The requirements for the program are:
1. Nature of work
Student performs legal work under the supervision of a lawyer in an approved field placement.
2. Faculty supervision
A Faculty Supervisor oversees the field work and serves as a professional guide.
3. Journal and final paper requirement
The student submits biweekly narrative journals and biweekly time logs reviewed and signed by the supervisor. The journals include student observations concerning the role of the lawyer, the dynamics of the legal system, and his or her own experience.
4. Field Placement
Students may earn from 2-5 credits per semester for their field placement work. One credit is earned for each 45 hours of legal work in the field. Credit for the field placement work is received on a pass/fail basis. Students may distribute the hours to be worked as they choose during the semester with the approval of the Field Supervisor. Professor Feeley must approve the number of credits appropriate for the student and the given placement in order to guarantee that the program's educational objectives are met.
5. Classroom Component
Legal Process and Practice
2 credits day; 2 credits evening
Fall 2011 (Professor Feeley)
This course is required for all students registered for a legal internship placement for the Fall 2011 semester. The two credits granted for this course are in addition to and independent of any credits awarded for that field placement experience. This classroom component will cover topics including ethical issues relating to internships; economic, social and moral issues in the legal profession; workplace skills; and discussion of field experiences. For their internship placement, students are required to keep regular journals which also will be discussed in this class. Readings and class participation are essential components of the course. An in-class oral presentation on a topic related to the student's fieldwork experience is required. An extended journal on an ethical issue is required. The paper will not satisfy the writing requirement. Student work is graded on a letter grade system. This course does not fulfill the academic requirement for internships through Suffolk University Law School and the Center for International Legal Studies.
As an alternative to the Legal Process and Practice course, students can be supervised individually by a full-time faculty member only if the student has taken, or is in the process of taking, a substantive course elective with that faculty member and that course relates to the field placement experience. Decisions about what courses and which placements qualify will be made by the Clinical Professor for Internships in consultation with the Director of Clinical Programs. The faculty member must agree to supervise the student under the guidelines of the Internship Program.
6. Eligibility
Any day student who fails to achieve a GPA of 2.50 after his or her first year is barred from enrolling in the Legal Internship Program for one year/two semesters. Any evening student who fails to achieve a GPA of 2.50 after his or her third semester is barred from enrolling in the Legal Internship Program for one year/two semesters. Thereafter, the student may enroll in the Legal Internship Program but the student’s participation is limited to 3 placement credits during his or her law school career.
7. Contact Professor Feeley
Students interested in an internship for the Summer 2011 semester should contact Professor Feeley no later than April 1, 2011. Students interested in an internship for the Fall 2011 semester should contact Professor Feeley no later than June 7, 2011. Students interested in an internship for the Spring 2012 semester should contact Professor Feeley no later than November 15, 2011.
8. Student Guide
For a complete list of program requirements, see the Student Guide, available in Room 165.
