Plenary Two: Advocating for Externships

Many see externships both as “programs” that place students in practices outside the school and as “courses” that include real-world experiences and class sessions taught by faculty. Law schools vary in their approach to this ideal. Many models exist for strengthening externships within law schools. In addition, externships have a range of effects on a law school’s achievement of its institutional goals. The diversity of approaches occur at a time when changes to A.B.A. and university regulations are changing the structure of externships and the role they play within law schools. This plenary will focus on two questions that are both related and distinct. First, how can externship teachers find support and stability within their schools that allows them to deliver valuable externship experiences for students? Second, how can externship teachers articulate the many ways in which externships contribute to the institutional outcomes of a law school? Plenary panelists will think broadly about both questions, seeking both to inspire attendees and to leave them with concrete take-aways that are useful across a broad range of law schools