Students may earn up to 4 academic credits for their externship work in a single semester, unless approved for a semester long 7-credit externship in Colorado or 10-credit externship in a national or international placement. The maximum number of externship credits a student can earn while in law school is 7.

To be eligible for academic credit, a student's externship must meet the following requirements:

  • A qualified field sponsor who is a lawyer or judge
  • A minimum of 50 hours of work during the semester of enrollment for each externship credit, with a minumum number of 2 externship credits per semester and a maximum number of 4 credits per semester (unless approved for a semester long 7-credit externship in Colorado or 10-credit externship in a national or international placement). 
  • Participation in mandatory course sessions offered throughout the semester 
  • Submission of substantial written work authored by the student in the course of the externship. Acceptable writing pieces include:
    • compositions for your externship sponsor which are reviewed and critiqued;
    • legal memoranda and briefs which are a significant part of your work and which are reviewed by your field supervisor;
    • and a paper submitted to your faculty sponsor, the content of which is determined by mutual agreement. Interrogatories, pleadings, correspondence and nonlegal memoranda normally are not sufficient.
  • Other Externship paperwork as required by the rules