Guidance on International Externships and Study Abroad
for JD Students and Faculty at UW School of Law
January 19, 2005
The following guidance is meant to inform students of the procedures necessary for securing an overseas externship or studying abroad as part of their JD program. Please remember that each student bears the responsibility to make sure that all policies and procedures are followed. Copies of relevant Law School and University of Washington forms are available in a packet from the Law Schoo Office of Academic Services. Students are also advised to visit the University of Washington Office of International Programs and Exchanges, located in Schmitz Hall, for additional information about studying and traveling overseas.
In general, there are three separate sets of requirements that a UW Law School student must comply with in order to receive credit for externing or studying abroad: (1) American Bar Association standards, (2) the University of Washington School of Law (“UW Law School”) and (3) the University of Washington (“UW”). STUDENTS ARE CAUTIONED NOT TO UNDERESTIMATE THE COMPLEXITY OF SOME OF THE RULES FOR PARTICIPATION IN FOREIGN STUDY OPPORTUNITIES, OR THE TIME NECESSSARY TO SATISFY THESE RULES.
Overseas Public Service Externships
Second- and third-year JD students may engage in international public service externships with nonprofit organizations, government agencies or international organizations. Ordinarily, students may not receive credit for a placement with a private sector employer unless the employer is working on a pro bono project. Should a student have questions, he or she should speak with the Public Service Program Coordinator and the Dean for Academic Programs in order to clarify whether an externship in the private sector satisfies this requirement.
American Bar Association (ABA) Requirements for Overseas Public Service Externships
As with domestic public service externships, the student, faculty and field supervisors and the University of Washington School of Law must be in compliance with ABA Standard 305 governing study outside of the classroom. The procedures outlined below are designed to meet the requirements set forth in Standard 305 and related interpretations (see Appendix I).
UW Law School Requirements for Overseas Externships
In order to participate in an international externship, the student needs to complete a special form (attached) and consult with the Public Service Program Coordinator and the Dean of Academic Services in order to obtain approval prior to registering for an externship.
- Site Visit for Certain Externships
For students who wish to receive between 6 and 15 credit hours for an externship, a site visit is required during the externship. Some UW professors spend time overseas during the summer and may be available for a site visit. The Law School does not currently provide funding to professors to travel for site visits. Under ABA rules, however, a faculty member from another ABA approved U.S. law school can perform such a site visit and it may be possible to enlist the support of such a faculty member to do this where a UW faculty member is not available.
- Approval Process
- Students should consult with the Public Service Program Coordinator as well as with faculty to try and identify suitable externship placements. Students are encouraged to seek externships with organizations that routinely host law students as externs and that have more formal summer programs. Faculty members may also have contact with specific international organizations and be able to identify placements that will provide suitable work opportunities for law students.
- In order to gain approval a student needs to do the following:
- Obtain written sponsorship from the foreign organization (in the form of a letter) that describes:
- the organization (its structure, mission and its status as a nonprofit, governmental or intergovernmental entity);
- the type of work in which the student will be engaged;
- who will supervise the student; whether the student will be provided with office space and resources sufficient for her to be able to engage in sustained work during the externship; and Law school rules require that field supervisors must be “a licensed attorney in good standing with a state bar association, judge, or other approved professional….[who has] a minimum of three years experience related to the subject matter of the externship.” For foreign externships, it will therefore be necessary to get special approval for the field supervisor unless (which is unlikely) they happen to be licensed to practice in the U.S.
- whether the organization has previously sponsored law students for internships or externships
- Draft a supervision plan that identifies:
- the name of the proposed faculty supervisor;
- a plan for maintain contact with the faculty supervisor over the summer (how the student will make contact with his supervisor, what sort of reports will be made); and
- the proposed number of credit hours and any proposed supplemental research or independent study in which the student proposes to engage.
Note: A student may wish to register for more than 9 credits while overseas and combine an independent study with the externship for a total of 12 or more credits in order to have the externship period counts as a residence quarter (necessary for financial aid). In such an instance, the student will need to engage in directed reading, independent study and research with a second faculty supervisor (different from the externship supervisor). The research paper, or other form of independent research may be related to the subject matter of the externship but should not be a summary of the externship. A research paper must be comprised of new research and analysis.
- Faculty communication with field supervisor and student during placement
- If the externship is approved, the Faculty supervisor should make contact with the external field supervisor prior to the student’s departure.
- For international externships, contact between the faculty supervisor and the field supervisor should, whenever possible, be by email rather than telephone.
- Financial Aid
Students should consult with the Financial Aid Office at the Law School concerning financial aid for an international externship. Students will need to require a revised financial aid request as part of the process if requesting additional assistance the summer placement.
UW Policies regarding Overseas Externships
- UW Enrollment Policy.
The UW permits concurrent enrollment at the University of Washington and participation in foreign research abroad (which would include externships) when students have prior UWLS approval of at least ten credits for each quarter they are abroad. The student must first receive credit pre-approval from the Law School before commencing the externship (as noted in Section A) above. With respect to foreign externships, students are required to register for Foreign Study (FSTDY 300) via the International Programs & Exchanges Office (IP&E) and to pay a fee of $200 /quarter. In order to obtain the relevant paperwork, students should visit the UW Office of international Programs and exchanges in Schmitz Hall.
Note: The current UWLS administration policy is to require UW students doing foreign externships to pay UW tuition even though the Regents permit the “waiver” described above. The Graduate and International Studies Committee voted (Feb. 2, 2004) to recommend to the law school faculty and administration that the Regents’ policy be applied at the LS to students doing foreign externships. The full faculty did not adopt the committee's
recommendation.