities.