At a Judicial Externship Workshop on October 1 held by Professor Carolyn Larmore, students who completed externships last year shared their experiences with fellow law students. An externship is an opportunity to earn academic credit while working for a government agency, a judge, a public interest organization, a corporate or entertainment in-house legal department, or a select private law firm. A third-year Chapman Law student, Lauren Shaw, talked about how her externship prepared her for a summer job. “My externship was the best writing experience I’ve ever had,” said Lauren.

Lauren externed for The Honorable Josephine Staton Tucker of the United States District Court last spring and The Honorable Theodor Albert of the Federal Bankruptcy Court during her 1L summer. Lauren explained that she was given assignments to research and write memoranda recommending rulings to the judges. “When I turned in my papers, I would receive them back with red lines and comments all over the margins.” But instead of being discouraged, Lauren said this was the most useful feedback that she had ever received.

Externships can be a rewarding way to improve a student’s research and writing skills while gaining realistic experience in a particular placement. Students receive valuable instruction that supplements the traditional legal education they receive in the classroom, and develop the practical skills, poise and confidence necessary to be effective practitioners in the courtroom and the law office. Additionally, the experience enhances the legal resume and provides important networking opportunities.

The best part of her externships, according to Lauren, was going into the Judge’s chambers and getting a weekly lesson on contemporary legal issues from Judge Albert. Lauren was so inspired that she enrolled in Judge Albert’s Bankruptcy course offered here at Chapman Law School.

Brandon Lewis, also a third-year law student, said his externships were “the best things I have done in law school so far.” Brandon externed for Judge Scott Steiner at the Orange County Superior Court and worked mainly in criminal law and also Judge Maria Hernandez in juvenile law. “At first, the courtroom is not a comfortable place, but eventually you become confident,” said Brandon. He mentioned that his externships provided him with the opportunity to watch lawyers and judges in action which was just as useful as feedback he received on his legal writing.

Professor Larmore, who is also the Director of the Externship Program, recommends a judicial externship to any student interested in learning how the legal system really operates. “This is the only time in your legal career that you are allowed to go behind the scenes in a courtroom to see how judges really think,” she explained. Professor Larmore also stressed that there are various types of courts that accept externs, many of which look for other qualities in their externs besides GPA.

To find out more, students should review the “Which Court is Right for You?” page of the Externship Handbook, which is available in the LRW/Externship Suite or on Professor Larmore’s TWEN page. You can click here to see what past students have said about their externship experiences.