experiential learning - Georgetown Law - Georgetown University

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For students who have already secured summer or post-graduate employment, externships
may serve as a test run - a chance to refine skills, become accustomed to a certain type of
work, or even make mistakes, when the stakes are academic and not professional.
Finally, there will always be students who pursue an externship out of intellectual curiosity.
Externships offer students a chance to learn about something because it interests them.
2011 marked the inaugural year of the Externship Program in its current form. At Georgetown,
every student who has completed his or her first year of study may pursue a placement
with a government, judicial, or non-profit agency. Nearly 25% the Law Center’s JD candidates
participated in the program during the 2011-12 academic year.
Students may elect to register for a two or three credit externship, working 110 or 165 hours
a semester respectively. In addition to field work, students are required to produce 12 pages
of reflective writing and participate in small group sessions that are designed to enhance their
experiences. Members of the faculty conduct an initial small group reflection session. Later
in the term, local attorneys that are representative of popular externship placements facilitate
small, informal class meetings, to add to the breadth of practice areas to which students are
exposed. During the 2011-2012 academic year, guest practitioners included attorneys from:
Department of Justice, Environmental and Natural Resources Division
Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Educational Opportunities Section
DC Public Defender Service
US Securities and Exchange Commission
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Tahirih Justice Center
US Sentencing Commission
US Senate Committee on the Judiciary
At the end of each semester, students are brought together with their peers in small groups
for final presentations and reflection.