Externship Placements
With Fordham's Externship Program, New York City becomes your classroom. Take advantage of all the city has to offer.
There is a rich array of placement opportunities in New York City and students are encouraged to seek externships in those practice areas that most interest them.
To be an eligible placement, your externship must be in one of the following categories:
-
Civil government externships offer you a wide variety of opportunities working with local, state, and federal administrative programs, the United States Attorney’s Office, and regulatory agencies.
Students interested in an externship with the New York City Council can participate in the New York City Council Externship Seminar, which offers a unique glimpse into the City's legislative process.
All government offices are pre-approved.
-
You can refine your research and writing skills, observe court proceedings, and learn more about the deliberative process through a judicial externship at the local, state, or federal levels.
All judges are pre-approved.
-
You can work in an array of diverse placements focused on subjects including legal services, civil rights, child advocacy, environmental law, human rights, and immigration.
Many non-profit organizations are pre-approved. If a particular placement you are interested in has not already been approved, an application for approval must be submitted by the placement before enrollment.
-
You can experience both sides of criminal law working for public defenders, legal services organizations, city prosecutors, state Attorney Generals and United States Attorneys Offices.
Many non-profit organizations are pre-approved and all government offices are approved. If you are interested in a placement that has not been approved, you must submit an application for approval before you will be enrolled.
-
Through an Intellectual Property or Information Law externship, you can gain hands-on experience in the Entertainment, Media, Fashion, Music industries.
Many non-profit placements are pre-approved.
For-profit placements must be working with corporate in-house counsel and must be approved each semester through a Placement Application. Law firms are expressly prohibited.
New York City Council Externships
Through an externship with the New York City Council, you'll have the opportunity to work directly with the lawyers who serve the City's legislative body. You'll gain valuable experience in government and improve your legal skills, particularly in research and drafting. Working at the Council, you'll not only conduct legal research and draft legal memoranda and legislation but also attend Council meetings and hearings and prepare sections of Committee briefing papers. Most importantly, you'll participate in the legislative and policy decision-making with Council staff.
In the New York City Council Externship Seminar, you'll learn about the City's legislative process, including the roles played by the City Council and the Mayor's Office. You will study the relevant portions of the City Charter and Administrative Code and analyze state and federal preemption doctrines and case law relating to the powers of the Council. Moreover, you will have the opportunity to draft a piece of legislation and raise questions relating to fieldwork conducted on behalf of the Council.
To apply for an externship with the New York City Council, you do not need to secure the placement on your own. Please fill out the online application for the Externship Program, and we will forward it to the New York Council. We will inform you of the status of your application.
Externships and Compensations
- Externship students are permitted to receive fellowships, grants, and scholarships, as long as the funds are received from a third-party source and not directly from the placement organization.
- Externship students can receive reimbursement for their reasonable out-of-pocket expenses related to fieldwork. Reimbursement is permitted for the following expenses:
- During all semesters: local transportation costs (e.g., subway, parking); and
- During the summer only: the cost of transportation to and from the field placement if it is at a distance from NYC (an “out of town” placement) and for housing and food costs only to the extent they are greater than what they would have been at the student’s home location.
- Externship students may not receive other remuneration from a field placement, including wages or salaries.