Student Opportunities


Practicum Courses

Practicum courses combine classroom teaching from faculty members with expertise related to the externship with hands-on learning at the externship site. Students work at their placements 12-15 hours each week and attend a weekly seminar that includes assigned readings and discussions about key issues related to their externship work.

Practicum Rules

Students planning on enrolling in a Practicum course should review the Rules for Practicum Courses (pdf).


Civil Government Practicum

Fall & Spring Semesters

Externships are at Chicago-area federal, state, or local governmental agencies or offices involving civil law. Students conduct research, draft motions and briefs, and work on policy initiatives.

We encourage you to reach out to agencies whose work aligns with your interests. While Symplicity may post some externship opportunities, many agencies that take externs do not post on Symplicity.

Federal Agencies with Offices in Chicago: 
Commodities Future Trading Commission
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Labor
Environmental Protection Agency
Financial Industry Regulatory Agency
Internal Revenue Service
Securities Exchange Commission
U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission

State Agencies: 
Office of the Executive Inspector General
Office of the Illinois Attorney General
Illinois Department of Professional and Financial Regulation
Illinois Housing Development Authority

County: 
Cook County Public Guardian’s Office

City: 
Chicago Board of Education Law Department
Chicago Park District
Chicago Transit Authority
City of Chicago Law Department
City of Chicago Office of the Inspector General
Office of Public Safety Administration

Faculty
Fall Semester: Janet Siegel Brown, jbrown@law.northwestern.edu
Spring Semester: Anita Maddali, anitamarie.maddali@law.northwestern.edu

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Corporate Counsel Practicum

Fall & Summer Semesters

The goal of this Practicum is to provide students with an understanding of the role of the general counsel in a corporation. Students spend 10-12 hours per week (and a total of 180 hours in the summer) working in the legal department of a Chicago-area corporation. In addition to doing legal research, writing memoranda and counseling clients, students also have the opportunity to participate in departmental and corporate meetings and develop an understanding of the role of the general counsel. Students may request placement at one of the recurring placements or may identify their own placement, which needs to be approved by the professor. Students also participate in a weekly seminar where they discuss readings relating to the responsibilities of in-house counsel and engage in role plays that highlight the challenges and opportunities that in-house counsel face. Grades are based on reflective journal submissions, class participation, a final paper, and successful completion of the externship. In the summer, priority for this Practicum is given to JD/MBA students who have completed their first year of law school.

Faculty
Pete Wentz, p-wentz@law.northwestern.edu

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Criminal Practicum

Fall & Spring Semesters

The goal of this Practicum is to provide students with an understanding of criminal process and the criminal justice system. Students complete externships in Chicago at the United States Attorney’s office, the Federal Defender’s office, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office, or the Cook County Public Defender’s office. Students conduct research, write briefs and memoranda, observe courtroom proceedings, and assist attorneys in trial preparation and trial. Students with 711 licenses may have the opportunity to appear in court under the supervision of their field supervisor.  Students also participate in a weekly seminar where they discuss assigned readings regarding the criminal justice system and their externship experience. Students are graded on a reflective journal, a final presentation, class participation, and successful completion of the externship.

Below is a list of potential placements, but the list is not exhaustive. You can find externship opportunities on the agency website or browse Symplicity for externship postings.

Federal:
Federal Defender's Office
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Illinois

County:
Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender
Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office

State:
Office of the State Appellate Defender’s Office
Illinois Attorney General’s Office 

Criminal Defense, Local Non-Profits:
Cabrini Green Legal Aid
First Defense Legal Aid
Illinois Prison Project
Lawndale Christian Legal Center
Moran Center

Faculty
Scott Main, scott.main@law.northwestern.edu

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Entertainment, Media & Sports Law Practicum

Spring Semester

This is part of the Los Angeles Entertainment, Media, and Sports Law & Business Semester. In this practicum, students discuss workplace experiences; read and discuss literature, articles, and current events relating to the practice of law in entertainment, media and sports settings; and engage guest speakers on a variety of topics related to the practice of law in entertainment, media, and sports business environments. Learning comes in a variety of formats, including: readings, class discussions and guest speakers; a weekly externship journal; a final externship report or a group presentation.

Faculty
Emerson Tiller, tiller@law.northwestern.edu

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High Tech Intensive Practicum

Spring Semester

This course is part of the San Francisco Immersion Program. The goal of this Practicum is to increase students’ understanding of legal work in high tech and start-up settings. Students work as externs in start-up and high-tech companies. Students draft legal documents, participate in legal and business strategy sessions, and conduct legal research. The professor helps match students with participating externship offices. Students also participate in a weekly seminar where they discuss assigned readings regarding the practice of law in high technology and entrepreneurial settings and their externship experience. Students are graded on a reflective journal, a final report, class participation, and successful completion of the externship.

Faculty
Emerson Tiller, tiller@law.northwestern.edu

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Judicial Practicum

Fall, Spring & Summer Semesters

Externships are primarily with federal judges in Chicago. Students conduct research, prepare legal memoranda, draft opinions, and observe courtroom proceedings. In the summer, two sections of the course are offered – an in-person class for students with externships in the Chicago area and a distance class for students with externships in other parts of the country.

Faculty
Fall Semester: Anita Maddali, anitamarie.maddali@law.northwestern.edu
Spring Semester: Cindy Wilson, c-wilson1@law.northwestern.edu
Summer: Janet Siegel Brown, jbrown@law.northwestern.edu
SaMee Harden: samee.harden@law.northwestern.edu

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Media Law & Government Transparency Practicum

Spring Semester

The goal of this Practicum is to increase students’ understanding of the public’s right of access to information and issues of free speech and press freedom. The professors match students with externships in the legal departments of news organizations, non-profits, and press advocacy groups. Students work for 12 hours per week researching and preparing memoranda and other legal documents. The course includes students from both the law school and the Medill School of Journalism. Students also participate in a weekly seminar where they discuss assigned readings regarding media law, government transparency, and their externship experience. Grades are based on reflective journal submissions, class participation, a final presentation, and successful completion of the externship. 

Faculty
Doreen Weisenhaus, Doreen.weisenhaus@northwestern.edu 
Jonathan Manes, Jonathan.manes@law.northwestern.edu

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Mediation Practicum

Spring Semester

The goal of this Practicum is to provide students who have received certification as a mediator with the opportunity to further develop their understanding of mediation principles and to enhance their mediation skills. Students must have completed the mediation skills training from the Center for Conflict Resolution and have been certified as a mediator in order to enroll in the course. Each student is required to mediate a minimum of thirteen cases at the Center for Conflict Resolution (CCR) and to work with CCR staff to screen cases for mediation. Students also participate in a weekly seminar that explores topics related to mediation. Grades are based on reflective journal submissions, class participation, a final presentation, and successful completion of the externship. Prior to enrolling in this Practicum, students must receive permission from the professor and take Mediation Process and Advocacy (offered in the Fall Semester).

Faculty
Lynn Cohn, l-cohn@law.northwestern.edu

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Public Interest Practicum

Fall & Spring Semesters

The goal of this Practicum is to provide students with a theoretical and practical understanding of public interest law practice. Students spend 12 hours per week in an externship with a non-profit public interest organization doing civil work. Students work under the supervision of attorneys in these offices and conduct research, write briefs and memoranda, interview clients and witnesses, participate in community education efforts, and assist attorneys in trial preparation and trial. Students with 711 licenses may have the opportunity to appear in court under the supervision of their field supervisor. Students also participate in a weekly seminar where they discuss assigned readings regarding public interest law practice and their externship experience. Grades are based on reflective journal submissions, class participation, a final presentation, and successful completion of the externship.

We encourage you to reach out to organizations whose work aligns with your interests. While Symplicity may post some externship opportunities, many organizations that take externs do not post on Symplicty.

Chicago Civil Legal Non-Profits:
Access Living
ACLU of Illinois
Ascend Justice
Cabrini Green Legal Aid
CAIR-Chicago
Center for Disability and Elder Law
Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness
Chicago Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights
Earth Justice
Equip for Equality
Illinois Policy Institute
Lambda Legal
Lawyers for the Creative Arts
Legal Aid Chicago
Legal Council for Health Justice
Life Span
MALDEF
National Immigrant Justice Center
Uptown People’s Law Center
Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights

Faculty
Anita Maddali, anitamarie.maddali@law.northwestern.edu

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Intensive Semester Practicum

The Center for Externships also offers an Intensive Semester Practicum course. For this course, students secure a full-time externship at a government or non-profit agency anywhere in the United States. Students are able to pick an agency where they can learn more about practicing in a particular area of law and build legal and professional skills of their choice. Students work in-person side by side with the lawyers at the agency for an entire semester. In addition, they participate in-person or remotely in an accompanying tutorial course with a supervising faculty member using a syllabus that is individually designed for their particular placement. Students are responsible for finding a residential faculty member to supervise their intensive practicum. Students earn a total of 12 credits for the course: three graded credits for the classwork and nine ungraded credits for the externship experience. Participation in this Practicum is by application only. The intensive practicum requires 1200 bid points.

Application (docx)

Contact
Anita Maddali, anitamarie.maddali@law.northwestern.edu

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