Spend a semester in Washington DC with the Semester in Washington, D.C. Externship Program (the “DC Externship”). DC externs earn academic credit while working full-time under the supervision of an attorney at an organization that has a nexus with the federal government or international governing bodies, Capitol Hill, or federal agency. Students have worked in a variety of placements, ranging from the White House and Department of Justice, to NPR and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, to staff offices on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
In addition to working full time, DC Externs engage in a weekly seminar featuring off the record conversations with attorneys who work in the White House, on Capitol Hill, at agencies, non-profits, and in government relation offices at Fortune 500 companies. Students also take an ethics course, which fulfills the Professional Responsibility requirement, and engage in several reflection sessions.
Available in: Fall 2026 and Spring 2027
Applications
Students first apply to the DC Externship and, if accepted, then apply directly to placements. To apply to the DC Externship, students should submit their resume, brief statement explaining why they want to participate in the DC Externship, a list of at least three possible placements, and their transcript. The document should be a single PDF. To submit the application, email Program Coordinator Ejaz Baluch ([email protected]).
The application will be open from February 25th to March 13th. After March 13th, applications will be accepted on a rolling basis only if space allows. Rising 2L's and 3L's are eligible to apply.
Placements
Ejaz Baluch, Jr. will counsel students on placements. NOTE that applications to placements are separate from the application to the externship. Students are responsible for applying directly to placements, some of which have deadlines before or after the externship deadline. Please apply to the externship before applying to placements.
The placement must be located within easy driving distance of Washington, DC, and students must work in-person. Placements should leverage the unique legal and political landscape of the Capital. Work at the placement must have a nexus with the federal government or international governing bodies, ranging from advocacy and regulatory compliance to high-level research and federal litigation. Examples of work include but are not limited to, litigating federal matters, responding to requests for notice or comment on federal regulations, preparing testimony for Congressional hearings, or engaging in international multi-governmental policy work. Some, but not all, placements, mainly federal agencies, require an applicant to be a U.S. citizen and complete a background check. Placements should be unique to Washington, D.C. For that reason, judicial externships and placements at the DC USAO office are discouraged.
Mandatory Components
Students have four core components for a total of 13 credits. (1) Intensive Seminar on Ethics in the Federal Government (2 graded academic credits). (2) Weekly Evening Seminar on Federal Government Lawyering (3 graded academic credits); (3) Field Placements (8 ungraded clinical credits); (4) Experiential Learning Component (ungraded).
The ethics intensive fulfills the professional responsibility requirement.
Calendar
The DC Externship starts the first day of the academic semester and students should anticipate having obligations through reading period. The ethics intensive typically starts the first week of the academic semester. Placements typically start the second week of the academic calendar. The seminar typically takes place once a week in the evenings but students will also attend several field trips during the work day, which are excused absences from their placement.