{
    "page_header": "Law &amp; Judicial Externships",
    "top_image": "{wwwroot}files/pages/wl_012615_189.jpg",
    "page_intro": "<p>Learning the law in the heart of Delaware&rsquo;s dynamic legal community gives our students significant advantages, including a rich array of externship opportunities in Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and beyond.</p>",
    "page_content": "<h2>About Delaware Law&rsquo;s Externship Program</h2>\r\n<p>Delaware Law&rsquo;s Juris Doctor (JD) program bridges in-class learning with out-of-classroom experiences. We encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities to see how concepts apply in real-world settings, acquire crucial professional skills for your career as a lawyer, and grow your network to set your career in motion even before you graduate.</p>\r\n<p>With an externship, you will earn academic credit, hone your research and writing skills, and experience the day-to-day life of practicing attorneys and judges. Second- and third-year externship participants work with judges, state and local prosecutors, public defenders, and attorneys in legal service and government agencies.</p>\r\n<p>In general, our externships place you in government or public service law offices or courts, where you may spend up to a year assisting and learning alongside legal professionals who serve as mentors and can guide your career to the next phase.</p>\r\n<p>During a law or judicial externship, you&rsquo;ll not only observe what professionals do each day, but also play a key role in the legal process. In these placements, our JD candidates get to practice what they&rsquo;ve learned in the classroom by revising briefs, trial records, and other documents; researching and analyzing case law; gathering evidence; and working with clients.</p>\r\n<p>Delaware Law places our JD candidates in over 150 externship sites in Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland. Your choices include:</p>\r\n<h2><a href=\"ipl://136//W10=////\">Public Interest Externship Program</a></h2>\r\n<p>You&rsquo;ll work defending the public good at a nonprofit or government agency of your choice. This 140 hour&ndash;minimum program lasting a 14-week academic term sees you explore your role as a public interest attorney and put academic theories into practice as you advocate on behalf of clients.</p>\r\n<p>Students progress through this externship program under the guidance of a prominent attorney and, along with working directly in a law or government office, produce reflection papers on their observations and assess their field experiences in three case journals.</p>\r\n<h2><a href=\"ipl://137//W10=////\"><strong>Judicial Externship Program</strong></a></h2>\r\n<p>Students interested in a career in the courtroom or elsewhere will have the opportunity to hone their legal skills and experience the legal field from behind the scenes in a court setting.</p>\r\n<p>Judicial externships provide a holistic perspective of a trial or appellate court&rsquo;s operations and heavily emphasize research and writing skills. You&rsquo;ll assist with this process and hone your own abilities by conducting legal research, drafting documents as a court clerk, and observing judicial proceedings as you receive professional advice. Delaware Law places interested JD candidates in federal or state courts.</p>\r\n<p>JD candidates in strong academic standing may be selected for the Josiah Oliver Wolcott Fellowship, which offers five students the chance to serve as a clerk for a justice of the Delaware Supreme Court or the Delaware Court of Chancery and includes a scholarship in addition to academic credit. Should you be selected, you&rsquo;ll perform duties consistent with those of a law clerk for 20 hours per week during the academic year. <a href=\"ipl://146//W10=////\">Learn more about the Josiah Wolcott Fellowship</a>.</p>\r\n<h2><a href=\"ipl://579//W10=////\">Medical-Legal Partnership (MLP)</a></h2>\r\n<p>MLP understands the healthcare-related hardships low-income families face and seeks to increase the number of volunteer attorneys to assist with legal issues related to housing, income, and other basic needs.</p>\r\n<p>Interested JD candidates work with medical providers to address the social factors vulnerable populations face when attempting to access healthcare, provide free legal services in a healthcare setting, and conduct surveys to understand patients&rsquo; legal needs.</p>\r\n<h2>Advance Your Legal Career with Delaware Law&rsquo;s Externship Program</h2>\r\n<p>Delaware Law&rsquo;s externship program prepares you to hit the ground running at your first legal job.</p>\r\n<p>If you&rsquo;re a current student thinking about your future, explore all programs, and <a href=\"https://widener.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_86r2nxnTOckXKq9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">submit an application before the deadline</a>.</p>\r\n<p>If you&rsquo;re considering Delaware Law and would like to know more, contact our Director of Experiential Education, Director of Judicial Externship Program, and Associate Professor, <a href=\"ipl://20//WyIyMiJd////\">Francis Catania</a>.</p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;</p>",
    "callouts": [],
    "callouts_visual": [],
    "page_fact_display": ""
}