Collaborative Externships
The Olympia Quarter Fellows Externships
The Olympia Fellows program prepares law students for a career in and around the
legislative process. Olympia Fellows spend the entire winter quarter working for
a specific state government agency. Over a ten week period students may work for
the Washington State Office of the Attorney General, the Washington State Supreme
Court, the Washington State Legislature or a critical state agency.
The duties
assigned Olympia Fellows include drafting legislation, analyzing bills, assessing
court pleadings and participating in policy formulation. The required weekly class
"Law and Legislative Process" allows students to meet and question elected officials,
agency heads and legislative staff.
The Laurel Rubin Externship Advocacy Project
The Laurel Rubin Externship Advocacy Project (REAP) is a collaborative project of the Washington State Bar’s Access to Justice Law School Relations Committee. It will be offered on a trial basis for the first time in the Autumn Quarter 2009. The program is supported by Columbia Legal Services, the Northwest Justice Program, and the Northwest Immigrants’ Rights Project and is available to students from all three Washington law schools.
REAP is aimed at expanding access to justice for migrant and seasonal farm workers. These workers are often some of the poorest and most vulnerable group of workers in the country. Washington has the fourth highest number of migrant and seasonal farm workers with approximately 289,000 workers and family members.
The full-time externship will accommodate one fluently bilingual (Spanish-speaking) law student from each Washington law school. Students will work in the Yakima Valley with Northwest Justice Project, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, and Columbia Legal Services. Working with a team of legal aid attorneys, they will assist farm workers on a variety of civil legal issues.
The UW Law School student will receive up to 15 academic credits for the autumn term and must be enrolled in either the Access to Justice Seminar or the General Externship Perspectives Seminar. A housing stipend will be provided. The cohort will receive substantive training from private and legal aid practitioners on a wide array of legal subjects, along with academic seminars conducted by law school faculty.