Students
Qualifying Placements
The Colorado Law Externship Program is offered year-round (Fall, Spring and Summer semesters). Students may extern at governmental and non-profit organizations and agencies. Students may work in all three branches of the government, including state and federal judicial chambers, executive agencies, and legislative offices. As per the Law School Rules, Colorado Law students may not extern at private, for-profit law firms or corporations. Due to a recent update to the Law School Rules, starting in Summer of 2023 students may now be paid and receive academic credit at approved externships.
Remote Externships
Due to the COVID-19 situation, students can now complete remote externships if their agencies will not allow them to work in the office, or if the student is not comfortable attending in person. Please speak to the Program Director if you have any questions. Externship sponsors are not limited to agencies and organizations that have sponsored externs in the past. Students must be supervised by a licensed attorney at their agency.
Law School Credits
Students may receive 2, 3 or 4 credits for an externship in a semester, unless special approval has been granted for a single semester 7-credit externship in Colorado or a single semester 10-credit externship at a national or international placement. 50 hours of work time is required for each externship credit. Students interested in seeking special approval for a 7 or 10 credit externship should consult with the Director of Experiential Learning about additional program requirements. Students can only participate in ONE externship per semester (i.e., a student cannot complete a 2-credit externship at the Colorado Supreme Court and a 2-credit externship at the AG's Office in the same semester).
Application Deadlines
Externship Program Description Agreement documents must be received no later than the deadlines listed below. We encourage students to being process of completing externship paperwork EARLY as background checks and other administrative processes can take a while.
- The deadline to submit your SUMMER 2025 externship application is Tuesday, May 27th at 11:59 p.m. MST.
- We cannot accept late applications!
- The Summer Externship Session will run from Monday, June 2nd through Friday, August 8th.
- The deadline to submit your FALL 2025 externship application is Wednesday, August 13th at 11:59 p.m. MST.
- We cannot accept late applications!
- The Fall Externship Session will run from Monday, August 25th through Friday, December 5th.
Colorado's Student Practice Act:
Law students who have completed at least two years of law school may appear in court pursuant to Colorado Rule of Civil Procedure 205.7. A student must file a certification that they have completed two years of law school and is of good moral character. To file this certification, print the form, complete the first two sections, and email the form to lawreg@colorado.edu. The Registrar will then complete and submit the form.
The student must also provide the name of the supervising attorney and an anticipated graduation date. Work must be performed for an attorney in the public sector, i.e., the Public Defender's Office or District Attorney's Office; or on behalf of a non profit legal services organization where poor or legally underserved persons receives legal advice.
Please note: In addition to the Law School Rules, Externships are regulated by ABA Standard 304.
ALL FALL 2025 EXTERNSHIP STUDENTS WILL BE REQUIRED TO ATTEND A MANDATORY EXTERNSHIP ORIENTATION SESSION
- Wednesday, August 27, 2025
- noon - 12:50 P.M. MST
- ZOOM Link PROVIDED VIA EMAIL
Fall 2025 Externship Key Dates
- Midsemester reflection is due WEDNESDAY, October 15th at 11:59pm MST
- End of semester paperwork is due FRIDAY, December 5th at 11:59pm MST
Fall 2025 Externship Classes
Externship students are required to attend externship classes that will be scheduled over the course of the semester in the subject area that is closest to the area of law where the student will be placed during the semester. Students DO NOT have to register for the externship classroom component through the Law Registrar's Office. The Program Director will send all students enrolled in an externship additional information about the externship class during the first week of classes each semester.
While the General Topics class is suitable for students completing an externship focusing on any area of the law, we strongly recommend that students enroll in the subject-specific class for the practice area of their externship.
Students completing an externship in the same practice area as a previous externship (i.e., two externships with the Federal Government) may be eligible to take the Advanced Topics class. The dates, times and instructors are as follows:
Advanced Externship (repeat externs with same practice area) (Gabrielle Daley)
- Wednesday, September 10, Noon to 12:50 p.m. – Room 300
- Wednesday, November 19, Noon to 12:50 p.m. – Room 300
General Topics (cross-cutting professionalism topics) (Gabrielle Daley)
- Wednesday, September 3, Noon to 12:50 p.m. – Room 300
- Wednesday, September 24, Noon to 12:50 p.m. – Room 300
- Wednesday, October 8, Noon to 12:50 p.m. – Room 300
- Wednesday, October 22, Noon to 12:50 p.m. – Room 300
- Wednesday, November 12, Noon to 12:50 p.m. – Room 300
- Wednesday, December 3, Noon to 12:50 p.m. – Room 300
Federal Government (Cortney Price)
- Tuesday, September 2, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. – Remote
- Tuesday, September 16, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. – Remote
- Tuesday, October 7, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. – Remote
- Tuesday, October 28, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. – Remote
- Tuesday, November 18, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. – Remote
Judicial (The Honorable Elizabeth Brodsky)
- Thursday, September 4, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. – Room 205
- Thursday, September 25, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. – Room 205
- Thursday, October 16, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. – Room 205
- Thursday, October 23, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. – Room 205
- Thursday, November 13, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. – Room 205
Non-Governmental/Non-Profits (Patrick O’Rourke)
- Wednesday, September 10, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. . – Room 303, In-person
- Wednesday, October 1, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. – Remote
- Wednesday, October 22, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. – Remote
- Wednesday, November 12, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. – Remote
- Wednesday, December 3, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. – Remote
Prosecution (Ken Kupfner)
- Tuesday, September 9, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. – Room 330
- Tuesday, September 30, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. – Room 330
- Tuesday, October 21, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. – Room 330
- Tuesday, November 11, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. – Room 330
- Tuesday, December 2, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. – Room 330
Public Defender (Christopher McKee)
- Wednesday, September 10, 6:15 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. – Room 421
- Wednesday, September 24, 6:15 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. – Room 421
- Wednesday, October 8, 6:15 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. – Room 421
- Wednesday, October 29, 6:15 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. – Room 421
- Wednesday, November 12, 6:15 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.– Room 421
State/Local Government (Trina Ruhland)
- Tuesday, September 16, 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. – Room 421 Please note different start time for first session only
- Tuesday, September 30, 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. – Room 421
- Tuesday, October 21, 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. – Room 421
- Tuesday, November 4, 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. – Room 421
- Tuesday, November 18, 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. – Room 421