Career Services: Employers

Our Academic Credit Internships Program provides students with academic credit for their work with your organization. To determine if your organization is eligible to serve as an internship program employer, please refer to the Employer Participation Policies and Procedures section of each program's information handout found by clicking through to the program pages linked below.

USD currently offers four clinical internship programs for law students:

1. Agency Externship Program – The Agency Externship Program allows students to earn up to three academic credits for working in a law related internship position at a public interest or government agency located outside of the Southern California area during the school year or summer.
2. Agency Internship Program – The Agency Internship Program allows students to earn up to three academic credits for working in a law related internship position at a public interest or government agency during the school year or summer.
3. Corporate Counsel Internship Program – The Corporate Counsel Internship Program allows students to receive up to three academic credits for working in the legal department of a corporation, company or other business entity. The goal of the Program is to provide students with the opportunity to observe first-hand the operations of a corporate legal department and to gain an understanding of the legal issues addressed by corporate counsel.
4. Entertainment, Sports and Intellectual Property (ESIP) Internship Program – The ESIP Internship program allows students up to three academic credits for working in a law department of an entertainment or sports industry company, talent guild or trade association, or in the intellectual property law department of a company or trade association.

Application Procedures

In order to receive academic credit for their work with your organization, students who receive clinical internships must complete a Student Internship Application for university approval and must register for the appropriate internship course during the fall, spring or summer semester registration periods. Participating employers must also agree to abide by the Employer Participation Policies and Procedures guidelines.

Advertising Your Internship Opportunities

Your organization can advertise its internship opportunities by posting your position on our job board or participating in one of our recruiting programs. Only USD Law students will have access to posted opportunities. When choosing your recruiting method, keep in mind that students must secure internship positions before the course enrollment period ends in order to receive academic credit for their work with your organization. This year, the fall semester enrollment deadline is September 2, 2011, and the spring semester enrollment deadline is January 23, 2012. If you would like to discuss the best way to recruit a USD clinical intern, please email Career Services or call (619) 260-4529.

Academic Credit Internships Contact

If you have further questions about our Clinical Internship Programs or require verification of student enrollment in an academic program, please email Lizzette Herrera Castellanos, Esq., our interim director of clinical internship programs, or call (619) 260-2342.