As in all academic classes, externs are expected to satisfy all educational requirements. Those are fulfilled under the direction of the externship director through meetings and assignments. At this time, there is not a separate credit-bearing seminar for the educational component; that is subject to change from one semester to the next.
Although externships vary widely with respect to subject area and type of legal practice, they share certain educational goals. At the core of the experience is helping students learn more about themselves as a member of the legal community.
By working directly on legal matters in an externship, you can gain a deeper understanding of the substantive law, develop and improve concrete lawyering skills, gain insights into the operation of the law and legal institutions, appreciate how lawyers can advocate for change, and explore or clarify your professional goals.
King Hall has identified specific educational and public service objectives for the inclusion of externship programs within the law school curriculum. These include, but are not limited to, the following:
- To provide the opportunity for hands-on skills training through exposure to and participation in the practice of law;
- To provide training in specialized areas of the law which are of interest to King Hall students;
- To assist students in identifying their strengths and weaknesses as future lawyers;
- To emphasize the importance of legal ethics and professional responsibility through real life experience with those issues;
- To add a "law-in-action" dimension to students' classroom learning, so they are able to acquire the maximum educational benefit both inside and outside the classroom;
- To bring students' innovation and critical thinking skills to bear on contemporary law and legal process issues;
- To nurture students' ongoing enthusiasm for the practice of law through engagement with real-world issues;
- To aid students in their career and professional development by giving them the opportunity to build experience and professional connections;
- To aid clients (generally low-income) and serve the public by adding the ability and enthusiasm of King Hall students to government and public interest work;
- To expose students to workplace issues such as time management, teamwork, workplace culture, giving and receiving feedback, and work-life balance; and
- To promote students self-directed and lifelong learning.