Civil and High Tech Law Internship

Internship Program Description

The Civil and High Tech Law Internship program provides students with the opportunity to apply and improve their legal skills through on-the-job work experience with law firms, governmental agencies, non-profit organizations and high tech companies.

Participants in the internship program include companies, firms and agencies such as Affymetrix, Cisco Systems, Yahoo!

Program Requirements (4 units of academic credit)

• Students must work a minimum of 225 hours during the semester;
• Students must simultaneously complete a classroom component;
• Students may not be paid for their work and there is no expectation of hire after completion of the internship.

Goals and Objectives of the Program

The purpose of the internship is to teach students about how lawyers function through practical experience. Under the guidance of a supervising attorney, students apply their substantive knowledge of the law to analyze legal issues and complete work assignments. Additionally, students learn about the function of their organization in the context of providing legal services to high-tech clients, and observe how lawyers deal with the day-to-day demands of legal practice. In completing the program, students will:

• Increase their ability to analyze legal issues and knowledge of the substantive law through the completion of work assignments;
• Learn about the operation of a legal organization and the role of the lawyer in the organization;
• Continue to develop and practice their legal research and writing skills;
• Analyze their performance through thoughtful self-assessment and supportive critique from supervisors and peers;
• Improve their interviewing, counseling and negotiations skills through observation and participation;
• Increase their knowledge of the rules governing attorney conduct.

Supervising Attorney Responsibilities

Students must be supervised by an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of California. Participating attorneys must be willing to devote time and effort to oversee the work performed by the students and to contribute to the student's overall legal educational experience. During the internship, the supervising attorney will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the student including the following:

• assigning appropriate legal tasks to the student;
• monitoring the student's progress in completing the assigned tasks;
• providing feedback to the student regarding the quality of the student's work;
• meeting with the student to discuss his or her questions and observations regarding the internship experience.

For many students, this will be the first substantial legal experience or exposure to business. Supervising attorneys should make an effort to ensure that students are integrated into their legal departments or organization and to provide tasks to the student that allow them to further develop their knowledge and experience in the law.

Classroom Component

Students enrolled in the internship program will meet five times over the semester for a seminar covering various aspects of legal practice. Topics include confidentiality, conflict or interest alternative dispute resolution and the role of attorneys in business. Guest speakers will also discuss various aspects of their practice, current trends in the legal profession in Silicon Valley, and the changing role of attorneys in serving leading edge businesses. Student attendance at the seminar component is mandatory to receive credit for both the internship and seminar.

Interns are also required to keep a journal outlining their tasks, hours worked and observation while completing their internship. This journal will be reviewed at seminar meetings and must be turned in at completion of the internship. Interns will also be asked to complete other writings over the course of their internship that are designed to further their understanding of the legal profession. In addition, students and supervisors are required to complete an evaluation of the internship at the end of the semester.

Student Eligibility

The internship program is open to all students who have completed their first year of legal studies and who have completed Pleading and Civil Procedure. Placements are made in the fall, spring and summer semesters. Participation in the program is contingent upon acceptance by the firm or company in which the placement is sought. Individual placements may have additional educational or experiential requirements.

Check the current list of Civil Practice/High Tech Law Internships. (Fall listings will begin showing up in June)

Employers

Submit an Intern Request Form to let students know of an opening.

You must also submit the Placement Background Form. Only the Intern Request Form gets posted for the students, but the Placement Background Form (which contains complete contact info for the sponsor) is kept in our files.

For More Detailed Information

Please see the Internship Policies and Procedures Handbook. (pdf)

For Further Information

Please contact the Director of Externship Programs, Sandee Magliozzi, at (408) 554-5015 or smagliozzi@scu.edu.

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