This week in the Law School Insider we are bringing you Bill Fleener, a Clinical Coordinator for Cooley Law School. Today we are speaking with Bill Fleener about Tips for a successful Law School Internship or Externship. I know you will find a ton of value in what he shares.
Having an internship or externship can help you to better understand the material that you are learning as you go through your law school experience. Bill Fleener works with students at Cooley Law School to identify locations and to think through the nuances that comes with going through such an experience.
Bill Fleener explained that an internship or externship is an opportunity to practice the things you learn in practice. When you look at law school internships and externships you should consider a few things including:
As you are getting into your internship or externship it is important that you have received clear communication from your site and your school to make sure you are aware of expectations. You also should know what will be accomplished in your time at the location and what you will or will not be able to do at the location. It is also important to not be intimidated by your supervisor or co-workers and to make sure to ask questions along the way.
Bill Fleener has had many students that have had amazing experiences in their internships / externships. The students that seem to have the most positive experiences are ones that have started with good communication, but also on hard work and showing the employer that you will work hard and that the quality of your work is of the highest quality.
You should also know that depending on the law school that you choose there may be rules to what type of internship or externship experience you can have while in law school. It is important to know, can you work for a "for profit" law firm or not. As Bill Fleener mentioned, Cooley Law School does allow students to work for "For Profit" law firms but it is the only school in the state of Michigan that does. Externships by a rule are educational in nature and are not for pay. To find a site for yourself, sometimes this can come from your own networking, but also use your school's network of established sites as well as alumni to connect with additional possible opportunities.
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