Semester in Washington, DC Externship Program Information Session

Spend the Spring 2027 semester in Washington, DC with the Semester in Washington, D.C. Externship Program. Up to 10 students will be accepted. Program Coordinator Ejaz Baluch will be hosting an information session on Tuesday, September 29th from 12:30 to 1:30 PM in WJWH L104. Lunch will be provided on a first come, first serve basis. To avoid food waste please RSVP here.

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 a federal agency. Placements range from advocacy and regulatory compliance to high-level research and federal litigation. For example, students have:

• Mooted attorneys preparing for Supreme Court oral argument with the Democracy Defenders Fund;
• Drafted FOIA requests to investigate agencies with Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW);
• Helped write the contract to bring pandas to the National Zoo with the Smithsonian;
• Published NPR articles covering the Supreme Court with Nina Totenberg;
• Participated in investigations with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC);
• Drafted technology legislation on the Senate Judiciary Committee;
• Supported attorneys prosecute a healthcare fraud trial with the Department of Justice's Fraud Section of the Criminal Division; and
• Helped develop AI policy with the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Policy.

Past students have also externed at the following placements:

• NAACP Legal Defense Fund
• Patent and Trademark Office
• Earthjustice
• Federal Communications Commission
• U.S. Department of State (State L)

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 reflection sessions.

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 which semester they want to participate in the DC Externship and why they want to participate, 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 September 22nd to October 8th. After October 8th, applications will be accepted on a rolling basis only if space allows. Rising 2L's and 3L's are eligible to apply.