Local Prosecution Externship

Course Description

Fieldwork

Each student will be assigned to an Assistant District Attorney in the Manhattan or Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office to perform at least 12-15 hours of fieldwork per week, depending on the assignment. The student will assist the assigned Assistant District Attorney in the investigation and prosecution of criminal cases. Each student will be exposed to the stages of a criminal prosecution, with particular emphasis on the evaluation, preparation and use of witnesses at both the investigative and prosecutorial stages. Students will conduct legal research and sit in on meetings with law enforcement, and observe arraignments, hearings, trials, and sentencing.

Seminar

The weekly seminar will build on and examine the fieldwork through clinical case rounds in which students will work together to help to solve problems, plan tasks, and analyze observations. Prior to every session, each student is expected to identify an issue gleaned from his/her fieldwork to present to the class for discussion and analysis. The class will collectively discuss the various investigative and/or prosecutorial techniques available in that particular case, and the possible consequences resulting from their use. In addition, the seminar will regularly require students to discuss critical readings and to engage in intensive simulations to build concrete lawyering skills. Each student will also submit, on a bi-weekly basis, a reflection paper that discusses an issue of interest related to the fieldwork or the seminar readings.

Application Procedure

Students should submit the standard application, a resume and a grade transcript via CAMS. Selected students will be contacted by the professor for an interview with the course instructors and representatives of the Manhattan and/or Brooklyn District Attorney’s Offices.

* Consult the Clinics Open to LL.M. Students page to see if the clinic is available to LL.M.s in the current year. Please note there is a separate application form for LL.M.s. The deadline is different from that for JDs and is posted on the Clinic Application Timelines page.

** 5 credits include 3 clinical credits and 2 academic seminar credits. Seminar component will be graded. Fieldwork will be assessed on a credit/fail basis.