Our externship courses integrate classroom work with real-world experience in non-profit or government offices. Students learn important lawyering skills while working closely with attorneys in those offices, critically observe and discuss the work of lawyers in public service, and build valuable professional relationships and important networks in the legal community
Civil Rights and Legal Services
- Appellate Advocates SORA Externship
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In the Appellate Advocates SORA Externship, student attorneys will investigate, write, and litigate a modification petition in Supreme Court. Each student attorney will be assigned their own client, a New Yorker living with the stigma of being classified as a high or moderate risk of recidivism on the Internet sex offender registry, despite years at liberty without any re-offense.
- Immigrant Defense Externship
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In the Immigrant Defense Externship, students collaborate with experienced attorneys in the representation of detained and non-detained indigent non-citizens, who are facing removal from the United States because of criminal convictions and other immigration law violations.
- LGBTQ+ Rights Externship
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The LGBTQ+ Rights Externship combines fieldwork at a local organization with a weekly seminar at NYU Law to help students strengthen knowledge and skills fundamental to legal advocacy advancing the rights of people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary, queer, questioning, intersex, and/or gender-nonconforming, as well as other people who face discrimination, violence, or other oppression based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.
- Police Misconduct Externship
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In the Police Misconduct Externship, students work with Legal Aid attorneys and their clients to pursue individual claims of police misconduct.
- Pro Bono Scholars Program Law and Power Externship
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The Pro Bono Scholars Program Law and Power Externship allows students to work with attorneys in different local non-profits, such as the Make the Road NY, Make the Road NJ, TakeRoot Justice, and others.
- Veterans' Rights Externship
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The Veterans' Rights Externship provides students the opportunity to advocate on behalf of low-income military veterans as they navigate eligibility and access to their rightful federal benefits. Participants will provide direct representation on military discharge upgrades applications and VA disability benefit appeals under the supervision of New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) attorneys. (Not offered 2025-26.)
Government Lawyering
- Federal Judicial Practice Externship
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The Federal Judicial Practice Externship gives students the chance to work in the chambers of district court and appellate judges in the Eastern District of New York, Southern District of New York, or Second Circuit. While in chambers, students complete extensive research and writing projects such as bench memoranda on a broad range of cases, including immigration, criminal law, habeas corpus, and complex commercial disputes.
- Government Anti-Corruption Externship
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In the Government Anti-Corruption Externship, students help anti-corruption authorities identify and combat corruption in federal, state, and local government, both in the US and internationally. Supervised by attorneys in the field, students may work on investigations, criminal cases, regulation of elections, or civil cases, among a variety of other areas in the public integrity field.
- Government Civil Litigation Externship - EDNY
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In the Government Civil Litigation Externship - EDNY students get firsthand experience with civil litigation in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY). Supervised by Civil Division Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs), students attend court appearances, observing depositions, settlement negotiations, witness interviews, as well as arbitrations, trials and appeals.
- Government Civil Litigation Externship - SDNY
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In the Government Civil Litigation Externship - SDNY, students work with Civil Division Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) in the Civil Division of the Office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY). Students will have the chance to do traditional legal research, as well as legal drafting, participating in pre-trial discovery proceedings and trial preparations.
- Local Prosecution Externship
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In the Local Prosecution Externship, under the supervision of an Assistant District Attorney in one of these offices, students assist in the investigation and prosecution of cases and are exposed to the stages of a criminal prosecution, with particular emphasis on the evaluation, preparation, and use of witnesses.
- New York City Law Department Externship: Representing New York City
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In the New York City Law Department Externship: Representing New York City, students work in one of the Law Department’s divisions, or in an agency counsel’s office, where they perform research and writing under the supervision of assistant corporation counsels or other municipal counsel who serve as site supervisors. Each student also prepares a final project proposing a law or policy reform to present to a municipal decision-maker at the end of the semester.
- New York State OAG - Antitrust Enforcement Externship
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In the New York State OAG - Antitrust Enforcement Externship, through fieldwork in this bureau, students learn and experience antitrust enforcement from the perspective of state government, and develop skills in legal research, writing, investigative techniques, and litigation.
- New York State OAG - Economic Justice Division Law Enforcement Externship
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In the New York State OAG - Economic Justice Division Law Enforcement Externship, students are placed in one of the New York State Attorney General’s Economic Justice Division’s five bureaus: Antitrust, Consumer Frauds & Protection, Internet & Technology, Taxpayer Protection and Investor Protection. Students get hands-on experience in public interest investigation and litigation, and learn about the law enforcement work of each bureau. (Not offered 2025-26)
- New York State OAG Social Justice Externship
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In the New York State OAG Social Justice Externship, students are placed in one of the Social Justice Division’s five bureaus: Civil Rights, Environmental Protection, Labor, Charities, and Health Care.
- Prosecution Externship - EDNY
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In the Prosecution Externship - EDNY, students work with Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) in the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) on every stage of a case, from investigation to prosecution to appeals.
- Prosecution Externship - SDNY
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In the Prosecution Externship - SDNY, students each work closely with two Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) in the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY).
- State Legislative Externship
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In the State Legislative Externship, each student is placed with a New York state legislator in either the Senate or the Assembly. By working with a legislator to draft bills, students learn how to craft legislative text to achieve a desired policy result and gain experience collaborating with issue area experts and other legislators to produce viable bills that can be introduced and ultimately enacted.
Tech and Innovation
- Guarini Global Law & Tech Externship – Legal Practice in Digital Society
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The Guarini Global Law & Tech Externship – Legal Practice in Digital Society is designed for students whose interests intersect the fields of law, technology and transnational legal practice, whether in pursuit of private practice, public interest careers, or non-traditional career paths. (Not offered 2025-26.)
- Innovation Externship
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In the Innovation Externship, students explore the practice of law interfacing with intellectual property (IP), information privacy, technology, and innovation. Students can do their fieldwork in a setting such as a university entrepreneurship center, non-governmental IP policy organization, judicial internship, or government agency. (Not offered 2025-26)
Transactional Lawyering
- Nonprofit Organizations In-House Counsel Externship: Compliance, Transactions, and Risk Management
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The Nonprofit Organizations In-House Counsel Externship: Compliance, Transactions, and Risk Management combines fieldwork with an in-house counsel team at a New York City-based nonprofit with a weekly seminar to give students practical training and experience in the roles, skills, and functions of an in-house lawyer for a nonprofit organization.