Course Section | Columbia Law School

Section Description Provided by Instructor

Note: The class meets off campus.

Hon. Robert Sack, Anne Green (you will receive 3 field placement points and 1 classroom point for this externship upon its successful completion)

Judge Robert Sack of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Anne Green (Director of Academic Counseling & Judicial Programming) will co-supervise the Federal Appellate Court Externship. The class combines intensive work in the chambers of a Second Circuit Judge with roughly eight class sessions. Work with the Judge will involve legal research, analysis and writing on the cases to which (s)he is assigned. The class sessions are taught in a variety of styles. Several lectures address fundamental topics of appellate review and federal jurisdiction. During other sessions, distinguished guest speakers will discuss various aspects of appellate practice. Finally, one class session is devoted to a moot court exercise at which students argue an appeal before a panel of Second Circuit judges.

Limitations: This class is limited to candidates for the J.D. degree who have attended Columbia Law School for at least one academic year.

Selection Process: Applications for this externship will be submitted in April 2011. Based upon these applications, students will be selected for interviews by representatives of the participating judges. To be accepted for this class, you must be invited for an interview and then be selected by a participating judge for work in his or her chambers. Students cannot volunteer to work in a Second Circuit judge's chambers and then apply for the course. Students may not take a clinic or another externship and this course simultaneously.

Evaluation: This class is not graded. Credits is received upon satisfactory classroom performance and the judge's statement that work completed in chambers was acceptable. Enrolled students who want to receive a minor writing credit for this course must complete Registration Services' minor writing credit form. Writing credit will be awarded upon receipt of the judge's statement that 25 pages of satisfactory writing was done.