Externships as a Vehicle for Teaching Access to Justice

Abstract

As a relatively new externship instructor, I spend a lot of time thinking about externships – what they mean for our students, what they add to the clinical curriculum and law school curriculum more broadly, and how best to conceptualize and make the most of these courses that constitute one of the most prevalent forms of experiential legal education.

Thanks to the work of experienced externship instructors and scholars, there are now a number of resources and articles exploring externships’ promise in promoting student learning with regard to lawyering skills and professional development. I have relied on many of these resources in planning my externship classes, and I will continue to draw on them as I work to ensure that I am helping students take full advantage of the skill development and professional identity formation opportunities the externship experience presents.