Gain Experience in the Field
Externships combine legal placements with a classroom component to help students get the most from their experience.
Externships place students in the heart of some of the most exciting courts, companies, firms, and government & nonprofit agencies in the world. We offer full-time immersion experiences through our Semester-in-Practice Program, or more part time, flexible options.
Some of the most common current student questions are answered below. For a more general overview of what we offer, start with our externships overview section.
HOW TO APPLY
To start an externship, all students must meet with Tricia Gould, Director of Externships.
What is an externship?
The BC Law Externship Program provides opportunities for students to earn academic credit by working in legal practice settings. Through this work students gain hands-on experience and build professional skills by engaging in substantial legal work under the supervision of experienced attorneys in Boston, across the US, and around the world.
Where can I be an extern?
Externship placements include government agencies (local, state, and federal), nonprofit organizations, courts, private corporations, and law firms.
How many credits are externships?
Students earn 1 credit for every 4 hours/week they work over a minimum 12 week time period during the fall or spring semester. Students can extern part time or full time.
What is the classroom component?
All student externs are enrolled in a contemporaneous seminar. Seminars are held either weekly for two credits or bi-weekly for one credit and enrollment is based on the practice setting where the student is externing.
Can I extern remotely?
Students are expected to work primarily on-site at the externship placement wherever possible. Remote externships are allowed but only in field placements where legal staff are already allowed to work remotely.
Where do students usually extern?
Where a student externs depends on many factors including what area of law and what type of legal practice setting the student is most interested in; as well as what skills a student wants to build upon; and how many hours/week a student wants to dedicate to an externship.
How do I apply for an externship?
Interested students need to schedule an appointment with Tricia Gould, Externship Program Director.
Business / Corporate / IP / Technology
Akebia Therapeutics, BeiGene, Indigo, LogicBio Therapeutics, Onto Innovation, Progress Software, Spartan Race, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Wayfair
Government
City of Boston Law Department, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Mass. Attorney General’s Office, Middlesex & Suffolk District Attorney's Offices, Social Security Administration, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission
Health Law
American Health Association, Beth Israel Lahey Health, Boston Medical Center, Foundation Medicine, Inc., Kate Farms
Judicial
U.S. Court of Appeals and U.S. District Courts; Mass. Appeals Court, Supreme Judicial Court, Superior Courts and Land Court; Rhode Island Supreme Court
Law Firms
DLA Piper, Fragomen, Freeman Lovell, Lawson & Weitzen, Matheson, Vicente Sederberg LLP
Public Interest / Legal Services / Advocacy
ACLU, Conservation Law Foundation, Greater Boston Legal Services, Earthjustice, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, MetroWest Legal Services, Victim Rights Law Center
Sports and Entertainment
Boston Red Sox, NCAA Office of Committees on Infractions, Smithsonian Institute, Universal Music Group, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, WGBH Radio
BC in DC
The BC in DC Program provides full-time immersive externships for students in diverse legal settings such as government agencies, public interest groups, in-house corporate counsel, and courts. Weekly seminars are run by a BCLS alum working in DC and is offered in the Spring semester.
BC in Dublin/Europe Program
The Dublin Program provides opportunities for second and third year law students to gain legal experience with corporations, government agencies, public interest groups and law firms in Dublin. Students participate in a weekly seminar with a BCLS faculty member. The seminar covers subjects such as Comparative Law, Legal Ethics, and Professionalism and focuses on cross-cultural lawyering, professional responsibility in an organizational context, and differences between US and EU Law. This program is offered during the Spring semester.