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Externships and Career Development

Externships and Career Development

At Loyola, we coach and empower students and alumni to develop strategies for defining and achieving their academic and career goals. We connect students with opportunities that foster thoughtful exploration and engagement for their personal and professional development.

To encourage exploration, we offer numerous extra-curricular activities, students groups, networking and career events, and student social activities. These opportunities allow students to further develop their lawyering skills while interacting with student peers, legal professionals, and organizations across a wide variety of industries.  Additionally, externships and professional training programs on the F-1 visa allow international students from around the world to gain meaningful insights and understanding of American law firms and their day-to-day business practices.

Faculty Advisor

Loyola's LLM Faculty Director, Professor Aaron Ghirardelli, takes a personalized approach to helping students find experiential learning and employment opportunities that meet their academic and career goals.  Professor Ghirardelli spends considerable effort offering career guidance and assistance selecting the right externship opportunities. He meets with graduating students to target potential employers who meet their individual career goals in terms of the type of work, type of employer, salary, and location, and then works with other faculty and Loyola's connections in the community to recommend students for these positions.

Career Development Office

Loyola's Career Development Office is a valuable resource for students, providing assistance and resources to ensure students succeed professionally, both during the program and after graduation. Students have access to resources that will aid in personal and professional development, career-search assistance offered by career counselors, and more. The staff is with you every step of the way, intent on helping you, through:

  • Assessment of strengths, interests and skills
  • Résumé review services
  • Discovering employment opportunities
  • Job search training and workshops
  • On-Campus Interview training

Loyola’s LLM students also have the opportunity to participate in the LLM Interview Program hosted by UCLA and partnership institutions.  The LLM Interview Program is a recruitment venue for employers who are interested in enlisting international legal talents and for internationally trained lawyers.

Experiential Learning Opportunities

Loyola is renowned for its long-standing tradition of graduating lawyers adept in philosophical, analytical, and professional skills. This takes the form of real-world simulation in the classroom and hands-on experience in the field.  Experiential learning opportunities at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, include:

Loyola’s Field Placement Department offers students the chance to polish their practice skills with some of Southern California's finest public agencies, private firms and more.  These opportunities provide students with invaluable practical experience.

  • Field Placements
    • Judicial Field Placements involve working in the chambers of a state or federal judge in exchange for unit credit at Loyola. Externs perform such tasks as file evaluation, legal research, or preparation of memoranda.
    • Loyola students pursuing Public Interest & Pro Bono Services pro bono organizations to find the right opportunity for them.
    • Private Entity Field Placementsan opportunity for students to work in a private law firm or office to experience the day-to-day operations of the firm or office and observe lawyers in practice.

Loyola’s LLM specializations combine rigorous intellectual training with in-depth clinical and experiential learning components.

Los Angeles's premiere aggregation of renowned social-justice clinics, Loyola Social Justice Law Clinic, is home to over twenty clinics.