Spring 2014 Course Schedule

Supervised Extshp Sem (LAW-769-002)
Eule

Meets: 06:00 PM - 07:50 PM (M) - Room 516

Enrolled: 13 / Limit: 15

Administrator Access


Notices

IMPORTANT: CLASS WILL MEET IN SMALL GROUPS FOR AN EXTRA HOUR EVERY OTHER WEEK. The time/place of this extra meeting is determined by the professor. REGISTRATION: There are two parts to registering for an externship: 1) Register on-line for the seminar as you would for any class. 2) Register for the field placement by going to the Externship Page www.wcl.american.edu/externship and submit a Request for Approval, which generates the necessary forms.

Description

This is a three credit class to be taken in conjunction with a field placement in a non-profit organization, government agency, court or private law firm handling pro bono matters exclusively. This is a 3-credit graded seminar where students working in Externship Field Placements will seek to: 1. Meet their individualized learning goals; 2. Enhance their ability to learn from real world experiences, develop a capacity for self-direction and problem solving; 3. Consider what kind of lawyer you each would like to be [i.e., (a) type of setting in which you would like to work: (i) private practice, solo, small firm, large firm; (ii) non-profit practice; (iii) government practice; (iv) in house counsel; or (6) some form of alternative legal practice); (b) the type of clients for whom you would like to work ; and (c) the substantive area of law that you wish to pursue; and, 4. Perhaps most importantly, learn how to think, act and behave like a practicing lawyer. We will work to meet these goals through weekly class meetings, reading assignments, guest lectures by practicing attorneys and clients, weekly journal entries, student class presentations concerning field placement experiences and reflective writing assignments. This course will meet Monday Evenings from 6:00 p.m. to 7:50 p.m. The first half-hour of each class will be devoted to discussions about your field placement experiences.

Textbooks and Other Materials

The textbook information on this page was provided by the instructor. Students should use this information when considering purchases from the AU Campus Store or other vendors. Students may check to determine if books are currently available for purchase online.

The required text is Learning from Practice: A Professional Development Text for Legal Externs, Ogilvy, Worthman & Lerman (West, 2nd ed., 2007) (hereinafter referred to as “Ogilvy “), which is available for purchase at the Campus Bookstore. In addition, from time to time you will be assigned additional readings in the form of journal articles, newspaper articles and other materials which will be posted and available on the class Web Portal page.

First Class Readings

Learning from Practice: A Professional Development Text for Interns; Ogilvy, Wortham & Lerman—read: Chapter 1: Learning From Experience Chapter 2: Setting Goals Chapter 11: Journals Also, be prepared to discuss (a) your completed Field Class Questionnaire which iis posted on the Class Web Portal under “Course Materials” (please bring two copies to class) and (b) your expectations for both your field placement and this class. I look forward to an enjoyable and productive semester with all of you

Syllabus

Use your MyAU username and password to access the syllabus in the following format(s):