Externships

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS (FROM COLLEGE OF LAW CATALOG)

CHILD ADVOCACY TODAY EXTERNSHIP

The Child Advocacy Today Externship is a 2 credit hour pass/fail externship, requiring 100 hours of student work, that offers students the opportunity to develop their legal skills while providing free, quality representation to low-income pediatrics patients and their families. CAT is operated in partnership with the Equal Access to Justice Foundation and Kentucky Children’s Hospital and is located in General Pediatrics at Kentucky Clinic. CAT Externship students become part of the healthcare team at Kentucky Children’s Hospital in order to assess patients’ legal needs. The students engage in interviews with patients and their families, and identify legal issues that adversely affect the health of the patients. Students will then have the opportunity to assist these clients and prepare the matter for referral to outside counsel, where appropriate. Students will conduct legal research, write memos and prepare legal documents under the supervision of staff attorneys. Students will analyze and implement case strategies and prepare work plans for their cases. In addition, because the mission of the medical-legal partnership is to educate healthcare providers to recognize legal issues that are detrimental to their patients’ health, students will prepare a presentation on a topic of their choice to be presented to UK’s pediatrics residents. PREREQUISITE: This course is open only to third-year students. RECOMMENDED: Completion of any of the following courses is helpful, but not required: Administrative Law, Constitutional Law II, Professional Responsibility, Healthcare Organizations and Finance, Children and the Law, and Education Law. This course is limited to three students.

CHILDREN'S LAW CENTER EXTERNSHIP

This externship develops students’ litigation, counseling and research skills under the supervision of the Litigation Director of the Lexington office of the Children’s Law Center, a 20-year-old foundation based in Northern Kentucky. The Center  provides direct representation to children involved in high conflict custody cases, to children who are victims of sexual abuse and must be a witness in criminal proceedings, to children with disabilities in educational matters, and children who are homeless or have other dependency issues. Students will assist their supervising attorney on these cases. Students will be expected to work at least 100 hours during the semester, in addition to classroom time discussing substantive law, roundtable discussions and case status conferences. Enrollment is limited to three students.

Practice in court in this externship is only open to students who are eligible for admission to the Kentucky bar under Supreme Court Rule 2.540, the limited student practice rule. A student is eligible for admission under this rule only if, at the time the course is taken, the student will have completed 60 hours of law study (59 hours for students who will be receiving credit for co-curricular courses). Students registering for this course must complete and have notarized a legal intern application form prior to the end of the examination period preceding the semester for which the student will be taking the course The application is available on the law school website (under “Current Students”) and from the Registrar’s office.

EKU OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COUNSEL

This externship will provide students with the experience of the application of law, legal principles and legal analysis at a public, post-secondary educational institution.  The Office of University Counsel (OUC) advises the administration, faculty, and staff on legal matters pertaining to the University, including but not limited to areas of employment law, policy development, statutory interpretation, and contract review.  This Externship will expose the student to a variety of activities, including research, analysis, document production, depositions, and writing on legal issues that arise in a higher-education context. The OUC provides a wide range of legal services including risk and liability evaluation and prevention, advice on the legal implications of proposed policies and actions, counsel on compliance with state and federal laws and administrative regulations, regulatory issues, and drafting or reviewing of University contracts.

The extern will be required to complete 100 hours of work per semester. The extern will engage in a variety of activities, including research, analysis and writing on legal issues that arise in a higher-education context; attending administrative proceedings and University committee meetings with counsel; participation in the preparation of materials needed to respond to open records requests; and participation in OUC staff meetings as appropriate. The extern’s activities will be supervised by counsel.

Enrollment is limited to one student; interested students must submit an application to the Registrar.

INSTITUTE FOR COMPASSION IN JUSTICE EXTERNSHIP

The Institute for Compassion in Justice Externship provides students with the opportunity to combine an interest in case advocacy on behalf of children and young adults with policy reform.  The Externship will focus on the rights of this population of individuals though the lens of the Fourteenth Amendment and state constitutional law principles that recognize the obligation of the state to treat all persons fairly and to ensure structural, implicit, or explicit bias does not limit the rights of children and young adults.  ICJ is a nonprofit organization focused on justice for Kentucky’s youth. 

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DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC ADVOCACY EXTERNSHIP

The goals of this externship course are to develop practical litigation skills; to give practical experience in researching legal topics; and to increase understanding of the criminal litigation process, especially as it relates to how lawyers representing defendants in that system develop the case, identify a strategy for litigating the case, and implement that strategy.  Students will be expected to complete 100 hours of work under the supervision of the Lexington DPA Directing Attorney in addition to a classroom component. The expectation is that a very significant proportion of student work will be accomplished under the student practice rule in cases before the Family Court and Juvenile Court, and in District Court misdemeanor cases.  Enrollment is limited to three students and is by application only. PREREQUISITE: Law 890 (Evidence).

FAYETTE COUNTY ATTORNEY EXTERNSHIP This externship develops students’ interviewing, counseling, legal research and litigation skills under the supervision of the attorneys in the Fayette County Attorney’s Office. Students will be expected to do legal research and writing, contact and interview witnesses, attend court sessions and assist the prosecutors therein, and assist in maintaining electronic case files. Students will support their supervising attorney in all areas related to the representation. Enrollment is open to both second- and third-year students, is upon application and interview only, and is limited to three students per semester. Scheduling note: Although not required, students should plan to have one full morning available for externship work to accommodate court appearance schedules.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT EXTERNSHIP

This externship provides for academic credit for summer unpaid legal internships with a federal government agency or executive department. Students will be required to submit periodic work logs, samples of written work (if released by the agency or department), and meet with the field supervisor and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs once on site (this may be done by video) and once upon completion of the externship. The student must present work logs totaling at least 100 hours exclusive of any travel time, and there must be no direct or indirect compensation (including any fellowship or scholarship) received for the internship work.

IMMIGRATION LAW EXTERNSHIP

This externship develops students’ interviewing, counseling, fact-gathering, legal planning and legal research skills under the supervision of the Director of the Maxwell Street Legal Clinic. The Clinic is part of the Kentucky Equal Justice Center, a nonprofit poverty law advocacy and research center. Students will be expected to meet with potential and existing clients, perform initial and subsequent client interviews, prepare legal research products on assigned topics, and attend staff meetings and legal proceedings. Students will assist their supervising attorney in all areas related to the representation. Preference will be given to students who have taken Law 919 (Immigration Law) and who are fluent in Spanish. Enrollment is upon application only; limit is one student per semester.

INNOCENCE PROJECT EXTERNSHIP

Participants in this externship are placed with the Department of Public Advocacy’s Kentucky Innocence Project. Students are assigned one or more cases involving claims of factual innocence. The clients are individuals convicted of serious criminal offenses who received sentences of twenty years or more. The experiential component of the externship will give students the opportunity to learn a variety of practical skills, such as developing, organizing, and conducting case investigations, interviewing clients and witnesses, researching legal issues, drafting legal documents and correspondence, and working with experts. The class room component provides instruction on the above topics and other topics such as DNA and problems with eyewitness testimony.  The class generally meets every other week. Enrollment is limited to ten students. Students are required to work on their cases for a minimum of one hundred hours each semester and must maintain a case log documenting their externship activities. This course is only available as a full-year externship. Credits will not be awarded for participation in the Fall only and students will not be permitted to register for the course in the Spring unless they have met the course requirements for the Fall semester. The course is worth four credits: 2 for the Fall semester and 2 for the Spring semester. RECOMMENDED:  Evidence (Law 890) and Criminal Procedure (Law 811).

JUDICIAL EXTERNSHIP

This course allows students to experience the court system by clerking for a local judge.  Students can see how the system works, what makes some lawyers better than others, and how judges make decisions.

                  Each student is assigned to a particular local state or federal judge at the beginning of the semester.  Students are required to work 100 hours with their judge and to prepare a typed log with an explanation of their activities.  The log must be approved by the judge and submitted to the professor.  The judge also evaluates the student's performance on a written questionnaire.

                  The class meets as a whole approximately every three weeks to discuss the experience.  This course is offered on a two‑hour pass‑fail basis.  Enrollment is limited to 18 students. This course may be repeated once with the permission of the instructor, provided the clerkship is before a different judge.

KENTUCKY ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT CABINET EXTERNSHIP

This Externship course will allow students to develop an understanding of legal issues arising from environmental protection in Kentucky, and to increase their understanding of the role played by attorneys in the Energy and Environment Cabinet. Student work at the Cabinet will be supervised by a full-time attorney at the Cabinet. Students will also meet together with the Environmental Law instructor every two weeks to discuss and reflect on their work at the Cabinet.  The two-credit externship is limited to two students.

Scheduling note: Students planning to enroll in this externship should be sure to have half- or full-day time slots to allow for travel to Frankfort on working days. Students who enroll must contact John Horne, General Counsel of the Cabinet, immediately after enrollment to begin the process of approval to work. This takes a long time and you cannot complete the externship without approval. He may be reached at john.horne@ky.gov.

KENTUCKY REFUGEE MINISTRIES EXTERNSHIP

This externship develops students’ interviewing, counseling, fact-gathering, legal planning and legal research skills under the supervision of the Immigration Attorney in the Lexington office of Kentucky Refugee Ministries, Inc. (KRM). KRM assists refugees who have been legally admitted to the United States as victims of warfare or other forms of persecution because of their religious or political beliefs. Students will be expected to meet with potential and existing clients, perform initial and subsequent client interviews, prepare legal research products on assigned topics, and attend staff meetings and legal proceedings. Students will assist their supervising attorney in all areas related to the representation. RECOMMENDED: Preference will be given to students who have taken Law 919 (Immigration Law) and who are fluent in French or Spanish or have worked with an interpreter. Enrollment is upon application only; limit is one student per semester.

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LEXINGTON CITY ATTORNEY EXTERNSHIP

This course provides the extern with an introduction to the practice of in-house counsel for a local government. The Law Department of the Urban County Government acts as counsel for the Mayor, the Urban County Council, and for all of the Urban County Government’s Departments and Divisions. The department drafts all legislation (ordinances and resolutions) and handles a majority of the Urban County Government’s litigation. The extern will research, analyze and write on legal issues that arise in a local government, attend court proceedings and witness meetings, participate in preparation of materials to respond to motions, briefs and appeals, and attend and participate in Urban County Government staff meetings as appropriate. Specific assignments and activities will be determined by supervising attorneys. Enrollment is upon application only; limit is two students per semester.

PROSECUTORIAL EXTERNSHIP

The purposes of the Prosecutorial Externship course are to develop practical litigation skills, to give practical experience in researching legal topics, to increase understanding of the criminal justice system, and to improve writing, advocacy, and negotiation skills.

                  The class meets on a bi‑weekly basis.  Students are required to work eight hours per week at their placement, which may be in either the Commonwealth Attorney's office or the County Attorney's office.  In their placement, students work closely with prosecuting attorneys assigned to them by the instructor.  They assist in criminal prosecutions under the State's third‑year student practice rule.  Students must maintain a placement activity log, and prepare a short paper evaluating their internship experience.  The course is offered on a two‑hour pass‑fail basis. Enrollment is limited to 12 students.

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UK HEALTHCARE RISK MANAGEMENT OFFICE EXTERNSHIP   Students will develop practical interviewing, counseling, strategic legal planning, litigation, and legal research skills as interns in the University of Kentucky Healthcare (University Hospital) Risk Management Office, under the supervision of the Risk Management Director. Students will be expected to complete legal research and writing projects, attend legal proceedings and hospital committee meetings, and review clinical investigations. Each student must sign an externship agreement covering, among other things, compliance with all statutory requirements governing patient confidentiality, including HIPAA, and an anticipatory conflict agreement, which will include an agreement that the participant will be bound by SCR 3.130(1.9) and SCR 3.130(1.10) as if the participant were a practicing attorney at the time of the internship. Enrollment is limited to two students and is by application only. PREREQUISITES: Second-semester, second-year status; Evidence (Law 890); transfer students must have completed Torts (Law 805). RECOMMENDED: Bioethical Issues and the Law (Law 831), Medical Liability (Law 832).

UK OFFICE OF LEGAL COUNSEL EXTERNSHIP

This externship will provide students with the unique experience of the application of law, legal principles and legal analysis at a public, post-secondary educational and academic medical institution. The Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) advises the administration, faculty, staff and student leaders on legal matters pertaining to the University and UK HealthCare, while striving to minimize the legal risk and liabilities facing the institution.

                  The OLC is comprised of two offices, one on central main campus and one in the medical center. The OLC provides a wide range of legal services including risk and liability evaluation and prevention, advice on the legal implications of proposed policies and actions, counsel on compliance with state and federal laws and administrative regulations, counsel on clinical enterprise matters including healthcare law and healthcare institutions, regulatory issues, drafting or reviewing of University contracts and coordination of the University’s real, personal, and intellectual property issues.

                  The extern will be required to complete 100 hours of work per semester. The extern will engage in a variety of activities, including research, analysis and writing on legal issues that arise in a higher-education context; attending administrative proceedings and University committee meetings with counsel; participation in the preparation of materials needed to respond to open records requests and OLC Legal 101 training sessions (and attending the training session); and participation in OLC staff meetings as appropriate. The extern’s activities will be supervised by counsel. Enrollment is limited to two students and is by application only.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY PORTSMOUTH PADUCAH PROJECT OFFICE EXTERNSHIP

This externship will allow the student to obtain familiarity with legal practice in support of a federal agency.  Students will be asked to support a wide range of legal tasks related to the decontaminating and decommissioning of former nuclear facilities in Paducah, KY and Portsmouth, OH.  A primary focus of this externship will be action planning and implementation aimed at the resolution of environmental liabilities existing at both sites under a range of environmental statutory structures including CERCLA, RCRA and the Atomic Energy Act.  Students will gain experience in assisting with representations made by the federal government attorney in regulatory interactions with both state (e.g., Ohio EPA and Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection) and federal (e.g., U.S. EPA) agencies.  Practical legal experiences may also include exposure to areas of legal practice beyond environmental law, including procurement, contracting, real property, and contractor human relations.