Students

Qualifying Placements

The Colorado Law Externship Program is offered year-round (Fall, Spring and Summer semesters). Students may extern at governmental and听non-profit organizations and agencies.听Students may work in all three branches of the government, including state and federal judicial chambers, executive agencies, and legislative听offices. As per the Law School Rules,听Colorado Law students may not extern听at private, for-profit law firms or corporations. Due to a recent update to the Law School Rules, starting in Summer of 2023 students may now be paid and receive academic credit at approved externships.听

Remote Externships

Due to the COVID-19 situation, students can now听complete remote externships if their agencies will not allow them to work in the office, or if the student is not comfortable听attending in person. Please speak to the听Program Director if you have any questions.Externship sponsors are not limited to agencies and organizations that have sponsored externs in the past. Students must be supervised by a licensed attorney at their agency.听

Law School Credits

Students may receive 2, 3 or 4 credits for an externship in a semester, unless special approval has been granted for a single semester 7-credit externship in Colorado or a single semester 10-credit externship at a national or international placement. 50 hours of work听time is required for each externship credit. 听Students interested in seeking special approval for a 7 or 10 credit externship should consult with the Director of Experiential Learning about additional program requirements. 听Students can only participate in ONE externship per semester (i.e., a student cannot complete a 2-credit externship at the Colorado Supreme Court and a 2-credit externship at the AG's Office in the same semester).

Application Deadlines

Externship Program Description Agreement documents must be received听no later than the deadlines listed below. We encourage students to being process of completing听externship paperwork EARLY as background checks and other administrative processes can take a while.

  • The听deadline to submit your SPRING 2025 externship application听is Wednesday, January 8th听at 11:59 p.m. MST.
    • 鈥媁e cannot accept late applications!
    • The Spring Externship Session will run from Monday, January 13th through Friday, April 25th.
  • The听deadline to submit your SUMMER 2025 externship application听is Tuesday, May 27th听at 11:59 p.m. MST.
    • 鈥媁e cannot accept late applications!
    • The Summer Externship Session will run from Monday, June 2nd through Friday, August 8th.听

Colorado's听Student Practice Act:

Law students who have completed at least two years of law school may appear in court pursuant to听.听A student must file a听听that they have听completed two years of law school and is of good moral character.听To file this certification, print the form, complete the first two sections, and email the form to听lawreg@colorado.edu. The Registrar will then听complete and submit the form.听

The student must also provide the name of the supervising attorney and an anticipated graduation date. Work must be performed for an attorney in the public sector, i.e., the Public Defender's Office or District Attorney's Office; or on behalf of a non profit legal services organization where poor or legally underserved persons receives legal advice.

Please note: In addition to the Law School Rules, Externships are regulated by ABA Standard 304.听

Academic Quick Links

Nuts and Bolts of Externship Program

The Office of Career Development maintains a list of possible externships on听. In the OCI and Job Listings tab, you can filter by positions that are 鈥淓ligible for School Credit鈥 to find current listings. Students are encouraged to contact past sponsors from government or nonprofit agencies in a professional fashion regarding any current externship needs. As per the Law School Rules, students cannot extern听at private, for-profit law firms or corporations.

Examples of agencies and organizations that have served as externship placement sites听include Colorado state and federal courts at every level, The Deming Center Venture Fund, The Nature Conservancy, Boulder and Denver District Attorney's Office,听The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Colorado Attorney General's Office, Office of the Colorado State听Public Defender, Colorado Technology Association, Greenpeace International, Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network, The National Audobon Society, The Wilderness Society, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, University of Colorado Athletics Department, Western Mining Action Project, Colorado Legal Services,听and many more as detailed here.

In deciding whether to approve a program for extern credit, Colorado Law will evaluate the following criteria to see if they are met:

  • The externship placement site is a non-profit听or governmental agency. Students are not allowed to complete externships at private, for-profit law firms or corporations.
  • The program is of substantial educational value,
  • The work to be done is of the kind a beginning lawyer might do in a professional capacity or is closely related thereto,
  • The work must have a substantial writing component,
  • The field supervisor is a practicing attorney or judge located at the externship site听who is committed to mentoring and providing the student with听substantial feedback on his/her/their听work product,
  • The sponsoring organization must provide the听student with an听adequate opportunity听to work听the required number of hours to earn the听externship credit,

In addition to working at their sponsoring organization, students are required to听attend mandatory classes offered during the semester through the Externship Program.

Please note:

  1. Students may not do an externship as a research assistant for a law school professor.
  2. Students must have completed at least 30 law school credits to be eligible to do an externship.
  3. Law firms and private organizations who would like to employ the services of our students are encouraged to employ them for wages. In many circumstances, the time a student spends working for a law firm may be billed to a client. The Career Development Office is available to aid in matching firms and private organizations with students who would be qualified to work for them.

Students may earn 2, 3, or 4听academic credits for their externship work in a single听semester, unless approved for a semester long 7-credit externship in Colorado or 10-credit externship in a national or international placement. The maximum number of externship听credits a student can earn while in law school听is 7.

To be eligible for academic credit, a student's externship must meet the following requirements:

  • A qualified field sponsor who is a lawyer or judge (students may not extern听at private, for-profit law firms or corporations)
  • A minimum of 50 hours of work during the semester of enrollment for each externship credit, with a minimum number of 2 externship credits per semester and a maximum number of 4 credits per semester (unless approved for a semester long 7-credit externship in Colorado or 10-credit externship in a national or international placement)听
  • Participation in mandatory course sessions offered throughout the semester听
  • Submission of substantial written work authored by the student in the course of the externship. Acceptable writing pieces include:
    • compositions for your externship sponsor which are reviewed and critiqued
    • legal memoranda and briefs which are a significant part of your work and which are reviewed by your field supervisor
    • pleadings can suffice so long as they are primarily authored by the student and can be redacted appropriately to remove personal identifying information and sensitive content
  • Other externship paperwork as required by the rules

Externship hours cannot be applied retroactively. ABA rules require that an externship is supervised by faculty and that students engage in ongoing contemporaneous reflection. Consequently, you cannot count any hours worked prior to student submission of an externship application听and approval of an externship application by the Program Director. 听

More information regarding externship requirements is available at Law School Rule 24 and in the Program Description听Agreement, which serves as the externship application.

Colorado Law students should send their completed (signed by the student and听supervisor)听to听lawexternships@colorado.edu. Students should CC their externship supervisor on this email. Applications to enroll in an听externship during any semester should be submitted no later than the stated deadline.听The deadline is/will be听listed on the "Information for Students" portion of this website.听

  1. Determine an externship site that will satisfy the above requirements and will meet your career interests.
  2. Approach the site of interest and identify an attorney who will serve as your field supervisor. You must identify a single person to serve as your supervisor even if you will work with several attorneys during the course of your听externship.听Make sure that you discuss with your supervisor your need to be trained and mentored.
  3. Decide the number of academic credits you would like to receive for your externship. Each credit consists of 50 working hours per semester and you may register for 2, 3, or 4 credits, unless otherwise approved for a semester long 7-credit externship in Colorado or a 10-credit externship in a national or international placement in consultation with the Director of Experiential Learning. Students听cannot听register for a 1-credit externship.听
  4. Students interested in completing听a semester long 7-credit externship in Colorado or a 10-credit externship in a national or international placement must听make an appointment to meet with the Director of Experiential Learning and must include the听Petition to Participate in a Single-Semester 7-Credit Externship in Colorado, or a Single-Semester 10-Credit Externship at a National or International Placement听with their application.
  5. Obtain a resume, bio, or CV from your field supervisor (which should include qualifications of this individual to be your supervisor, along with a business address and phone number).
  6. Complete Externship Application (Program Description Agreement)

Upon receiving your application,听we will carefully review your application materials. If your application is approved, we will send you a confirmation email and we will听register you听for the requested听number of credits by the Law Registrar's Office.听

Your completed application should consist of:

All materials should be emailed to the Director of Experiential Learning at听lawexternships@colorado.edu. Please download the forms below to your computer before filling them out.

ALL SPRING 2025 EXTERNSHIP STUDENTS WILL BE REQUIRED TO听ATTEND A听MANDATORY EXTERNSHIP ORIENTATION SESSION

  • Friday, January 17,听2025
  • 4 - 4:50 P.M. MST
  • ZOOM Link PROVIDED VIA EMAIL

Spring 2025 Externship Key Dates

  • Midsemester reflection is due WEDNESDAY, March 5th at 11:59pm MST
  • End of semester paperwork is due FRIDAY, April 25th at 11:59pm MST

Spring 2025 Externship Classes

Externship students听are听required听to attend externship classes that will be scheduled over the course of the semester in the subject area that is closest to the area of law where the student will be placed during the semester. 听Students DO NOT have to register for the externship classroom component through the Law Registrar's Office. The Program Director will send all students enrolled in an externship additional听information about the externship class during the first week of classes each semester.听

While the General Topics class is suitable for students completing an听externship focusing on any area of the law, we strongly recommend that students enroll in the听subject-specific class for the practice area of their externship.听

Students completing an听externship in the same practice area as a previous externship (i.e., two externships with the Federal Government) may be eligible to take the Advanced Topics class.听The dates, times听and instructors are as follows:

Advanced Externship (repeat externs with same practice area) ()

  • Wednesday, January 29, Noon to 12:50 p.m. 鈥 Room 301
  • Wednesday, April 16, Noon to 12:50 p.m. 鈥 Room 301

General Topics听(cross-cutting professionalism topics) () updated 1/7/25

  • Wednesday, January 22, Noon to 12:50 p.m. 鈥 Room 300
  • Wednesday, February 12, Noon to 12:50 p.m. 鈥 Room 301
  • Wednesday, February 19, Noon to 12:50 p.m. 鈥 Room 207 鈥 Special Lecture
  • Wednesday, March 19, Noon to 12:50 p.m. 鈥撎齊oom 301
  • Wednesday, April 9, Noon to 12:50 p.m. 鈥 Room 301
  • Wednesday, April 23, Noon to 12:50 p.m. 鈥撎齊oom 301

Federal Government ()

  • Wednesday, January 22, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. 鈥 Remote
  • Wednesday, February 12, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.听 鈥 Remote
  • Wednesday, March 5, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.听 鈥 Remote
  • Wednesday, April 2, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.听 鈥 Remote
  • Wednesday, April 16, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. 鈥 Remote

Judicial ()

  • Thursday, January 30, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.听鈥 听Room 204
  • Thursday, February 20, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.听鈥 Room 204
  • Thursday, March 6, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.听鈥撎齊oom 204
  • Thursday, March 20, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.听鈥撎齊oom 204
  • Thursday, April 17, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.听鈥撎齊oom 204

Non-Governmental/Non-Profits ()听

  • Wednesday, January 29, 30, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. . 鈥 Remote
  • Wednesday, February 19, 30, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. 听鈥撎齊emote
  • Wednesday, March 12,听 30, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. 听鈥撎齊emote
  • Wednesday, April 9, 30, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. 听鈥撎齊emote
  • Wednesday, April 23, 30, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. 鈥撎齊emote

Prosecution听()听听

  • Tuesday, January 21, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.听鈥撎齊oom 303
  • Tuesday, February 4,听 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.听鈥撎齊oom 303
  • Tuesday, February 25, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.听鈥撎齊oom 303
  • Tuesday, April 1, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.听 鈥撎齊oom 303
  • Tuesday, April 15, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.听鈥 Room 303

Public Defender ()听

  • Wednesday, January 29, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.听鈥撎齊oom 421
  • Wednesday, February 12, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. 鈥撎齊oom 421
  • Wednesday, February 26, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. 鈥撎齊oom 421
  • Wednesday, March 12, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. 鈥撎齊oom 421
  • Wednesday, April 9, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.鈥 Room 421

State/Local Government听()听听

  • Wednesday, January 29, 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. 鈥 Room 421
  • Wednesday, February 12, 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. 鈥撎齊oom 421
  • Wednesday, March 5,听3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. 鈥撎齊oom 421
  • Wednesday, March 19, 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. 鈥撎齊oom 421
  • Wednesday, April 9,听 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. 鈥撎齊oom 421