COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

1 - 2 credit hours

Course Number: 6960-01

Course Title: Legal Externships

Professor: Johanna Bond (with Dean Pridgen in Summer semester)

Credit Hours & Type of Credit: 1 – 2 credit hours, S/U credit, counts toward 12 hour limit on S/U credits

Semester(s) Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer

Elective

Prerequisites: Complete first year of law school

Recommended Courses: n/a

Course Overview:

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 College of Law faculty.

For 1 hour of credit you are required to work 50 hours; for 2 hours of credit you are required to work 100 hours. 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 2 hours of externship credit per semester and a total of 4 hours of credit for externships in their academic career. Externs must pay their own travel expenses. Summer externships are all two credit hours, and students must register for those 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 orientation meeting at the law school with the faculty supervisor for all students participating in the externship program in any given semester.

THIRD YEAR STUDENTS NOTE: Clinic credit and externship credit may not be earned in the same semester.

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 which 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 College of Law faculty, for approval on a case-by-case basis. This should be done well ahead of the time the student begins their volunteer work.

All the externship listed below are open to second and third year students unless noted otherwise and are available for one or two credit hours unless otherwise indicated (all summer externships must be two hours).

Judicial Externships

10th Circuit Judge Terrence L. O’Brien and U.S. District Judge Clarence A. Brimmer* (summer (both), fall or spring (Judge Brimmer only). Judge O’Brien and Judge Brimmer are federal judges sitting in Cheyenne. The extern will work with the judges and their law clerks with responsibilities similar to those of a law clerk. Some travel to Cheyenne required.

U.S. District Court - District of Wyoming 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, Kalokathis, 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 memo’s. The supervision will generally fall upon Judge Campbell, but Judge Nau and Judge Allen 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.

Government Agencies

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 (spring, summer or fall).  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 - (2 hours only) (summer, fall or spring) Externs will be assigned to one of the four 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.

U.S. Attorney’s Office* - (1 or 2 hours) (fall spring only, starting in Spring 05).  Requires extensive background check.  Depending on the types of cases the Office is handling, externs can expect to:  provide a wide variety of professional legal services to Assistant U.S. Attorneys and other staff in the Office; provide informal legal advisory services with respect to questions, regulations, or related issues on matters falling within the purview of the Office; draft and examine a variety of legal documents; and consult with other legal staff, client agencies and outside organizations with respect to legal issues. 

Specifically, typical assignments may include: preparing a variety of legal documents (e.g., drafting complaints, orders to show cause, indictments, preliminary motions and supporting affidavits and briefs, answers to complaints, cross claims, motions, memoranda of law, proposed orders and judgments, settlements, stipulations, interrogatories, affidavits, and notices of sale); assisting with pre-trial examinations and depositions by preparing outlines of questions for the Assistant U.S. Attorney who will conduct such activities; providing technical assistance to the attorney during the course of examinations; searching case reports, legal documents, periodicals and textbooks; conducting legal research of facts, laws, regulations, and legal precedents as required; conducting investigations of a comparatively limited scope to obtain facts, study legal precedents, and prepare recommendations for review by the attorney in charge; and assisting attorneys at trial.   

All externships are currently located in the Cheyenne office.  Prefer extern to be available twice a week, five hours each day, during normal business hours.

Wyoming State Board of Equalization – (summer, fall or spring) 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 - (2 hours ONLY) (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.

Teton County Prosecuting Attorney (summer only).  Extern will work in Jackson, Wyoming with the Teton County Prosecuting Attorney Stephen Weichman. 

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. Most work will be off-site. 

 Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, Laramie (summer, fall, or spring)  (Pending Faculty Approval)  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. 

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.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES:

YOU MAY APPLY FOR ONLY 2 EXTERNSHIPS EACH SEMESTER. GENERALLY MOST STUDENTS WHO APPLY FOR AN EXTERNSHIP POSITION ARE ACCOMMODATED. PLEASE INDICATE, HOWEVER, WHICH IS YOUR FIRST CHOICE. Submit to Professor Bond a resume for each position with a note attached indicating which position(s) you are applying for.  The supervising attorney will make the extern selections and students will be notified as soon as possible.

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

U.S. Attorney: submit a cover letter, resume and recent law school transcript. The extern will be subject to a background investigation adjudicated by the Department of Justice and may also be subject to drug testing by urinalysis prior to appointment.

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.

Other Comments: The externship is an opportunity for students to learn by practical experience in the field. All externships must be pre-approved by the College of Law. There is a placement process that occurs each semester, usually during pre-registration advising, that will place students in externships. Students are not to apply directly for these positions. Any externship not listed here must be pre-approved by the College of Law faculty. For more information see Professor Bond.