Information for Students

Chicago-Kent offers three avenues for students to pursue externship opportunities in the areas of government, public interest, private, and for-profit firms and corporations. Examples of externships include working for the Office of the Illinois Attorney General and the U.S. Attorney’s Office; public defender offices; the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; and numerous major law firms and nonprofits. All externships must be approved. The three types of externships include:

Judicial Externships acquaint you with the day-to-day operation of the courts as you work with trial and appellate court judges and their law clerks to research and write legal memoranda and draft opinions.

Legal Externships allow you to work in civil or criminal practice in a specialized area of your choice with supervising attorneys in federal, state, and local government agencies; private law firms of all sizes; corporate legal departments; or public interest organizations." 

The Semester Law Firm Associate Program is a unique six credit program during which students have the opportunity to work for academic credit as “associates” for prestigious Chicago-based law firms.  This program is only offered in the spring and fall semesters.

Judicial Externship Program

Judicial Externship Program (JEP) is a four credit hour, pass/low pass/fail program open to students who have completed at least their first full year of law school and want to do legal research and writing for a federal appellate, district or magistrate judge, or designated Illinois appellate or circuit court judges.

JEP enables a student to become involved in particular legal problems through research and writing, and to contribute to the resolution of those problems by participating in drafting memoranda and opinions. 

Depending upon the judge, an extern may also have the opportunity to observe the judge’s day-to-day routine and discuss with him/her the issues and problems that judges confront. Take advantage of this prestigious learning opportunity while enhancing your marketability in the legal world.

Informational Meeting: An informational meeting for students interested in participating in the Spring 2025 Judicial Externship Program will be held in mid to late October.  In the meantime, if you have questions not answered by information on this website, please contact Michael Oakes (moakes@kentlaw.iit.edu) or Professor Jon Decatorsmith (jdecator@kentlaw.iit.edu).  

Application Process:  There are two ways to apply for a judicial externship:  Through judges already in our program or on your own through 12Twenty (see below).  The deadline for applying to Judicial Externship Program opportunities that we have posted for Fall 2024, has expired.  Opportunities that arise for the Spring 2025 semester will be posted on this page and 12Twenty as they become available to us.

Note:  Before you apply, be certain you are able to commit 16 hours/week during the fall and spring semesters, or 32 hours/week in the summer, as well as attend the weekly classroom component and other requirements of the course during the semester.  If you have any questions about the program, please contact Professor Jon Decatorsmith (jdecator@kentlaw.iit.edu).

Find your own judicial externship:  Students can find their own externship through posts made by individual chambers on the Career Services Management System 12twenty* or get placed with judges in various divisions via the Cook County application. In the Summer, students can also apply to judges via the Just the Beginning - A Pipeline Organization, and applications typically close by the end of January each year.   We will also post any opportunities for externships below.  

Cover Letter and Resume Guidance  

Below are short guides on to help you prepare your cover letter and resume:

Cover Letter Guide

Writing Sample Guide

Legal Externship Programs

Access2Practice (A2P) Legal Externship is a 4-credit-hour Pass/Fail class which enables Kent 2Ls and 3Ls to gain supervision and mentoring in a wide variety of legal areas – both civil and criminal.  Externs must work a minimum of 16 hours per week during the Fall/Spring semesters and 32 hours per week in the Summer semester, as well as attend the weekly classroom component, among other academic requirements associated with the course. 

The program does not assign students to particular practice placements. Instead a student must first independently obtain an externship placement before applying to participate in and register for an Access2Practice Legal Externship. Each placement is independent 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@kentlaw.iit.edu) and (2) filling out this Google 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.  

Note:  Before you apply, be certain you are able to commit 16 hours/week during the fall and spring semesters, or 32 hours/week in the summer, as well as attend the weekly classroom component and other requirements of the course during the semester.  If you have any questions about the program, please contact Professor Jon Decatorsmith (jdecator@kentlaw.iit.edu).

Information for the Spring 2024 semester will come out in mid-October.  

LEGAL EXTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Spring 2025, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Customs and Border Protection – Office of Associate Chief Counsel

The Office of the Associate Chief Counsel provides legal advice to, and legal representation for, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in a wide range of matters relating to the diverse activities and functions of the Agency. These areas include international trade, immigration, seizures and forfeitures of contraband and IPR infringing merchandise, ethics, and labor and employment matters.

For more information on the opportunity and how to apply, please read their announcement.

The deadline for this opportunity is close of business September 25, 2024.  

If you need assistance/need to be pointed in the right direction in terms of where to find Legal Externships, contact Michael Oakes (moakes@kentlaw.iit.edu) 

Applegate & Thorne-Thomsen 

Applegate & Thorne-Thomsen seeks talented, self-motivated rising 2Ls and 3Ls (2Ls preferred) with strong academic credentials, excellent writing & research skills, and a demonstrated interest in affordable housing & community development for its Spring 2025 externship program. Our externship program is our latest effort to identify & engage talent earlier in the law school process, evaluate potential summer associate candidates, and promote diversity, equity, & inclusion at the firm. To that end, we strongly encourage candidates from diverse or socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds to apply. 

The position is planned to be hybrid, with approximately half of an extern's time being spent in-person and half being spent remote. This is a part-time, unpaid position, though applicants are encouraged to seek external funding, work-study funding, or class credits. That said, outstanding externs will be invited to return to the firm the following summer as full-time summer associates eligible for a permanent, full-time attorney position upon graduation from law school. For more information about this opportunity and instructions on how to apply, please view their announcement.

Semester Law Firm Associate Program (6 credits)

The Semester Law Firm Associate Program.  Chicago-Kent’s Semester Law Firm Associate Program is a unique for credit, non-graded program offered to 2Ls and 3Ls.  Semester Associate externs will receive 6 credits and devote 24 hours a week during the semester to the fieldwork component (compared to other externship programs, which are only four credits and 16 hours a week). There is also an accompanying classroom component.   This program is only offered in the spring and fall semesters.