Course Section | Columbia Law School

Section Description Provided by Instructor

Maximum of one (1) point will be registered in the Fall term following summer employment. As for all registrations for Supervised Research Paper (L6683), this offering is subject to the usual maximum of 3 credits in a term and 4 credits in an academic year that may be earned as part of the 18-credit non-class points allowed for J.D. credit. Please see Rule 1.5 of Rules revised May 2007 and note that a significant written product and substantial oversight from the faculty supervisor is required to earn academic credit for all sections of Supervised Research (L6683).

Supervised Essay on Legal Practice (L6683 - Section 3) requirements:

(1) Student must work at least six (6) consecutive full-time weeks in legal employment outside the Law School during a period of time in which the Law School is not in session, and submit to Registration Services a letter from the employer, stating the start and end dates of the student's employment
(2) Prior to beginning summer employment, the student must find a Columbia Law School faculty member who will agree to direct the student for a one-credit paper. A letter from the instructor stating her/his agreement to supervise the student's paper, and this completed registration form, must be submitted to Registration Services.
(3) The Supervised Essay on Legal Practice must be a scholarly paper on a topic approved by the faculty supervisor and related to legal issues encountered in the student's summer employment. The paper must consist entirely of original work not submitted to the employer, and should be of length and scope comparable to one-half of that required by a 2-credit seminar. That is, the paper should be approximately 3,500-4,000 words.
(4) The paper must be submitted by October 15 of the term for which credit is being earned (i.e., the Fall term immediately following summer employment).
(5) No extensions permitted for international students certified for Curricular Practical Training (CPT). For US citizens/permanent residents, extensions only at the discretion of the Rules Committee, upon petition.
(6) Supervised Essay on Legal Practice (L6683-Section 3) will be graded only on a Pass/Low Pass/No Credit basis (not by letter grade).

NOTE TO INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS SEEKING AUTHORIZATION FOR CPT (Curricular Practical Training):
Registration Services will forward the letters from the supervising instructor and from the summer employer, along with confirmation of the student's registration for Supervised Essay on Legal Practice, to Columbia's ISSO so that CPT authorization can be finalized. It is the student's responsibility to file all necessary documents in a timely fashion so that s/he can be authorized for CPT before the start of summer employment. Allow at least two (2) weeks for processing.