Students from Eric Talley's Contracts class walk in front of a downtown Manhattan courthouse.

Externships

Columbia Law School offers a diverse array of experiential learning opportunities. Each semester, students can choose from dozens of externships in which they will help real clients solve legal problems.

Students work 10 to 15 hours each week at their externship site under close supervision. The placement work is supported by a rigorous seminar tailored to the substantive law and practice and professional skills they will encounter in their work. The seminar provides an opportunity for students to reflect together on their experience and integrate the practical and theoretical learning. Law School graduates regularly identify these experiences as essential to their professional success.How to Apply

FALL EXTERNSHIPSSPRING EXTERNSHIPS

Arts/Intellectual Property

Ex. Arts and Entertainment  
 

Arts/Intellectual Property

Ex. Arts and Entertainment 

Ex. Practicing the Law of Music

Civil Litigation and Government Civil Enforcement

Ex. Environmental Practice 

Ex. N.Y. Attorney General's Office: Social and Environmental Justice

Ex. N.Y. Attorney General's Office: Antitrust Enforcement

Ex. N.Y. Attorney General’s Office: Employment Law and Civil Litigation Skills - Yearlong 

Civil Litigation and Government Civil Enforcement

Ex. Environmental Practice 

Ex. N.Y. Attorney General's Office: Social and Environmental Justice

Ex. N.Y. Attorney General's Office: Antitrust Enforcement

Ex. N.Y. Attorney General’s Office: Employment Law and Civil Litigation Skills - Yearlong 

Ex. N.Y. Attorney General’s Office: Law Enforcement Misconduct Investigations and Oversight

Ex. Representing N.Y.C. - N.Y.C. Law Department

Community-Based and Movement Lawyering/Social Change

Ex. Housing Justice: The Right to Counsel in Housing Court 

Ex. Law, Power and Social Change 

Community-Based and Movement Lawyering/Social Change

Ex. Housing Justice: Power in Numbers Through Group Representation and Movement Lawyering

Ex. Law, Power and Social Change 

Constitutional and Affirmative Litigation

Ex. Constitutional Rights in Life and Death Penalty Cases

Ex. The Knight First Amendment Institute
 

Constitutional and Affirmative Litigation

Ex. The Knight First Amendment Institute

Criminal Defense

Ex. Bronx Defenders on Holistic Defense 

Ex. Criminal Appeals 

Ex. Federal Defenders of New York 

Ex. Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem Community Defense - Yearlong 
 

Criminal Defense

Ex. Bronx Defenders on Holistic Defense 

Ex. Criminal Appeals 

Ex. Federal Defenders of New York 

Ex. Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem Community Defense - Yearlong

Criminal Prosecution

Ex. Criminal Prosecution - Manhattan/Bklyn DA

Ex. Federal Prosecution: U.S. Attorney's Office for the SDNY
 

Criminal Prosecution

Ex. Criminal Prosecution - Manhattan/Bklyn DA

Ex. Federal Prosecution: U.S. Attorney's Office for the EDNY
 

Human RightsHuman Rights

Non-Litigation/Transactional 

Ex. Estate Planning

Ex. Economic Justice and Empowerment - Consumer Bankruptcy 

Ex. General & In-House Counsel:

  • Ex. General & In-House Counsel - Corporate Sustainable Governance/ESG
  • Ex. General & In-House Counsel - General Counsel
  • Ex. General & In-House Counsel - Tech & Startups
     

Non-Litigation/Transactional 

Ex. Estate Planning

Ex. Economic Justice and Empowerment 

Ex. General & In-House Counsel:

  • Ex. General & In-House Counsel - General Counsel
  • Ex. General & In-House Counsel - Tech & Startups
  • Ex. General & In-House Counsel - Healthcare

Family and Immigration Defense

Ex. Immigration Defense

 

Family and Immigration Defense

Ex. Immigrant Youth Advocacy 

 

Judicial 

Ex. Federal Appellate Court 

Ex. Federal Court Clerk - Eastern District of N.Y. (EDNY)

Ex. Federal Court Clerk - Southern District of N.Y. (SDNY)
 

Judicial 

Ex. Federal Appellate Court 

Ex. Federal Court Clerk - Eastern District of N.Y. (EDNY)

Ex. Federal Court Clerk - Southern District of N.Y. (SDNY)

Independent and Other Opportunities

Experiential Practice:

  • Ex. Experiential Practice: Advocacy and Litigation
  • Ex. Experiential Practice: General Counsel and Miscellaneous
  • Ex. Experiential Practice: JD Judicial Externship
  • Ex. Experiential Practice: Government Agency 
     

Supervised JD/LLM Experiential Study 

Ex. Semester in Washington, D.C. Externship Program
 

 

Independent and Other Opportunities

Experiential Practice:

  • Ex. Experiential Practice: Advocacy and Litigation
  • Ex. Experiential Practice: General Counsel and Miscellaneous
  • Ex. Experiential Practice: JD Judicial Externship
  • Ex. Experiential Practice: Government Agency 
     

Supervised JD/LLM Experiential Study 

Ex. Semester in Washington, D.C. Externship Program

Ex. Pro Bono Scholars (3Ls only)

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