The OU College of Law provides a wide variety of opportunities for students to work with legal professionals and clients in an attorney-supervised workplace. Students earn from 3–12 hours upon successful completion of an externship. Students work with the Director of Externships to identify placement opportunities.
Completion of a minimum of 28 hours of credit at an ABA-approved law school
Concurrent enrollment in or prior completion of Issues in Professionalism (2 credits)
Approval of placement by Director of Externships
Students participating in their first semester as an extern OR a licensed legal intern must take this class in addition to enrolling in Extern Placement.
Three-credit externships requires a student to spend a minimum of 140 hours a semester at the placement. Externs who exceed the 140-hour requirement can submit the additional unpaid hours for pro bono credit through OU’s Student Engagement Office.
Students may receive credit for up to two semesters of extern placement at different placements.
During the summer semester, students are able to work in placements outside of the Norman and Oklahoma City areas, allowing students to either return to their home communities or explore new cities. Externs have worked in many places including Florida, California, Maryland, Texas, Colorado, Nevada, Washington, D.C., and Johannesburg, South Africa.
Finding a Placement.
Current placement opportunities are posted on the OU Law Externship Canvas Page. Externs may locate their own placement or work with the Director of Externships to find a placement. Applicants should verify that a current resume and writing sample are uploaded on Canvas when they submit the application. Applications should be submitted no later than two weeks ahead of the semester in which a student wishes to extern.
Selected students have the opportunity to work in a judge’s chambers, gaining experience in legal research and writing. Placement is based on academic records, writing samples, faculty references, and personal interviews.
Recent judicial placements include:
- United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
- Oklahoma Supreme Court
- Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals
- Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals
- Oklahoma County Oklahoma District Court
- United States District Court for the District of Nevada
- United States District Court for the District of North Dakota
- Texas Court of Civil Appeals
- Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Texas
- Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Oklahoma
- Dallas County Texas Family District Court
- Cleveland County Oklahoma District Court
Accepted students are paired with governmental agencies or non-profit organizations to allow them to learn about representation of clients, the demands of practice, and ethical obligations.
Recent governmental and non-profit agency placements include:
- Representative David D. Boren’s Office
- Cleveland County D.A.’s Office
- Oklahoma County Public Defender’s Office
- City of Norman
- Oklahoma Bar Association
- Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations
- Tinker A.F.B.
- Ft. Sill A.F.B.
- Texas - Dallas County D.A.’s Office
- Texas - Dallas County Public Defender’s Office
- Equality Federation
- Federal Public Defender’s Office
- Georgia - Office of Fulton County District Attorney
- Oklahoma Insurance Department
- Legal Aid of N.W. Texas
- Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma – Tulsa
- Legal Aid Services of Hawaii
- Missouri - Jackson County D.A.’s Office
- Maryland - Office of Attorney General
- Texas - Montgomery County D.A.’s Office
- Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office
- Oklahoma Corporation Commission
- Oklahoma County D.A.’s Office
- Civil Division; Homicide Division
- Oklahoma County Public Defender’s Office
- Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry
- Oklahoma Indian Legal Services, Inc.
- Oklahoma Indigent Defense System (OIDS)
- Oklahoma State House of Representative
- Oklahoma Water Resource Board
- Oklahoma Pardon & Parole Board
- Denver - United States Attorney’s Office
- United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Oklahoma
- University of Oklahoma Athletic Compliance Office
- Pennsylvania - Westmoreland County D.A.’s Office
- U.S. Department of State & U.S. Embassies Abroad
Many courts now require parties to a lawsuit to participate in a mediation. Through this externship program, students receive training to become a mediator and gain a better understanding of the mediation process. In collaboration with the Oklahoma Supreme Court Early Settlement Program, students qualify for certification by the Supreme Court as a volunteer mediator and conduct mediations in Cleveland County and Norman Municipal Courts.
Differences between Externships and Internships or Summer Clerkships
There are a few differences between externships and internships. Externs work for class credit, while interns do not. Accordingly, externships have certain requirements, such as a necessary level of supervision and communication between the placement and the College of Law. Internships vary greatly, depending on the organization’s preferences. Some internship positions are paid, some are volunteer (unpaid), and some require a legal intern’s license issued by the Oklahoma Bar Association. There is no license requirement to work as an extern.
Licensed Legal Interns
Students interested in working outside the law school as a licensed legal intern in Oklahoma are required to enroll in Issues in Professionalism, register with the Oklahoma Board of Bar Examiners, apply for a limited license, identify a supervising attorney, take and pass the Licensed Legal Intern Exam, and obtain a limited license.
Forms and applications can be found in the Licensed Legal Interns Forms section of the Rules of the Supreme Court of the State of Oklahoma on Legal Internship. Students should check with Jasmine Mohammadi for further information on becoming a Licensed Legal Intern.
Externship Application
Applications for an Externship Placement are accepted throughout the year. Students who are interested in submitting an application should send an email to externships@ou.edu in order to be added to the appropriate Canvas page.
Externships Contact
Taylor Freeman Peshehonoff, Director of Externships tfreepesh@ou.edu