Legal Externships

The externship program provides second and third year students with an opportunity to learn through practice by working directly with attorneys or judges for academic credit. Externship placements are limited to judges, government agencies and nonprofit organizations, and must be pre-approved by the Externship Faculty Director.

For 2 hours of credit you are required to work 100 hours; for 3 hours of credit you are required to work 150 hours. Students may apply for one unit of credit under limited circumstances and only with the prior approval of the Externship Faculty Director. All externs must complete a writing component as part of the program requirements. The writing does not satisfy the Advanced Writing Requirement. Grades are awarded S/U only. A student may earn a maximum of 3 hours of externship credit per semester and a total of 6 hours of credit for externships in their academic career. Externs must pay their own travel expenses. Students must register for summer externship credits in the summer session.

If you are accepted for an externship, you will need to register for the appropriate number of credits for the Legal Externship course LAW 6960. There will be an online component of the externship program. 

Third Year Students Note: Clinic credit and externship credit may not be earned in the same semester, unless the student obtains permission from both the Clinic Faculty Director and the Externship Faculty Director.

Below is the list of currently pre-approved externship programs for University of Wyoming College of Law students. On occasion, a student who is planning to volunteer for a judge, government agency or nonprofit group that fits the criteria for externship placement but is not currently on the pre-approved list, may seek to get externship credit. In that case, the supervising attorney or judge must submit a proposal to the Externship Faculty Director, for approval on a case-by-case basis. This should be done well ahead of the time that the student begins his or her volunteer work.

All of the externships listed below are open to second and third year students unless noted otherwise and are available for two or three credit hours unless otherwise indicated.

Judicial Externships:

10th Circuit Judge Terrence L. O’Brien (temporarily suspended)

U.S. District Judge Clarence A. Brimmer* – (summer, fall or spring) Judge Brimmer is a federal judge sitting in Cheyenne. The extern will work with the judge and his law clerks with responsibilities similar to those of a law clerk. Some travel to Cheyenne required.

U.S. District Judge Alan Johnson* – (summer, fall or spring) Judge Johnson sits in Cheyenne. The extern will work with Judge Johnson and his law clerk with responsibilities similar to those of a law clerk. Some travel to Cheyenne required.

U.S. Magistrate - District of Wyoming Judge William Beaman – (fall or spring only) Judge Beaman sits in Cheyenne. The extern will work with Judge Beaman and his law clerk with responsibilities similar to those of a law clerk. Some travel to Cheyenne required.

U.S. District Court - District of Wyoming Judge William Downes* – (summer) Judge Downes sits in Casper. The extern will work with Judge Downes and his law clerk with responsibilities similar to those of a law clerk. Some travel to Casper required.

Wyoming Supreme Court,* Cheyenne – (summer, fall or spring) (third year students only) Externs work with individual Justices with responsibilities similar to those of a law clerk. Some travel to Cheyenne required.

Wyoming Second Judicial District, Judge Jeffrey Donnell – (fall and spring) One extern will work for Judge Donnell in Laramie. The extern will work primarily with Judge Donnell's law clerk with responsibilities similar to those of a law clerk.

Wyoming First Judicial District, Judges Grant, and Arnold, Cheyenne – (summer, fall or spring).  The extern will have responsibilities similar to those of a law clerk, including legal research, observation of actual court proceedings, and conferences with the judge.  The district court is Wyoming’s general trial court and handles civil, criminal, domestic relations, and juvenile cases.  The district court also hears appeals from municipal and circuit courts and from administrative agencies.

Wyoming Circuit Court, Second Judicial District, Judge Robert Castor – (summer, fall or spring). An extern will work with Judge Castor (Laramie). The extern will have responsibilities similar to those of a law clerk. Much of the communication is done by e-mail.

Wyoming Circuit Court, First Judicial District, Judge Thomas Campbell, Cheyenne  –  (summer, fall or spring). An extern in Circuit Court would have some opportunities to research and analyze issues of law pertaining to decisions of the courts. The work will involve direct research either on legal questions specifically, or research generally as to practices and policies of the court, in the nature of short memos. The supervision will generally fall upon Judge Campbell, but Judge Nau and Judge Coates will also be able to request work from and share their activities with the extern.

Wyoming Office of Administrative Hearings, Cheyenne  –  (spring, summer or fall). An extern would work with these state administrative law judges on workers compensation cases, drivers’ license suspensions, welfare benefits cases, Medicaid disputes, state professional licensing disputes and other administrative cases. The extern will attend contested case hearings, and will be responsible for drafting written Findings of Act and Conclusions of Law that will be submitted to the Hearing Examiner.

City of Greeley Municipal Court, Greeley, Colorado - (spring, summer or fall).  The extern will engage in legal research and writing under the supervision of the municipal court judge, mostly in the criminal law area. The extern will also draft proposed orders, review documents and forms, and attend hearings. Cover letter and resume are requested.

Government Agencies:

University of Wyoming, Dept. of Intercollegiate Athletics, Laramie - (fall or spring). The extern will work with the UW Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance/Olympic Sports on legal research and fact investigations regarding NCAA rules, contract law, administrative law and business law. The extern will review recruiting information of prospective student-athletes for NCAA rules compliance, and will perform research projects as needed. Extern should submit a cover letter explaining why he/she would like to work in athletics.

University of Wyoming, Office of the General Counsel, Laramie –  (summer, fall or spring) The extern will have the opportunity to work in an “in-house counsel” setting with a myriad of civil legal issues related to higher education including employment law, contracts, regulatory issues and intellectual property. The extern will have the opportunity to assist the attorneys with research and writing projects on a variety of legal, policy and legislative issues; attend client meetings; and assist with litigation.

University of Wyoming Students’ Attorney, Laramie – (fall or spring – 2 credits only).  The extern will work with the ASUW Students’ Attorney on campus.  This program does not represent students in court, but can and does assist students in problem resolution through negotiation and/or shaping transactions.  The extern will perform legal research on a wide range of legal issues including landlord-tenant, traffic and parking violations, general criminal law advice, consumer fraud, debt collection, military deployment and domestic relations.  The student will have direct live-client contact, offering opportunities to develop client counseling skills.  The extern will also assist the Students’ Attorney with making public presentations on legal issues of interest to the UW undergraduate population. 

Laramie City Attorney, Laramie (spring, summer or fall)  - The extern will work closely with the City Attorney on a range of municipal legal matters, including licensing issues, employment matters, first amendment issues, and a host of other topics.  The work will include research, writing, and possibly presentations at City Council meetings. 

Wyoming Attorney General's Office, Cheyenne – (summer, fall or spring) Externs will be assigned to one of the five divisions: Civil, Family Services, Criminal, Litigation, Natural Resources and Water. Externs must plan to be in the AG's office at least one day a week (does not have to be all day).

Federal Public Defender, Cheyenne – (summer, fall or spring) Students will be exposed to the federal criminal process including pleadings, motions, plea bargaining, and exposure to courtroom practice, with limited opportunities for court appearances by third year students eligible for courtroom certification.

Wyoming Guardians Ad Litem, Cheyenne - (spring, summer or fall). The extern will work in the Wyoming GAL program and will receive training in children's law. Duties include research, court observation, meetings, investigation, and possible court appearances for third year students.  Externs should submit cover letter, resume and transcript.

Wyoming State Public Service Commission, Cheyenne - (spring, summer or fall). The extern will assist agency attorneys in research, drafting findings of fact and conclusions of law, and may participate in formal rulemaking at the Commission. The PSC's mission is the regulation of public utilities, such as electric and natural gas companies. Externs should submit a cover letter and a resume.

Wyoming State Board of Equalization – (summer, fall or spring – 2 credits only) The extern will conduct research and writing for the Board and its appeal process. The extern will read and summarize briefs and other written documents presented to the Board on appeal, research legal questions, review the record presented and draft proposed opinions and orders for the Board’s review. If you are interested in tax law, this is a great externship for you! Some travel to Cheyenne required.

Wyoming State Public Defender – (summer, fall or spring) Externs will work with assistant public defenders in the Cheyenne office on all aspects of case analysis and preparation, for both felony and misdemeanor cases. The assistant public defender may request assistance in preparing pre-trial motions and legal memoranda, jury instructions, and similar documents. Preparation of such documents will require appropriate legal research and writing. Other duties will include interviewing clients and witnesses, assistance in preparing direct and cross examination, and assistance in preparing evidence and exhibits at trial. When the extern qualifies under the "student practice rule" (requiring completion of four semesters of legal studies), and when the client consents, participation in preliminary hearings, motion hearings and trials may be permitted. On occasion, externs may also be asked to assist the program's assistant appellate counsel with the preparation and presentation of cases on appeal to the Wyoming Supreme Court. Preference will be given to third year students, particularly those who are taking or have taken Criminal Procedure.

Wyoming Environmental Quality Council, Cheyenne - (spring, summer or fall). The extern will conduct legal research and factual investigation for the agency attorneys on various substantive areas of environmental law, both state and federal. Cover letter should specify areas of environmental law in which the applicant has a special interest.

Nonprofit Organizations:

American Civil Liberties Union, Cheyenne (summer, fall or spring) The ACLU is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of individual rights under the U.S. Constitution. The extern will perform research projects on all areas of constitutional law, as needed. Supervision is by the ACLU Wyoming Executive Director. Some work will be off-site. In addition to a resume, please submit a cover letter.

 Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, Laramie  – (summer, fall, or spring)  BCA works to protect Wyoming's precious natural resources and to restore biological diversity within the region.  The extern will perform research on conservation issues and assist with ongoing litigation.

Mining Action Project, Boulder, Colorado  – (fall and spring).  MAP is a non-profit environmental law and policy organization dealing with mining issues.  Student will work in Boulder under the supervision of Supervising Attorney Roger Flynn.

Rocky Mountain Innocence Center, Laramie - (fall and spring required, 2 credits in fall, and 2-3 credits in spring). The extern will investigate cases assigned by the Rocky Mountain Innocence Center involving Wyoming defendants. The extern will participate in a training session conducted by videoconference from the University of Utah, and will have weekly meetings with a local RMIC contact attorney. Some travel may be involved. Cover letter and resume required.

Western Resource Advocates, Boulder, Colorado  – (fall, spring, summer). WRA is a non-profit environmental law and policy organization dedicated to restoring and protecting the natural environment of the Interior American West. The student extern would be involved in ongoing environmental litigation and advocacy, under the direct supervision of a WRA staff attorney. The externship is not confined to library research, but will involve the student in the many different tasks and skills needed to be a successful public interest advocate. Some travel to Boulder is required, but offsite work is possible.

Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence  – (summer, fall or spring) Externs will have the opportunity to assist in representing clients in family violence protection orders. Externship is in Laramie office.

Wyoming Women’s Legislative Caucus*  – (spring and summer only – with spring semester front-loaded to accommodate the legislative session) Externs will learn about the legislative process in Wyoming by assisting members of the Women’s Caucus with their legislative duties, including researching and drafting legislation, attending legislative sessions and committee meetings, and tracking legislation.  Some travel to Cheyenne is required.   

APPLICATION PROCEDURES:

YOU MAY APPLY FOR ONLY 1 EXTERNSHIP AT A TIME. If you are not placed in your first choice, the Externship Faculty Director will attempt to place you in your second choice. If you are not willing to accept an externship in your second choice placement, do not list a second choice. Generally most students who apply for an externship position are accommodated. Please fill out the Externship Application and submit it to Professor Amy Jenkins, the Externship Faculty Director. Please email your resume to Professor Jenkins: ajenkin1@uwyo.edu. Professor Jenkins will forward your resume to the supervising attorney who will make the extern selections and students will be notified as soon as possible.

*Please note the special application procedures for the following externships:

United States District Court Judges: You must submit a resume for each individual judge. You can choose to apply with only one Judge. Each Judge will make his own decision regarding an extern.

Judge Downes: In addition to a resume, submit a brief cover letter describing your areas of interest.

Wyoming Attorney General's Office: attach a note to your resume ranking the divisions in your order of preference.

Wyoming Supreme Court: submit only one resume for the Court. The Justices will review all resumes and select their extern. You do not indicate a preference.

Wyoming Women’s Legislative Caucus: In addition to a resume, please submit a cover letter.