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Information for Field Placement Sites

Interested in becoming a field placement site?

Thank you for your interest in becoming a field placement site.  We appreciate your considering committing your time and resources to our externship program. In field placement, much of the student’s learning comes through your supervision and regular feedback while they learn to apply legal doctrine through its practical application. Your willingness to provide our law students with this meaningful educational experience to learn about the role of the attorney in daily life and as a professional is greatly appreciated. 

Field placement course

Our law students enroll in the field placement course for credits. They choose to enroll for 3 credits, requiring 130 hours of work to be completed over the semester, or 4 credits, requiring 170 hours of work to be completed over the semester.

Field placement is offered year-round. The precise weekly work schedule is arranged between the field placement supervisor and the student. Various documents are required to ensure that the course runs smoothly such as the Memorandum of Understanding, a mid-semester check-in, and an end-of-semester evaluation of the law student’s performance.

Steps to follow

  1. Review the Field Placement Program Policies and Procedures Manual (PDF).
  2. Review the Field Placement Memorandum of Understanding (PDF).
  3. Submit the Field Placement Site Questionnaire (PDF). Please note that law students must be supervised by a licensed attorney who has been practicing law for at least five years. 

After you submit the questionnaire, Margaret Drew, director of experiential learning, and/or Crystal Desirey, the clinical program coordinator, will contact you to arrange a meeting. Should you have any questions in advance, please feel free to contact Crystal Desirey or Margaret Drew to discuss your concerns.

Thank you for considering becoming an active participant in our program.

Margaret Drew
Director of Clinics and Experiential Learning

Crystal Desirey
Clinical Program Coordinator

Please login in with your LSAC Account credentials. If you encounter any issues, please contact: law@admissions.umassd.edu

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