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Judicial Externships

The Judicial Externship Program is an opportunity for Vermont Law School students to obtain field-based experience in judges’ chambers as judicial externs. Open to fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-semester students, the judicial externship is divided into two components, practicum and academic. A student may do a distant practicum with prior consent of the judicial externship academic director.

All judicial externship students will complete the academic component, which concentrates on judicial and legal ethics, but also provides instruction on judicial philosophy and history, judicial decision making, judicial discretion, and judicial opinion writing. The academic component is taught at VLS on five days throughout the semester, with 6 hours of classroom instruction on each of the days. The classroom/academic component is graded and will have one paper on judicial ethics in lieu of a final exam. Students receive 11 non-classroom credits for their practicum and 2 classroom credits for their academic component. The academic component fulfills the Vermont Law School’s Legal Profession requirement.

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Educational Objectives

Students will learn about the process of judicial decision making by observing the function of a particular court while thinking about the management and administration of the court system. By evaluating the role of judges and courts in administering justice and resolving disputes, students learn the litigation process from the perspective of the judiciary. During the practicum students will learn about professional responsibility by understanding the Code of Judicial Conduct and its application within the judiciary. Students will learn the Rules of Professional Conduct and their application to the legal work the students observe in the context of the complexity of the application of ethical rules in a real-world setting.

Another objective of the judicial externship is the development of legal skills such as writing, research, and analytical skills. By thinking critically about law from the perspective of the judiciary, students develop the ability to communicate legal theories effectively and perform the role of decision maker. As students engage in self-directed learning, they set learning goals for the work experience with an externship learning plan. This includes keeping a journal, deciding with the supervising judge how best to achieve goals, and engaging in self-evaluation, critique and reflection.

To learn about the process of judicial decision making, the student will:

  • Learn about the function of the particular court
  • Think about the management and administration of the court system
  • Evaluate the role of judges and courts in administering justice and resolving disputes
  • Evaluate the litigation process from the perspective of the judiciary

To develop a sense of professional responsibility, the student will work to understand:

  • The Code of Judicial Conduct and its application within the judiciary
  • The Rules of Professional Conduct and their application to the legal work students observe
  • The complexity of the application of ethical rules in a real world setting

To develop legal skills, the student will:

  • Further refine and develop research skills
  • Further develop and refine writing and analytical skills
  • Think critically about law from the perspective of the judiciary
  • Develop ability to communicate effectively about legal theories
  • Develop ability to perform role of a decision-maker

To develop reflective lawyering skills bye engaging in self-directed learning, the student will:

  • Set learning goals for the work experience with an Externship Learning Plan
  • Decide with the supervising judge how best to achieve goals
  • Communicate professional goals to the judge
  • Learn from each experience (observation, research task, writing assignment)
  • Engage in continual self-evaluation, critique, and reflection
  • Keep an Experiential Learning Journal, in accordance with the Guidelines For Judicial Externship Journals

To develop a productive working relationship with a judge and his/her law clerks and staff, the student will:

  • Plan for supervision meetings
  • Learn to get useful feedback
  • Take responsibility for ensuring feedback and supervision
  • Become a collaborative practitioner by learning to work with, and learn from, other people in the court system, no matter what their position or job

To gain insight into the legal system, the student will think critically about the following issues:

  • Fairness and justice within the legal system
  • Mission of the particular court and whether or not it is being accomplished
  • Bias in the legal system, including gender and racial bias
  • The role of the lawyer in the legal system
  • Constraints upon the judiciary

For more information, contact:

Jeffry White, Director
802-831-1259
802-831-1196 fax
jwhite@vermontlaw.edu