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Refer to the Clinical Education Guide for specific information on number of credits, special requirements, and prerequisites for each clinic.
Application and Enrollment Process
Credits and Requirements
General
Summer
Evening Students
Application and Enrollment Process
What is the timing for applications?
Please note: there are no applications for the Civil Practice or Judicial Clerkship Externships. Students are expected to secure their own placements and then submit a Request for Enrollment form to the Career Center. There is more flexibility for externships so that enrollment can take place as late as the beginning of the semester but must be completed by the end of the drop-add period. Students intending to seek externships should contact their counselor at the Career Center as early as possible to maximize their opportunities.
For all clinics other than the Civil Practice and Judicial Externships, the application process takes place with a single form that is submitted to the Clinic Office at One Boerum Place. A few weeks before the end of each semester there is an application deadline preceded by a week of information sessions. Before applying to a clinic, you should read the web page and attend the general information session and any small group sessions you want. The application deadline for in-house clinics is fixed, unless exceptional circumstances prevent you from submitting a timely application.
All application information is located at http://www.brooklaw.edu/academic/clinics/application.php
Is my application forwarded automatically to my 2nd choice if I am not accepted by my 1st choice?
Yes, it is automatically forwarded to your 2nd choice. If the second choice has been filled, your application will be automatically forward to the next choice. If your application is unclear, the clinic office will contact you about your options and to discuss what you want to do.
How are students selected for a particular clinic?
On the application you should indicate in order of preference the clinics to which you are applying. Generally, most clinics interview everyone who has applied as his or her first choice. Depending on the number of applications that are submitted, some clinics do not interview everyone. On the link above there is some information about the criteria used and some tips for the application process. Selections for clinics are made well before registration for other courses takes place.
After submitting my application, can I go ahead and register?
No. You must first receive an approval letter either by mail or e-mail so you can register. You cannot register for a clinic online. The clinic office sends the names of accepted students to the registrar's office.
For the Civil Practice and Judicial Clerkship Externships, since there is no application process, once you have submitted a request for enrollment form, and it has been approved, you will be registered and assigned to your seminar section.
Can I arrange my own placement?
Yes. If you are planning to enroll in the Civil Practice or Judicial Clerkship Clinics you have an obligation to secure your own placement. You should contact your career counselor as early as is practical for guidance in your search, and to complete the necessary documentation.
In the Criminal Practice Externship, some students are placed through the application process but others find placements on their own. There are several ways in which students might be hired by the placement independently of the clinic application process and still receive credit. First, a student is offered a summer job with a modest stipend or as part of the criminal justice agency's own non-paying summer externship program. Subject to the provisos concerning pay and credit, a student may enroll in the clinic for credit. Second, a student is accepted by a particular office after applying independently. Subject to the provisos concerning receiving credit for more than one semester's work in a single office, the student can earn credit. In each of these cases, credit depends on the discretion of the instructor and a student must submit an application to be reviewed by the instructor. Submit a Request for Enrollment to the clinic office if you seek credit for a placement you have secured on your own.
Are there any strategic decisions in the application process?
Since most in-house clinics have many more applications than places, by the time you have interviewed with your first choice, most other in-house clinics will have accepted their students. Nevertheless, it is advisable to indicate second and third choices at least to be safe. You may also be pursuing judicial or civil externships at the same time, but if accepted to any position, you must make a choice.
Credits and Requirements
Can I earn money and receive credit?
No. Students cannot be paid and earn credit for the same hours. This means that the first 168 hours of your externship (the required number for credit) may not be compensated in any way. During the school year, you have to work at least 12 weeks at your placement. Some students complete their required hours before the end of the semester. Even if you have completed your hours and plan to work longer (to finish a project, because your supervisor asked), you are not eligible to receive compensation for those hours (e.g. work study). The summer works differently. In the summer, after you have exceeded the required 168 hours of work for credit, and if you are eligible for work-study, and if there is funding available, you can receive work-study for hours that exceed the required 168.
What is the relationship of work study and the clinics?
A student cannot earn both work study money and credit simultaneously, except as described in the above paragraph. Students cannot earn work study money in lieu of credit in any in-house clinic, except possibly during the summer with approval of the instructor.
Can I arrange to work a different schedule in an externship?
If you have a problem with the fieldwork schedule, you are free to attempt to work out an alternative schedule with the host office by, for example, adding hours, extending the time period or other similar adjustments as long as you work no fewer than eight weeks during the summer and twelve weeks during the school year semester and attends the seminar regularly.
Can I receive credit for working at a "for-profit" placement?
While we generally do allow credit for externships in the arts and entertainment and in general counsel offices, credit is otherwise only granted for work at not-for-profit and government agencies or organizations.
Can I receive credit for out-of-town work during the summer?
Generally yes. There is a seminar requirement for the externship clinics, but these classes have been structured to take place in the first full week of summer classes. Therefore, as long as you arrange to be in town for the required classes, you may accept the out-of-town position. Of course the same standards apply to approval as described above.
General
Are there any limits on how many clinics or externships I can take?
The NYS Court of Appeals Rules, § 520.3(c)(5) states that no more than 20 of the minimum of 80 credits required for the successful completion of a law degree may be taken in a clinic or similar kind of course. At BLS, credits for clinics are divided into clinical and academic categories. You can take up to 12 clinical credits and there are no limits on the seminar credits in any combination of in-house or externship program. The 12-credit limit may be waivable at the discretion of the Dean.
How many clinics can I take as an upperclass student?
Students may take up to 12 clinical credits, including credits in externships. Students can participate in any combination of the Civil, Criminal or Judicial externship clinics up to the 12-credit maximum. There are limits, however, when repeating particular placements. See below. During the first semester, the student must enroll in the seminar for 1 clinical credit. The summer class does not satisfy the seminar requirement.
Judicial Clinic:
There is a two-semester cap on participation in this clinic in any setting. A student may take both the federal and state seminar if s/he spends one semester in each setting.
Criminal Clinic:
Students wishing to continue this clinic beyond two semesters in any setting can do so only with the permission of the instructor and only upon a showing of the educational benefit to be derived, and must fulfill the requirements of the course.
Civil Clinic:
Students can take two semesters in the same placement or in the same practice setting regardless of the placement. The seminar may not be repeated in the same practice area but students will have to fulfill other course requirements including journals and periodic meetings with the clinic director. A student can take a third semester in the same practice setting at a different placement only with permission of the instructor and only upon a showing of the educational benefit to be derived. In the event that a student is approved for a third semester in the same practice setting s/he will be required to meet regularly with an assigned faculty member to review the progress of the externship. A student can take a third or even a fourth semester in the Civil Clinic in different practice settings, but s/he must participate in the seminar corresponding to that practice setting for that semester and fulfill the requirements of the course.
If you take a clinic during the summer and then either continue or do a new placement in that same clinic, since there is not a full seminar component, you would have to take the appropriate class during the school year.
How many hours must I complete to get credit for an externship?
You must complete a total of 168 hours, which is approximately 12 to 15 hours per week, during the school year, and 24 to 30 hours per week during the summer term.
What if my placement isn't set at the beginning of the semester?
Since you need to work over a minimum period of 12 weeks, you should make every effort to finalize your plans as quickly as possible. Even if you don't actually begin to work, you should attend the appropriate seminar. Contact the clinic office to determine which seminar to attend.
Can I be made to work longer hours or for a longer time period?
In the summer, some host offices condition their acceptance of students on a longer (e.g. 10 weeks) externship which may also require 5 full work days. If a student wants to work at a particular office that imposes this schedule, he or she must accept these conditions for no additional academic credit. Of course you are not bound to accept the offer, but if you do so, you are bound by the terms. During the school year, most offices understand you have other time commitments. They might ask you to complete an ongoing project beyond your official hours.
Can I receive credit for non-legal work?
No. Occasionally, students find placements with organizations or agencies that do not actually do legal work. This has happened, for example, when a student has sought credit for work on economic development issues at the U.N. While this may be a terrific opportunity for someone interested in international work, unfortunately, unless the student can find someone on the faculty capable of evaluating the student's work for academic credit, it is impossible to award law school credit for this placement.
Can I receive course credit for more than one clinic in a single semester?
No.
I have a non-paying job and would like to get credit for the work I already did and it is the end of the semester. Is this possible?
No. A clinic is a course and has several requirements that must be completed while you are also working in the placement, including journals and classes. Moreover, the NYS Court of Appeals rules basically require that credit be awarded contemporaneously with the fieldwork and the classroom component.
I will not be able to fulfill the 168 hours. Can I still get credit for what I have done?
If you have otherwise completed all of the course requirements and have worked enough hours to warrant two rather than three clinical credits, you may be able to adjust your registration but you would have to get permission from the instructor. This will be decided on a case-by-case basis after assessing the reasons for the shortfall. However, this will generally not be approved in advance, or in any case, unless there are compelling circumstances beyond the student's control that necessitate a departure from the approved course.
What are the consequences if I drop a clinic after having accepted a position?
The precise consequences depend on the reasons for dropping and the problems created by this action. There may be no adverse consequences. The possible consequences include a reduction in the grade (for a student dropping in the middle of a full year commitment), the loss of a reference, or the refusal of the instructor to accept any future clinic applications.
Summer
How is a summer clinic or externship different from a clinic or externship during the school year?
Summer clinics are part of summer school. Students earn 3 credits only, are graded on a pass-fail basis in both in-house and externship programs, and must pay the summer school fee. There are also some course requirements, including several classes and journal submissions.
Can I receive credit for work out of NYC during the summer?
Yes, provided you complete the required hours and attend the mandatory seminar in the end of May.
If I do a Judicial externship in a particular court during the summer that is not the court of my real preference, can I apply again in the future?
There is a two-semester limit on enrollment in the Judicial Clinic. During the summer, fewer federal judges accept BLS students and the competition for those placements is much keener than during the school year. It is likely that if you are applying for an externship in a different court during the school year, you may be permitted to complete a second semester. Because the seminar is not offered in the summer, you will be required to enroll in the seminar for credit if you take the clinic again in the Fall or Spring.
Can I receive credit for foreign study which includes a clinical component?
The foreign study program must meet the academic standards of our clinical programs (length of time, supervision, nature of the work, academic standards, etc.). This determination will be made on a case-by-case basis with the Dean's Office and Professor Caplow.
I am considering whether to participate in one of the BLS study abroad programs. Can I also take a clinic after I return (from Bologna) or before I leave (for Beijing)?
Yes, but please note that attendance at the full-day clinic seminar is mandatory (held at the end of May) unless you make special arrangements in advance and there are some additional requirements to obtain clinic credit over the summer. If you can fulfill them, then you can get credit for your fieldwork even if it is not exactly in sync with the BLS summer school session. You should consult with the director of the clinic. Remember, the fee for summer school is separate from the fee for the study abroad programs.
If I took an externship clinic before, do I have to attend the mandatory classes during the summer?
In the summer, there is no official seminar and the clinic awards only 3 credits. To obtain a waiver of attendance at the class, you must make arrangements in advance with the clinic director.
Can I work in the summer or during one semester and then take the clinic seminar for credit later?
No. The N.Y. Court of Appeals Rules, § 520.3 (c) (5)(iii), requires that the seminar be taken contemporaneously with the fieldwork.
Evening Students
Can evening students participate in clinics?
Yes. If an evening student can arrange his or her schedule and attend the seminar, every effort will be made to accommodate the realistic preferences of evening students. Any interested evening students should contact the individual professor to discuss possibilities. Evening students are permitted to take clinics for 2 credits instead of 3 provided the clinic instructor and/or host office is amenable. A few clinics are more adaptable to evening students' schedules. They include the Consumer Credit and Bankruptcy Clinic which is schedule in the evening and the criminal appeals clinics where scheduling is more flexible. If you think you might be able to arrange a schedule that allows you to participate in a clinic, you should contact the instructor directly.
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