Ex. Federal Court Clerk EDNY - Fieldwork

The Honorable Rachel P. Kovner and Jeremy Liss, Lecturers in Law (1 ungraded academic credit and 3 ungraded fieldwork credits)

Course Description
The Federal Court Clerk Externship for the Eastern District of New York provides an in-depth examination of the functioning of the federal trial courts. Students will have the opportunity to work with a federal judge, draft opinions, and observe trials, oral arguments, and hearings. The course will be taught by Judge Rachel P. Kovner of the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, and Jeremy Liss, a Lecturer in Law. Students who satisfy the course requirements will receive 1 academic credit and 3 clinical credits.

The Seminar
Students will meet for a seminar seven times over the course of the semester. Each session of the seminar will typically feature a guest speaker who is a judge or an experienced litigator. Discussion topics will include judicial writing; judicial ethics; civil rights and pro se litigants; habeas corpus petitions; mediation; and federal sentencing and plea bargaining. The seminar will take place on Thursday evenings (6:20 p.m. to 8 p.m.) at the U.S. District Court, Eastern District (located in Brooklyn Heights). Please note that travel time to Brooklyn Heights, where the U.S. District Court is located, and where class will be held, is approximately 45 minutes by subway from Morningside Heights. The class sessions are mandatory, so students should take that into consideration when applying.

Fieldwork
Students will be placed with a federal judge (either a District or Magistrate judge) in the Eastern District of New York. They will spend 15 hours per week working on judicial matters, with at least one day per week (or two half days) at the courthouse in Brooklyn. Working with their assigned judges, students will have the opportunity to conduct research, prepare written memoranda, draft judicial opinions, and observe judges and advocates engaged in trials, oral arguments, and hearings in civil and criminal cases.

Requirements and Application Process
Enrollment is open to 2Ls, 3Ls, and LL.M.s. There are no prerequisites to take this course.
To apply, please complete the externship application available through LawNet. The application period can be found on the Experiential Learning home page (https://law.columbia.edu/academics/experiential). Once an applicant has accepted an interview and has been selected to work with a particular judge, the applicant can no longer withdraw his/her candidacy.

Any additional questions can be sent to Liliana Vaamonde at [email protected].