Externships
Externships are similar to internships, but are taken for academic credit and consist of an academic (e.g., class) component and a placement component. Placements can include law firms, judges’ chambers, government agencies, and corporate counsel, among others. Our general externship may be taken in-state, out-of-state, or even internationally. Externs perform work at the placement that involves substantial lawyering experience under a qualified supervisor (e.g., a supervising attorney).
Students must apply to participate in an externship. Students are not expected to have secured a placement before applying and should speak with the Director of Field Placements before contacting potential placements or applying to the externship program. Acceptance into the externship program and successful placement is not guaranteed. Deadlines for application and more information are listed in the tabs below.
If you or your firm are looking for information on hosting an extern, we are always looking to build new partnerships, please email us at lawexp@wfu.edu.
Externship Offerings
Externship Structure
In the fall and spring semesters, Wake offers both a general externship virtual course and an in-person litigation focused course component. The Director of Field Placements will determine which course component a student is enrolled in based on the student’s goals, credits taken, and location of the placement.
All general externships consist of a 2-credit virtual class which is paired with a field placement of varying credit hours for a total of 6, 10, or 13 credits. Students must work a minimum number of hours at the placement and the number of hours depends on the credits received. Our general externship may be taken in-state, out-of-state or even internationally.
| Total Credits | Minimum Hours at Placement Required (excludes class) |
| 6 credit total (2 credit class + 4 credit placement) | 170 hours |
| 10 credit total (2 credit class + 8 credit placement) | 350 hours |
| 13 credit total (2 credit class + 11 credit placement) | 490 hours |
Our litigation externship is a 2-credit, in-person, litigation-focused class paired with a field placement for a total of 6 credits. Because the class is in person, placements are geographically restricted to the area. Students are expected to work a minimum of 170 hours at the placement over the course of the externship.
Placements are generally litigation focused, either civil or criminal. Examples of past placements include the Forsyth County DA’s office, the Federal Public Defender’s office, private criminal defense firms, and civil litigation firms.
Application Process
Students are not expected to have secured a placement before applying and should contact the Director of Field Placements directly or by emailing lawexp@wfu.edu before contacting potential placements or applying to the externship program.
The application deadline for an externship in the fall is the same as the fall semester course drop deadline published by the registrar (usually two weeks after start of classes).
The application deadline for an externship in the spring is midnight the Friday before spring break (typically about 8 weeks after the start of classes).”
How to Apply *
*Contact the Director of Field Placements at lawexp@wfu.edu in advance of submitting an application.
This is a wonderful summer externship opportunity for students interested in clerkship. The DC Summer Judicial Externship operates slightly differently from our other externships. More information, including DCSJE specific application deadlines, is available on the DCSJE webpage.
The General Summer Externship consists of a virtual class component and placement component for a total of 4 credits. This externship typically runs for 5 weeks coinciding with the start of the summer session. Students are expected to work a minimum of 170 hours (roughly 35 hours per week if working 5 weeks). The deadline for applying for the general summer externship is midnight the Friday before spring break (typically 8 weeks after the start of classes). Unlike fall and spring externships, additional summer tuition is charged. Students should speak with financial aid for details on summer tuition rates.
The general summer externship is distinct from the DC Summer Judicial Externship. No geographic or substantive restrictions.
*Contact the Director of Field Placements at lawexp@wfu.edu in advance of application.