- On-campus externships: Off-campus application deadlines do not apply to on-campus clinical placements such as the Loyola Center for Conflict Resolution. Students should apply directly in the office of interest.
- Externship Eligibility: Students are eligible to participate in an externship after the completion of the first year of studies. For part-time externships, the minimum eligible GPA is 2.33. A part-time externship involves two to six units. A minimum verified GPA of 3.33 is required for a full-time judicial externship. A full-time externship involves 7-10 units. Students on Academic Probation may not enroll in an externship. The maximum number of externship units a student may complete during his/her legal education is 14.
- Externship Unit Cap: Of the 87 units needed to graduate, 20 of them may be ungraded units, and 14 units may be externship units. There is a 14 unit maximum on externship units, whether the externship is graded or ungraded.
- Time Commitment: An externship unit requires 52 hours of legal services performed under the supervision of a licensed attorney. Part-time externships may range from two to six units. Full-time judicial externships involve seven to ten units and require participation in a concurrent tutorial course taught by the faculty externship director. All hours must be completed during the semester in which the extern is enrolled. There are no exceptions or waivers to the concurrent tutorial course requirement for full-time externs.
- Professional Obligations/Confidentiality/Unauthorized Practice of Law: Externs must perform all services professionally under the direct supervision of a licensed attorney. Externs shall not reveal information designated as confidential by supervising attorneys or judicial chambers. Externs shall not reveal information relating to the representation of a client, disclose the identity of a client or reveal information leading to the disclosure of the identity of a client without the express advance authorization of the supervising attorney. Externs shall redact all written work submitted to the Externship Department to comply with the confidentiality rules of the workplace and legal profession. I understand that I am not permitted to give legal advice to any person or client unless I am supervised by an attorney or expressly authorized to give advice by my supervising attorney, and the Director of the Loyola Center for Conflict Resolution.
- Email Notification: During the semester, the preferred method of contacting externs for any reason by Externship faculty and staff is through Loyola Law School individual student email accounts. Enrolled externs, and others working at the Loyola Center for Conflict Resolution agree to check Loyola Law School email frequently, but not less than one time per week. A printed copy of an email indicating the student name, date and time it was sent amounts to presumptive notice on the part of Externship faculty and staff that the student received the email and is aware of the contents therein. Any administrative notice regarding delinquent performance or imposition of time penalties may be sent by email and is governed by this paragraph.
Course Requirements:
- Activity Journals: Externs must prepare and submit regular activity journals and time sheets on established due dates. The journal must be typewritten and signed by the Loyola Center for Conflict Resolution Externs. Time sheets must be signed by the supervising attorney for the hours to be credited towards course completion. Journal entries must be organized on a regular basis and rounded off to the nearest quarter hour. Each entry must contain a description of the work performed that day, broken down into discrete tasks or events. Journals must also include events such as meetings with supervising attorneys and other matters related to the operation of the workplace. Journals should include reflections on the quality of supervision and how ethical issues are handled. One of the Directors reviews each journal/time sheet for the purpose of ensuring that the work performed meets the educational goals and objectives for externships adopted by the Loyola faculty.
- Written work: All written work must meet the high quality required of a law office, and be error free.
- Evaluations: At the conclusion of the semester, externs must evaluate the placement and the supervising mediator must evaluate the extern. C-MAC (Mediation) Externs must also meet with their supervisors for evaluation after the first month of working at The CCR.
- Late Penalty: Late journals are subject to a time penalty as described in the “Volunteer Hours” handout.
- Withdrawal: No student may withdraw from an externship until adequate safeguards for the handling of cases and/or client problems assigned to the student have been arranged in advance with the Director and the extern's supervisor.
- Externships/Public Interest Graduation Requirement: Completion of a minimum of two units at a qualified public interest placement automatically fulfills the public interest graduation requirement.
- Prohibition on Compensation: Externs may not receive compensation for legal or other services performed in the externship other than reimbursement for incidental expenses such as parking or photocopying.
- First Year Summer Limitations: Students who have completed the first year of day or evening studies may enroll in a maximum of six Summer Session externship units. If finalized first year grades place an extern on academic probation or yield a GPA below 2.33, a maximum of four externship units are permitted.
- Transfer Students: Transfer students may enroll in up to six units of an externship during the academic year in which they have no official Loyola GPA. Transfer students may not enroll in a full-time judicial externship (seven or more units) until they have completed a full academic year and have a Loyola GPA of 3.33 or higher.