Supervised JD Experiential Study

Available to rising 2Ls and 3Ls only. LL.M. candidates undertaking supervised experiential study should register under L6697/L6698: Supervised LL.M. Experiential Project.

This offering is subject to the usual maximum of 3 credits in a term and 4 credits in an academic year of supervised research and experiential study that may be earned as part of the 19 non-class points allowed for J.D. credit (see Rules 1.1 and 1.5). Work undertaken under this course number may not be used to satisfy more than one of the J.D. Major or Minor Writing requirements. Grading available on CR/F option by default. Letter grade available upon consultation and agreement with supervising faculty member at the outset of the project.

The number of credits awarded and supervision required for supervised experiential study shall be guided by the following principles:
• Number of Credits. The number of credits earned for supervised experiential study shall depend on the amount of work that the project will likely entail. For example, a project that is comparable to the field component of an externship shall require approximately 5 hours of work per week over the course of a semester for each credit earned.
• Extent of Supervision. In the usual case, a student registered for supervised experiential study will communicate regularly with the supervising instructor over the course of the project. In the case where the project consists of fieldwork at an external organization, the site supervisor will have primary responsibility for supervising the student’s work, but the supervising instructor shall communicate regularly with the site supervisor over the course of the project to assure the quality of the student educational experience. However, even when the project is performed at an external organization, the supervising instructor shall have primary responsibility for providing the student with opportunities for guided reflection.

Requirements: Student must undertake a substantial project that requires the exercise of professional skills, and that provides:
• Direct supervision of the student’s performance by the supervising faculty member;
• Opportunities for performance, feedback from the instructor, and self-evaluation;.
• A classroom instructional component, regularly scheduled tutorials, or other means of ongoing, contemporaneous, and faculty-guided reflection.

The project may consist of either fieldwork or a set of simulation exercises; in either case, the project must be reasonably similar to the experience of advising or representing a client or engaging in other lawyering tasks. If the project consists of simulation exercises, it must be undertaken in conjunction with a classroom offering listed in the bulletin of the Law School.

A project that is undertaken in conjunction with a course or seminar should normally require work over and above that ordinarily required for the course or seminar. As a rule of thumb, students should be expected to undertake approximately five hours per week over the course of a semester for each point of credit earned under this offering. In order to register for this offering, students must arrange and obtain written permission from a faculty supervisor prior to the beginning of the project.