experiential learning - Georgetown Law - Georgetown University

By integrating classroom work with real-work experience, externships offer students the
opportunity to see law in action while gaining a deeper understanding of how legal practice
happens. Under the direct supervision of an attorney, students are able to engage in work that
is commensurate with projects that would be given to an entry-level attorney. Students become
a part of the fabric of an organization and gain exposure to practice and application of laws and
concepts that they have studied in the classroom. For many students, an externship is the first
time that theory meets practice. At Georgetown, our students are able to have this experience
with the backdrop of some of our nation’s most interesting and complex institutions.
In an eleven week placement, students attend Congressional hearings, draft motions for trial,
and witness the development of policies that have an impact on our entire nation. Whether
in the courthouse or the White House, students identify their externships as among the most
valuable experiences that they have in law school. Because full time students may enroll in the
summer externship program without paying additional tuition, the summer semester is an ideal
opportunity for first year students who wish to remain in Washington or explore an opportunity
in a market where they may already have ties.
Students pursue externships for many different reasons. Some students are shopping around
for what it is that they are going to do after law school. They may not be exactly sure why they
came to law school and are hoping to experience for themselves what types of work exist beyond
a law firm. They may want to discover whether or not they both will enjoy and can effectively
perform that work. In addition to engaging in a process of self-discovery, these students
are also making themselves more competitive in the summer and post-graduate employment
markets.
Other students see an externship as an interim step between doctrinal course work and a clinic
or practicum course. An externship also is a perfect way to enhance the resume of a student
who may have come straight to law school from undergrad and, therefore, has had no professional
means of demonstrating his or her commitment to a particular area of the law.
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