Course Formats

Students will not be able to register for the Program on Law and State Government Externship Course or any particular PLSG externship placement on the first day of registration, due to the necessary process of matching individual students to their placements. The first step to enrolling in a PLSG externship is to submit an application through this website. Professor Baker will work with you and in consultation with the field supervising attorneys to make your specific externship assignment. You may be required to interview with supervising attorneys from one or more prospective field placements and/or undergo a background check before your placement is approved for enrollment.

• Educational Objectives
• Course Formats & Participant Responsibilities
  
  • Fall/Spring
  • Summer
  • Advanced
• Evaluation of Extern
• Placement Descriptions

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

The educational objectives of the Program on Law and State Government (PLSG) externship include offering externship students the opportunity to:

1. Learn about the practice of law within the state government setting;
2. Use and test skills of legal research, legal writing, case analysis, and statutory construction in the context of a state government legal office;
3. Participate in hearings, work on administrative appeals, and assist in rule and statute drafting under the supervision of an attorney;
4. Communicate legal conclusions and recommendations of legal work to supervising attorneys and state policymakers;
5. Observe how various state agencies carry out statutory mandates, create regulations, defend agency actions in administrative hearings, and comment to drafted legislation;
6. Experience how the ethical, policy, and legal issues of the governmental process entwine to affect Indiana’s government and the practice of law within that government;
7. Develop their ability to learn from experience and to manage their own education;
8. Set and meet the student's individualized educational objectives, as outlined here, and as further developed with an individualized development plan (IDP) as the semester progresses.  I, [student name] seek to learn specifically during this externship semester, the following:
   i.
   ii.
   iii.        ; and,
9. Make strides toward fulfillment of our law school's educational objectives: build upon an existing base of legal knowledge to succeed in the student's prospective career path; exercise sound professional judgment and fulfill ethical responsibilities; exhibit a high degree of competence in legal analysis, reasoning, research, and writing; demonstrate acumen in oral communication in the legal context; transition readily to law practice or other government, non-profit, or private sector employment; leverage a network of professional relationships; and appreciate that excellence as a lawyer requires individual, life-long effort.

Assessment and EVALUATION OF Student PERFORMANCE

1. Formative assessment and evaluation by the faculty advisor includes review of the feedback on the student's work on this agreement, time logs, and course assignments. Formative assessment by the supervising lawyers is encouraged as a part of the student's externship work and is an integral component of the two individual tutorials that are a part of this course.
2. Summative assessment and evaluation includes:
   1. A grade (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) for the [2 or 3] credit externship course upon the conclusion of the semester. This grade will be awarded by the faculty advisor based on whether the student satisfied all of the requirements of the externship course, taking into account whether the student met and properly accounted for the number of hours required to be spent at the field office and doing externship course activities and related work, submitted the completed and signed supervising attorney's evaluation of the extern, and the supervising attorney's written substantive evaluation of the student's externship work at the conclusion of the semester.
   2. A letter grade for the one credit externship course. This letter grade will be based on the quality of the student's work on the class meeting and reflective learning assignments, the professionalism, quality, and accuracy of the required externship time logs, the quality of the student's participation during the mandatory class meetings, and the quality of the student's contributions to discussions in individual meetings with the faculty advisor.

For information about individual externships, see the placement descriptions.