Environmental Externships

Externships expose students to a wide variety of environmental law issues and various environmental practice alternatives. To become a good lawyer and to supplement what you learn in the classroom, you need practical experience in real-world legal work. A legal externship presents a unique and important opportunity to gain exposure to the practice of environmental law and to significantly broaden your future employment opportunities.

A legal externship is a 4-credit hour, non-graded program open to 2L and 3L students. In the fall or spring semesters, students must work 16 hours per week for a total of 224 hours. In the summer students must work 32 hours per week for a total of 224 hours. Students will meet as a group a few designated times during the semester.

In the past students have externed at several government agencies and public interest groups, including:

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Regional Counsel
• Illinois Attorney General's Office, Environmental Bureau
• City of Chicago, Department of Environment
• Illinois Pollution Control Board
• Illinois Commerce Commission
• Alliance for the Great Lakes
• Environmental Law & Policy Center

The program does not assign students to particular practice placements. Instead, a student must first directly obtain an externship placement before applying to participate in and register for an Access2Practice Legal Externship. Each placement is separate and external to the law school and will have its own independent selection and screening process.

Application Process:  Externships can be found via Chicago-Kent’s extensive legal network.  For information on how to do this, follow our document on How to Apply for a Legal Externship Placement. Students can find their own externships through 12twenty*, the Career Services Management System. Newly posted externships will also be featured below and in The Record.  

Once a student has secured an externship, he or she must apply to the externship program by (1) informing Professor Decatorsmith via email (jdecator@illinoistech.edu) and (2) filling out this Form.  This information allows us to keep track of student placements as well as give us the information needed to reach out to firms and confirm student placement, as well as discuss our expectations with regard to the student's supervision.  

Please contact Professor Jonathan Decatorsmith (jdecator@illinoistech.edu) for questions and/or application materials. Students must receive permission from Professor Decatorsmith before registering for the externship.