Ex. Legal Practice: JD Judicial Externship

Section: Judicial Externship for JD Students
Instructors: Hon. Ann Scherzer and Hon. Steve Statsinger

This offering will provide a 1 credit seminar to accompany a 2 credit placement in various state and federal courts arranged directly by the participating students. Judge Scherzer and Judge Statsinger have been LPW instructors for several years. JD students who would like experience working in judicial chambers should consider this offering. The class will meet every other week for 2 hours.

This course will bring together students participating in judicial externships that they have arranged for themselves in a variety of different federal and state courts. The course will be taught by two Justices of New York State Supreme Court practicing in the Criminal Term; one of whom is a former prosecutor and the other a former public defender. The goal of the course is to assist the students in meeting the expectations of the specific courts where they are interning, as well as to provide a forum for reflective discussion about the experiences they are having. Among other topics, we will explore the common as well as the disparate procedures, environments and peculiarities of the courts and judges whom they encounter. Each student will be responsible to present a problem or concern (legal, sociological, or practical) that has arisen in their fieldwork and the group will work together to drill down on the meaning, the source of and possible solution (or lack of solution) to the problem. Guest speakers will address topics such as implicit bias in the courts, judicial ethics, and the interplay between the courts and media. Written assignments will include journaling and drafting a mock judicial opinion.

Grading and Placement Expectations
Each student must secure a placement independently. The seminar credits count towards students' classroom credit requirements for the NYS Bar and are also experiential. The seminar credit is graded and the placement credits are NC/C.
The fieldwork component is 2 credits. These credits are also experiential but do not count towards students' classroom credit requirement. These credits are graded CR/F. Students registered for 2 fieldwork credits must complete an average of 10 hours per week for 14 weeks at their placement. Students asked to work up to an average of 15 hours per week for 14 weeks at their placement may secure an additional credit pursuant to JD/LLM Supervised Experiential Study(L6695 or L6697 (LLM)), for which they must secure a sponsor. Students can ask their Legal Practice Seminar teacher to sponsor the additional credit. It is within the instructors' sole discretion to agree to this. Students must coordinate your schedule with their supervisor.

Externship credits count towards students' 6-credit experiential requirement provided they satisfy the requirements dictated by the ABA and incorporated into each course. In addition to substantive and qualitative requirements set by instructors, these requirements include the submission of certain documents. Due dates and descriptions of the documentation requirements will be distributed upon admission to the class.