S:\Externship Forms Revised May 2005\EXTERN POLICIES ...

SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW
EXTERNSHIP PROGRAM POLICIES
& GUIDELINES
I. Purpose of Program
In an effort to offer exceptional and diversified educational programs, Southwestern has developed a select
number of off-campus placements, primarily with public agencies, public interest law firms, and state and
federal judges. Placements are arranged to supplement the academic program. Students are permitted to
experience the attorney's role directly through application of legal theory to actual cases, thereby gaining
greater insight into the operation of law and legal systems. Stated simply, externships are an opportunity to
put legal knowledge to work and to acquire lawyering skills in a real, as opposed to "moot" environment.
II.
General Requirements
A. Curriculum Relationship: All externship programs will relate to the general law curriculum
offered at Southwestern.
B. Grading: All externships are graded Credit/No Credit.
C. Unit Credit - Part-time Placements
Regular Session: Part-time non-judicial externship placements are for 3 units of credit.
Part-time judicial externships are for 4 units of credit.
Summer Term: All part-time summer externships are for 2 or 3 units of credit. Four (4) unit
externships are available during the summer session at the discretion of the Director of Externships.
Students may not register for a 4 unit externship without prior approval of the Director.
D. Unit Credit - Full-time Placements
Full-time externships are for 10 units of credit (5 units for summer externships). Full-time
externships are normally limited to judicial externships. All other requests for full-time externships
will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Director of Externships.
E. Compensation
It is the law school's policy not to mix monetary compensation with unit credit. As discussed below,
because the law school looks to the field placement supervisor to function as a law teacher, injecting
the factor of wages can distort an otherwise beneficial teacher-student relationship. Therefore,
students may not accept monetary compensation for externship work. Where it is the practice of host
agencies to pay an appropriate cost of living stipend for an externship, the extern may receive the
stipend on the prior written approval of the Director of Externships.

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F. Eligible Programs
Permanent, on-going programs for student externship placements should be the norm. Temporary,
one-time programs should not be approved for inclusion in Southwestern's externship program.
Eligible programs should be administered by public agencies, courts, or not-for-profit entities.
Placement of students in externship programs operated by profit-making enterprises should be
allowed only to take advantage of particular opportunities that cannot otherwise be duplicated by
placement in not-for-profit enterprises.
III.
Student Eligibility & Requirements
A. Academic Standing: Students must be in good academic standing in the semester preceding their
participation in the externship program and in the semester they participate in the externship.
Additionally, first year day or first or second year evening or PLEAS students whose cumulative
grades at the end of the Fall semester are at or below a 2.30 GPA are not permitted to enroll in an
externship during the summer following that Fall semester. Second year day or second or third year
evening or PLEAS students whose cumulative grades at the end of the Fall semester are at or below a
2.30 GPA are not permitted to enroll in a second externship during the summer following that Fall
semester.
In addition, students wishing to participate in certain judicial externships must be in the top 30% of
their class in the semester preceding their participation in the externship.
B. Unit Credit and Length of Program
Students may enroll for a maximum of 6 units of externship credit and may not take more than 11
units of credit/no credit (i.e., Moot Court, Law Review, Law Journal, ITAP, Trial Advocacy,
Externship), excluding those earned by transfer credit courses taken at another law school. The
placement of a student in a full-time judicial externship will invariably exceed the credit/no credit
limitation. Waivers, on a case-by-case basis, may be granted to accommodate such placements.
Students must complete their externship in the semester or term they begin. Students may participate
in more than one externship, subject to the unit limitation, but students may not repeat placements in
the same program. A student who has failed to complete an externship program or who receives a
grade of No Credit shall not be permitted to enroll in another externship.
C. Student Application
Students may apply for an Externship Program placement by filling out the Externship Application
Form available in the Externship Office, Room W231. The completed Application and three (3)
copies of a current resume must be returned to the Externship Office, Room W231. Students
applying for a judicial externship must also submit a writing sample with their application (some
non-judicial placements also require a writing sample, i.e., United States Attorney’s Office).

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Students should begin the application process no later than:
1. September 15 for Spring placements.
2. February 1 for Summer placements.
3. March 1 for Fall placements.
[Note: Judicial externships are highly competitive. Students are encouraged to submit
applications for judicial externships up to six months in advance.]
Some federal placements require a security clearance a process which may take up to 6
months. Therefore early planning and submission of application is necessary.
The above timetable is important for several reasons:
First: many externship placements are competitive. Students who delay applying may find their
primary placement preferences already filled.
Second: externship placements require an interview with the placement supervisor prior to
placement. Early application enables the student to schedule an interview with minimum disruption
of other commitments.
Third: Trial placements, such as in the District Attorney's Office, require certification by the State
Bar. The certification process takes approximately 4-6 weeks. Students may not be able to fully
participate in the program until certification is approved by the State Bar.
D. Hours per Unit/Scheduling Hours
Students on part-time externships during the Fall and Spring semesters shall devote a minimum of 5
hours per week per unit for the externship placement. Thus a 3 unit placement requires a minimum
of 15 hours per week (225 hours per semester). Due to the compression of the summer session
schedule, summer externships require 9 hours per week per unit (144 hours per session for a 2 unit
placement; 216 hours per session for a 3 unit placement). Students on full-time placements shall
devote at least 40 hours per week to the externship. Hours are computed on the basis of a 15 week
regular semester and an eight week summer session.
Students shall arrange with their placement supervisor a schedule for performance by the student of
their externship responsibilities. Students are expected to abide by their schedule. Gross,
unauthorized deviations from the schedule shall be cause for termination of the externship or for
assignment of a failing grade or both. Authorization for deviations from approved schedules require
the consent of the placement supervisor and the Externship Director. WHERE STUDENTS HAVE
REQUESTED AND RECEIVED PERMISSION TO TAKE A COURSE(S) IN ANOTHER
PROGRAM (i.e., day students in night program) DUE TO CONFLICTS BETWEEN THEIR
EXTERNSHIP SCHEDULE AND THE DAY CURRICULUM, APPROVAL BY THE DIRECTOR
OF EXTERNSHIPS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE DEAN OF STUDENTS, IS REQUIRED
PRIOR TO ANY CHANGE IN SCHEDULE.

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E. Placement Requirements: Externs must comply with all working hours requirements and
conditions imposed by the placement.
Students must arrive for work and remain with the placement according to the dates and times
specified by the program. (Generally, from the first day of instruction through the last day of
instruction of the semester or session.)
All requirements regarding reports and papers for each program must be met by the student in order
to receive credit.
F. Placement Interview: All externship placements require that the student be interviewed by the
placement supervisor. Interviews will be scheduled by Southwestern, working with each student.
Upon being scheduled for one or more interviews, it is expected that the student will complete the
interview, accept the position if offered, and arrange an appropriate work schedule for the semester.
Once a student accepts an externship, it is expected that the student will successfully complete the
required hours of the externship. Any change of plans or complications, at any time, should be
reported immediately to the Director of Externships or Externship Office.
IV.
Standards for Selection of Students for Externships
No student has a right to participate in Southwestern's Externship Program. All externship placements are at
the discretion of the Director of Externships. In exercising that discretion, the following factors will be
considered:
A. Ability to do the work required: Does the student have the necessary legal, professional and
intellectual skills In making this determination, the Law School transcript will be examined, but it
shall not necessarily be conclusive.
B. Dependability and reliability: Is the student dependable and reliable Will the student make the
best use of the opportunity Can the student be counted on to do his or her share of the work in the
office
C. Commitment: Will the student fit into the operation of the host agency Will the student be able to
get along with people in the office to which he or she is assigned
E. Reason for wanting to participate in the program: Does the program fit into the long-range plans
and interest of the student or is it just an opportunity to escape from law school or from taking a
course
F. Compliance with Prerequisite of Program: Has the student complied with all placement
prerequisites

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V. Externship Placements
A. Program Selection and Approval: The Externship Program Policies and Guidelines: Placement
Descriptions is a separate booklet, available at the Externship Office (W231), which contains a list of
approved placements. Approved placements are those that are compatible with the goals of
Southwestern's Externship Program, which are:
(1) To maximize a student's primary responsibility for the handling of an actual case or
controversy; and
(2) Whenever possible, to permit direct client contact and court appearances on cases.
(3) To afford students an opportunity to put the legal knowledge they have gained from the
instructional program to work in actual cases and controversies.
(4) To provide students with the opportunity to observe the actual practice of law.
(5) To provide students with structured supervision in a real work environment.
Every effort is made to insure that the student gets a structured exposure to a range of lawyering skills,
including the opportunity personally to interview, investigate, negotiate, draft legal documents, conduct legal
proceedings, etc. An Externship is not just an ordinary research clerk position, i.e., performing tasks for
which the students should be getting paid a salary or wage. Nor should it be viewed as a way of "buying
credits" so as to avoid course work or accelerate graduation. Rather, it should be viewed as an opportunity
for students to assume professional responsibility and decision making in the legal area encompassed by the
field placement. To this end, each placement is regularly screened to insure that:
a. The field placement office or agency has sufficient staff resources to assign students
to a particular attorney for supervision;
b. The supervising attorney or judicial officer is aware of his or her supervisory
responsibilities, including assisting the student in preparing assigned tasks and
observing and critiquing the subsequent student performance; and
c. The supervising attorney or judicial officer will complete a detailed evaluation of the
overall student performance at semester's end, including a verification of the
accuracy of the student's time sheets.
VI.
Student Requirements After Acceptance of a Placement
A. Acceptances
ONCE A STUDENT ACCEPTS AN OFFER, IT IS THE STUDENT'S RESPONSIBILITY TO
CONTACT ALL OTHER CHAMBERS AND/OR AGENCIES TO WHICH HE/SHE HAS
APPLIED FOR AN EXTERNSHIP AND WITHDRAW THE APPLICATION. THIS IS A
MUST, EVEN IF THERE HAS BEEN NO RESPONSE TO THE APPLICATION.

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A student must advise the Director of Externship or the Externship Office of acceptance of an offer.
If a student is selected for an externship and accepts the offer, he or she will not be able to withdraw
the commitment except for compelling reasons. To obtain permission for withdrawal, the student
must immediately, upon knowledge of such compelling reasons, petition in writing to the Director of
Externships prior to commencement of the externship. The petition must specify the compelling
reasons for withdrawal. Failure to petition and receive approval may jeopardize the student's chances
of being considered for a future externship placement. Under no circumstances will a student be
allowed to withdraw an acceptance to go to another placement.
B. State Bar Certification
Several placements require State Bar Certification, e.g. District Attorney's Office. Students should
obtain from the Registrar's Office the "Certification Packet" and then take the necessary steps to be
certified where pertinent to the individual placements. The instructions on the "Certification Packet"
are self-explanatory.
C. Hours and Schedules: See III D.
D. Placement Requirements: See III E.
E. Orientation/Guided Reflection/Faculty Advisors: All externs will be required to attend an
orientation session before starting the externship. In addition, all externs will be required to
participate in “Guided Reflection,” through the Externship Program’s TWEN page in the form of
online submissions concerning their placement; these submissions will be supervised by Faculty
Advisors.
F. Work Product and Time Sheets: At regular intervals during the placement, the extern must submit
time sheets signed by the placement supervisor, detailing the work done; and at the end of the
placement, the extern also is required to turn in a Work Product Folder that contains copies of all
significant completed work products (e.g., motions, memoranda or trial notebook). This Folder will
be returned after review by the Externship Director. Work Product Folders and Final Time Sheets
are due within 2 weeks of the last day of classes for the semester, or earlier as indicated on the
Externship Syllabus and should be turned into the Externship Office, Room W231.
G. Confidentiality: The student extern is expected to hold in strictest confidence all communications
received in the course of the externship placement which are not matters of public record and to
adhere fully to the standards of professional conduct set forth in the Code of Professional
Responsibility of the American Bar Association and the Rules of Professional Conduct of the State
Bar of California.
VII.
Grading & Evaluation
A grade of Credit or No Credit is determined by the Director of Externships and in some cases the Faculty
Advisor. The grade is based upon participation in the orientation and the Guided Reflection submissions, the
work product, time sheets, the evaluation of the placement supervisor, and the student's compliance with all
externship requirements.

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Any student enrolled in an externship placement who fails to comply with any provisions of the Externship
Program, of the Student Honor Code, or appropriate regulations governing the profession, may, at the
discretion of the Director of Externships, be assigned a No Credit and be barred from further placements.
VIII.
NEW PROGRAMS
The Externship Program is intended to provide benefits to students. Therefore, it is the policy of the law
school to encourage the establishment of new programs that will enhance educational opportunities for
students.
New programs should, however, have the potential for continuation. Thus, one-time placements or short
term programs will generally not be deemed suitable candidates for inclusion in Southwestern's Externship
Program.
STUDENTS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO SEEK OUT THEIR OWN PLACEMENT AND THEN
REQUEST UNIT CREDIT. ALL REQUESTS FOR PLACEMENTS IN NEW PROGRAMS
SHOULD BE DISCUSSED INITIALLY WITH THE DIRECTOR OF EXTERNSHIPS. THE
STUDENT SHOULD BE PREPARED TO EXPLAIN WHY AN EXISTING, ESTABLISHED FIELD
PLACEMENT CANNOT OTHERWISE FULFILL THE EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES SOUGHT.
IX.
PROGRAM EVALUATION
A. Frequency: Every externship program should be thoroughly evaluated by a faculty member through
periodic on-site visits or their equivalent.
B. Responsibility: The Director of Externships shall be responsible for preparing the evaluation of
each program and reporting the evaluation and recommendation to the Faculty.
C. Evaluation: The evaluation of programs by the Director shall be based on the following:
1) Recommendation of the Faculty Advisor;
2) Recommendation of student participants;
3) Reports and papers of student participants; and
4) On-site inspections by the Director or other faculty representative.
D. Criteria: The criteria for evaluation shall be as follows:
1) How well the program meets the objectives for which it is established;
2) The actual work of the students;
3) How well the actual work of the students meets the educational goals of the program;
4) The adequacy of the supervision by the faculty advisor and the supervising attorney;
5) The adequacy of reports by the staff attorney;
6) How well the program is integrated into the curriculum;
7) The benefits to the students from the program; and
8) The benefits to the law school from the program.

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X. TERMINATION OF PROGRAM
An externship placement may be terminated as an approved placement if, after a Program Evaluation, it is in
the judgment of the Director of Externships unsuitable for continued placement of Southwestern students.
All decisions to terminate any approved externship placement due to unsuitability shall be communicated to
the faculty.
A program may also be terminated if, within a two year period, no students have participated in an externship
with the host agency, court, or firm.
XI.
ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAM
A. Director
The Externship Program shall be directed by a full-time faculty member who shall report to the
Dean.
B. Administration
The Externship Program shall be administered consistent with the rules and standards set forth in this
booklet.
C. Exemption & Waivers
The Director of Externships shall have the power to waive or grant an exemption from any
requirement contained herein.
All requests for exemptions or waivers must be in writing and set forth the basis for the requested
exemption or waiver. The decision of the Director of Externships whether to grant or deny an
exemption or waiver shall be committed to the Director's discretion.
EXTERNSHIP PROGRAM POLICIES & GUIDELINES: DESCRIPTIONS OF SELECT
PLACEMENTS; VISIT THE EXTERNSHIP OFFICE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON
THESE AND OTHER PLACEMENTS.
A. Judicial Externships
The students enrolled in this program will be assigned to clerk for a judge of the Federal District
Court, Federal Court of Appeals, a judge on a Superior or Appellate Court of the State or a United
States Magistrate or Bankruptcy Judge.
Students in this program must have completed civil and/or criminal procedure and must have
completed three (3) semesters of instruction. Students who wish to be placed in certain judicial
externships must be in the top 30%. Since the federal court calendar is heard on Monday mornings,
applicants for positions on the Federal District Court should include that time as part of their
anticipated scheduled hours.
The judicial extern can expect to serve the judge in the same capacity as the law clerk. In this sense
both extern and clerk are the judge's personal, legal assistant. Judicial externships offer special
opportunities to observe the reality rather than the myth of the judicial process and to participate in

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the process. Judicial externships may provide students with access to employment opportunities that
previously were foreclosed. Employers tend to see externs as the product of merit selection and
value the insights the former extern brings to the job.
Students interested in judicial externships should be forewarned that the job, while outwardly
glamorous, basically emphasizes research and writing. Externing for a judge is an exacting business
and can be stressful. Externs are expected to perform at high levels of competency. Failure to
perform at the expected high level can lead to a decision by the Director of Externships to withhold
or reduce academic credit awarded for the externship.
1. Federal Courts
This externship provides the student the opportunity to learn about the operation of the federal
judicial system.
Federal Appellate Courts exercise a wide ranging jurisdiction. Students assigned to the Circuit Court
of Appeals can expect to be assigned responsibility to work on several appeals during their
externship.
Externships with the Federal District Court, Magistrates, and Bankruptcy Judges tend to be more
specialized. The Federal District Court is a trial court and externs will spend considerable time
assisting the judge with the motion calendar. Externships with Magistrates will significantly parallel
those at the District Court level. Bankruptcy practice is specialized. While externs spend substantial
time assisting the judge with the motion calendar, the issues before the court emphasize commercial
transactions.
The bulk of the work in all federal judicial externships is taken up with research and the writing and
rewriting of memoranda.
2. California Court of Appeal
Civil and criminal appeals of all types are handled by the Court, and the student becomes intimately
involved in their resolution. Generally, the students are involved in the initial "work-up" of the
appeal by briefing the case and preparing memos and making recommendations. The student will do
research and be involved in assisting the justice assigned to write the opinion for the court.
3. Superior Courts
Although most of the placements made in the Superior Court will be in the Central District in
downtown Los Angeles, a limited number of positions may be arranged in branch courts. The
Superior Court is divided into departments specializing in particular areas of the law. Students may
be assigned to work with judges in the areas of probate, family law, writs, etc. and receive an
invaluable exposure to the judicial decision-making process, as well as experience in research and
writing.
Placements are also available with other Superior Court locations such as Orange, Riverside, San
Bernardino and Ventura Counties.
B. Los Angeles District Attorney
Placements with the District Attorney's Office are available to a limited number of day students
following commencement of their second year of law school (third year for evening and PLEAS

students) and thereafter. The course in Trial Advocacy is highly recommended for all students
seeking placement with this office.
1. Trials Division (Certified Law Student Program - 2 full days a week required)
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Students will be assigned to a Unit of the Felony Trials Division in the District Attorney's Office.
Their work will concern all types of felony cases. Emphasis will be on trial work. Students may
interview witnesses, assist in preparation of cases for trial and help prepare trial exhibits. Students
who are certified under the Rules Governing the Practical Training of Law. Students will make court
appearances under the supervision of an experienced Deputy. There will be opportunity to become
familiar with the courtroom, the District Attorney's Office and all facets of felon processing.
2. Juvenile Division
The Juvenile Division of the Bureau of Special Operations is responsible for prosecuting those
violations of the criminal law that are committed by persons seventeen years of age and under. These
prosecutions take place in juvenile courts, all of which are Superior Courts.
A proceeding in Juvenile Court is fundamentally a hearing to determine whether a juvenile, against
whom a petition has been filed alleging the commission of a criminal act, should be made a ward of
the court because the allegation is found true. Externs assigned to the Juvenile Division will engage
in the same activities as described above with respect to the Trial Division.
3. Appellate Division
The Appellate Division of the Bureau of Special Operations makes legal appearance and files briefs
in all California and federal courts.
The Appellate Division represents the People when they appeal in felony matters. Members of this
Division also appear in preconviction felony matters involving habeas corpus. Post conviction
proceedings (including defendants' appeals from final judgments of conviction) relating to felony
cases are usually processed by the Attorney General.
In misdemeanor cases, this Division processes pre- and post-conviction matters arising out of cases
prosecuted by the District Attorney.
Appellate Division deputies also process some matters in the federal courts that arise out of state
prosecutions. Additionally, members of the Division have been active in formulating legislation.
Student externs will assist in the research and drafting of writs and appellate briefs.
4. Career Criminal Unit
This Unit was set up to accomplish the successful prosecution of dangerous, repeat offenders and to
seek their incarceration for maximum state prison terms. The Unit concentrates on robbery and
robbery-murder cases. When a case that merits the attention of the Career Criminal Unit is
identified, an attorney from the Unit is assigned to handle the case from the beginning through
sentencing. For this reason, a student extern in this office will be engaged in researching factual and
legal issues and observing courtroom proceedings at all stages in a felony proceeding.
5. Consumer and Environmental Protection Division
The Consumer and Environmental Protection Division of the Bureau of Special Operations consists
of two sections: Consumer Protection and Anti-Trust. The Division was formed in 1971. Its

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purpose is to prosecute those consumer, environmental and anti-competitive violations that have a
county-wide impact on the public.
The Division operates almost exclusively in the civil courts. It seeks injunctive relief, civil penalties,
restitution, or any other remedy that is necessary to correct a violation. Criminal cases are filed when
necessary. The Consumer Protection Section operates primarily in the area of false advertising and
unfair competition. The Anti-Trust Section, which was created in 1971, handles prosecutions of
violations of the state's anti-trust statue, the Cartwright Act, when the violations occur primarily in
Los Angeles County.
Student externs will be given legal research and drafting assignments. From time to time, they may
be involved in investigating and monitoring advertisements or in preparing legal opinions regarding
such ads. Students applying for this position should have some knowledge of consumer law and a
strong interest in the field.
6. Special Units
(a) Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Section
The Child Abuse and Domestic Violence section was established to respond to complaints that
prosecutors have been traditionally hesitant to file criminal charges in situations involving family
violence. Attorneys involved in this program handle complex cases of violent crimes committed by
married peoples against one another, child abuse, and violence between unmarried people living
together. The Section is also available to assist other deputies in the office with advice and research.
(b) Hardcore Gang Unit
In 1979, the District Attorney's Office established a Hardcore Gang Unit to target prosecution of
violent, habitual gang offenders. The Unit’s reach is county-wide and the Unit prosecutes in both
adult and juvenile courts. Students will be involved in the cases on all levels, including
investigation, filing, discovery, handling of motions, trial preparation, etc. Students who are certified
pursuant to the Rules governing the Practical Training of Law Students may appear under the
supervision of a Deputy. In order to obtain the most benefit from this placement, students must have
mornings free to devote to this placement.
C. Los Angeles County Public Defender
The Office represents indigent criminal defendants and juveniles. Students are assigned primarily to
the analysis of case files and the research and preparation of a wide range of motions regularly filed
with the criminal courts (995 motions, motions to quash and traverse search warrants, to disclose
informants' identities, to suppress confessions, etc.). Students are permitted to attend and participate
in client interviews, including visits to the jail, and may occasionally accompany field investigators
employed by the office.
Students are not certified to make court appearances. They do, however, accompany deputies who
are making appearances in arraignments through sentencing hearings.

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D. Federal Public Defender
This office represents indigent criminal defendants in federal court. Student assignments are similar
to those encountered in the County Public Defender’s Office described above.
Students are not certified to make court appearances.
E. California Attorney General
1. Criminal Appellate Division
Students placed in the Los Angeles Criminal Division of the California State Attorney General assist
in the writing of appellate briefs in criminal matters. Each student is assigned to a middle-level
Deputy Attorney General. After in-house training and reference to manuals and research tools
available in the office, each student is assigned a transcript of a trial and the opening brief submitted
by appellant. The student is required to research and prepare a responsive brief. The student and
supervising attorney review the brief for corrections and revisions, after which it is re-written and
submitted to the Court.
2. Tort and Condemnation Section
This civil litigation section defends lawsuits brought against the State of California and state
employees, such as state officials, highway patrol officers, physicians, and other employees of state
hospitals. Examples are those for violation of civil rights brought in federal or state courts,
defamation, assault and battery, false imprisonment, medical malpractice, and other personal injury
actions. This section also serves as the plaintiff in direct condemnation (eminent domain) actions
and defends inverse condemnation actions.
Each student will be under the direct supervision of a Deputy Attorney General when working on a
case and may be required to research and prepare any of the following: pleadings, motions, orders
writs, appeals or memoranda. Students may also have the opportunity to accompany attorneys to
depositions and to hearings on motions, and to attend settlement conferences, pre-trial conferences
and trials.
F. United States Attorney's Office
(Student must be a United States Citizen)
1. Criminal & Civil Division
Students assigned to this office will work in either the Criminal or Civil Division. The U.S. Attorney
is the federal government's lawyers in the Central District of California. The Office handles all
criminal prosecutions, including appeals, and most civil matters where the United States is a plaintiff
or defendant.
Student responsibilities will be primarily in research and drafting legal papers. Students will have
the opportunity to observe court proceedings and gain some insight into the internal operations of the
U.S. Attorney's Office.
Students are certified to make court appearances.

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2. Tax Division
Externship positions with the Tax Division of the U.S. Attorney are available to students who wish to
observe the substantive and procedural aspects of federal tax laws in a litigation context. Students
work primarily with an assigned litigating attorney, but may be called upon to assist any one of the
Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the Tax Division.
It is expected that each student will have at least a limited chance to observe some aspects of
courtroom procedure. Many assignments will also involve the practical experience of working with
or reviewing actions taken by the IRS so as to provide an insight into the administrative operations of
that agency.
Prerequisite: Survey of Federal Income Tax.
G. Los Angeles City Attorney
1. Appellate Section
This office handles all appeals arising out of the City Attorney's prosecutions. Students are given a
strong background in criminal appellate proceedings, research and pleading. Students may have the
opportunity to make oral arguments before the Appellate Court, if they are certified under the Rules
Governing Practical Training of Law Students.
2. Consumer Protection
Students in this program will investigate consumer complaints, research the law applicable to those
complaints, give opinions on the legal issues involved, and if necessary, prepare pleadings. This
division of the Los Angeles City Attorney prosecutes cases of consumer fraud against merchants in
Los Angeles and offers a student broad experience in the area of consumer law. The office
investigates and prosecutes nursing home and other health care facilities for violation of state
regulations and enforces state and local laws prohibiting discrimination in credit transactions, public
accommodations, business, employment, etc.
3. Domestic Violence
Students assigned to the Domestic Violence section will review case files and filing
recommendations. They will also participate in legislative analysis, conduct statistical information
reviews, and participate in the Victim's Assistance Program.
4. Employee Relations
The Employee Relations Division of the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office offers the student an
opportunity to do investigation, research and pleadings in the area of public sector labor relations.
Included are matters pertaining to collective bargaining, civil service, pension and retirement plans,
and employee discrimination.
Prerequisite or
Concurrently:
Labor Law; Administrative Law

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5. Environmental Protection
The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office Environmental Division acts as an enforcement agency
within the City of Los Angeles and places a major emphasis on the prosecution of various
environmental law violations. Students placed in this office will do legislative work and participate
in various administrative hearings related to environmental law.
6. General Counsel Division
Students placed in this Division of the City Attorney's Office will conduct research, advise and draft
legal documents concerning City Revenue measures and business-type litigation (business taxes,
fees, performance bonds, contracts, and property damage). The revenue measures and tax issues
normally deal with constitutional issues.
7. Land Use and Environmental Division
This division offers advice to various departments of the City of Los Angeles in the acquisition and
use of real property, including advice in connection with sales and leases of property to the City and
annexation matters. The division is responsible to litigating condemnation and inverse condemnation
proceedings.
Attorneys within the Division are involved in all aspects of land use planning within the City and
work with developers to ensure compliance with general and specific plans and state and federal
environmental regulations.
In addition to this comprehensive oversight and litigation function, the Division is responsible for
drafting proposed ordinances to implement the land use and environmental policy objectives of the
City.
H. Other City Attorney Offices
Several other municipalities in the Los Angeles area provide externship placements that parallel the
work experience offered by the Los Angeles City Attorney's offices. These presently include:
1. Santa Monica
2. Glendale
3. Anaheim
4. Torrance
5. Hawthorne
6. Redondo Beach
I. Labor-Management
1. Public Employment Relations Board
This agency administers three statutes: The Educational Employment Relations ACT (EERA),
which provides for collective negotiation for employees in the California Public School; the State
Employer-Employee Relations Act (SEERA), which provides coverage for employees of the State;
and the Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations (HEERA), which provides coverage for
employees of the State Colleges. Regional offices of PERB are responsible for handling
representation matters, requests for mediation of fact-finding, public notice complaints, unfair
practice charges and related services.

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Student externs assist hearing officers in preparing drafts of proposed decisions following formal
hearings on unfair practice charges and representation cases. This involves assignments to research
legal issues presented by the cases. It may also involve studying transcripts to prepare tentative
findings of fact. Externs also help prepare advisory legal memoranda to aid the Regional Director in
making administrative decisions. In order to get more experience in total regional office operations,
externs are involved in the informal conferences, elections and formal hearings as scheduling
permits.
Prerequisite: Labor Law, Administrative Law
2. See also, Los Angeles City Attorney -- Employee Relations, supra. Placements with the National
Labor Relations Board and other labor law placements may be available.
J. Department of Corporations, State of California
The Department of Corporations offers externships to third-year law students who have a background
and interest in securities law, business law and litigation. Students selected for this program are
given the opportunity to become familiar with the substantive areas of the California Corporate
Securities Law and other laws under the jurisdiction of the Commissioner of Corporations, and
practical experience in enforcing those laws. Additionally, externs participate in the Department's
litigation program by assisting counsel in preparing cases for administrative hearings, civil injunctive
actions, and referral to local district attorneys for criminal prosecution.
K. Public Interest Practice
1. American Civil Liberties Union
Law students who participate as externs at the ACLU Foundation of Southern California do legal
research, prepare legal memoranda, interview persons who come to the office with problems, where
possible, prepare drafts of legal documents such as motions, complaints, and interrogatories.
Students will also learn court procedures, including how to file and serve legal documents. Students
in their third year of law school will be given preference.
2. Bet Tzedek Legal Services
Bet Tzedek Legal Services is a neighborhood legal aid center which handles a variety of cases on
behalf of the indigent community, including landlord/tenant, Social Security, immigration, and
debtor/creditor.
3. Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law
This office works on a number of major impact cases involving the constitutional rights of
immigrants and refugees on both the state and federal levels. They are also involved in the day-today
handling of direct services cases for indigent clients with immigration problems. Students
working in this office would have the option either to participate at the grass roots level, dealing
directly with clients, or to involve themselves in research and writing with respect to more involved
areas of constitutional law.
4. Los Angeles County Bar Association - Immigration Law Project
This program offers the extern the opportunity to learn the procedures followed in obtaining
immigrant visas, labor certifications and working visas, adjustment of status, naturalization, and

elief from deportation; and the opportunity to examine legal options with persons interested in
finding solutions within the framework of the immigration system.
M. Entertainment
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Students interested in the areas of entertainment law and sports law may participate in the externship
program any time after the student's first year. The program provides placements in various
entertainment organizations. Southwestern students have been placed in numerous organizations:
network and local television and radio such as NBC and ABC; numerous studios such as Twentieth
Century Fox, Paramount, Universal Studios, MGM, Lions Gate, Miramax, Fox Group Legal, Carsey-
Werner Productions and Sony/Columbia; record companies such as Interscope, RCA and Hollywood
Records; music publishers such as Warner/Chappell Music, EMI and Famous Music; entertainment
guilds such as the Directors Guild, Writers Guild and the Screen Actors Guild. Southwestern also
has an ongoing relationship with the Los Angeles Raiders (now Oakland Raiders) which provides our
students who are interested in the filed of sports law with an opportunity to become acquainted with
the legal problems involved in professional sports.
1. Motion Picture and Television
The content of these externships vary according to the specific placement, the specific placement
supervisor and the projects that are currently in development. Most students are involved in
transactional work including contract drafting, negotiations, rights clearance and contract analysis.
Students have become involved in arbitrations, but are rarely called upon to become involved in
formal litigation.
2. Records and Music Publishing
Students are generally engaged in contract negotiations, drafting and analysis as well as rights
clearance, particularly of foreign rights. Students are often involved in the preliminary stages of
litigation, including the research of issues involved in threatened lawsuits, corresponding with those
threatening the lawsuits and policing the copyrights owned by the placement organization.
3. Entertainment Guilds
Students familiarize themselves with the applicable basic collective bargaining agreements and
provide analysis of those agreements in response to particular complaints. Students are often
engaged in negotiations with production companies and become involved with arbitration roceedings.
4. Sports
Students have been exposed to a variety of issues including union negotiations, merchandising,
antitrust disputes, employee retirement and welfare litigation, and mass media rights. Although these
externships have tended to be focused on litigation, they have also involved negotiation and contract
analysis.
N. Miscellaneous
Each semester new externship opportunities open up for students, and other placements may be
available in specialized areas, including public interest law, tax law, workers' compensation, etc.
Descriptions of these programs will be available at the Externship Office, and new programs will be
posted on the Externship Bulletin Board in Room W231.

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O. Out-of-State Summer Placements
In the past, students have ben placed in various out-of-state programs, including the Clark County
District Attorney, Clark County Public Defender, and the Federal Public Defender in Las Vegas; and
the Law Department in the city of New York; and with federal and state court judges throughout the
country.
Adopted by the Faculty
February 25, 1986,
Revised August 1992; January 1998; April 2005