Course Description and Expectations

The Judicial Externship program provides you with an opportunity to enhance your legal education through off-campus placements in a judge’s chambers. Through that placement, you will have the chance to learn through hands-on experience in the legal field: you will handle real issues and work on real assignments that will impact the lives of the litigants involved. You are entering the legal profession in a very practical way, and as such, you must be aware of ethical issues and professional responsibility requirements.

Throughout your judicial externship experience, you will become familiar with civil and criminal procedural issues, will enhance and improve your research and writing skills, and will learn and think about ethical issues and professional responsibility requirements of attorneys who work for the court.

I will help you be aware of and navigate the challenges and opportunities of a judicial clerkship. In exchange, I expect that you will maintain regular and professional communication with Dean Leisinger and me. I expect your good faith effort both in the tasks you have in the judge’s chambers and in the course work I assign you. And I expect that you will represent yourself and Washburn University School of Law in a manner fitting of the trust the judges and I are placing in you.