Externship Program

Shawn Leisinger directs Washburn Law's Externship Program

In The News

Former Washburn Law student Brian Carr discusses "The Externship Experience: Teaching New Dogs New Tricks" in the January 2010 Journal of the Kansas Bar Association (319 KB PDF).

Students participating in the Washburn University School of Law Externship Program have the unique opportunity to enhance their legal education through off-campus legal work environment placements. Externships are all about learning through hands-on experience and assuming the role of a professional in training. You will handle real issues and work on real assignments while impacting the lives of the people involved. As an extern you are expected to conduct yourself as a professional, including being aware of professional responsibility and confidentiality issues. You can use your externship opportunity as a positive starting point for your legal career. Externships are a great opportunity to gain real-world work experience while developing skills, contacts, and references that will help you secure permanent employment at the end of your law school career.

How To Enroll

Unlike most courses at Washburn, online enrollment in the Externship courses is not permitted. If you are interested in an Externship placement you should contact the Director, Shawn Leisinger, at shawn.leisinger [at] washburn.edu or by telephone at (785) 670-2464 to initially discuss your interest and goals. You will then need to communicate with the contact person at your potential placement location and provide the required documentation to be considered for the placement. It is highly recommended that you have drafted a professional cover letter/e-mail and have a polished resume to submit when initially expressing your interest. The Career Services professionals at Washburn Law will be happy to help you develop and polish a professional resume for this purpose and for future employment opportunities.

Once you have obtained a placement offer, you will be required to complete the necessary paperwork, including signatures from your selected Externship supervisors, as well as a Student Acknowledgement and Release form (see below) and submit these documents to Director Shawn Leisinger to review, approve, and submit to enroll you in the course(s) for the requested hours. The Dean's Office will then complete the enrollment process for you.

As noted, prior to enrollment, students will be required to complete and submit the following forms to Director Leisinger: (1) Externship Plan and Enrollment Request (27 KB PDF; requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) and (2) Student Acknowledgement and Release (27 KB PDF; requires Adobe Acrobat Reader).

For the fall and spring semesters, the deadline to secure an externship will be the Friday of the second week of the semester. "Secured" means that the externship has been selected and all paperwork has been completed so that the student is ready to begin work. For additional information, please see the Externship Guidelines.

Student Practice License

Some externships may require students to obtain a student practice license. Please contact Debi Schrock, Law Clinic Managing Director, at (785) 670-1953 or debi.schrock [at] washburn.edu with questions and to begin the application process.

Externship Opportunities

A non-exclusive list of externship opportunities follows
(access to opportunity details restricted to Washburn Law students, faculty, and staff).