Course Schedule

Federal Courts is an essential practical tool for future litigators, future government attorneys (at the federal, state, or local level), and future judicial law clerks. It is also a genuinely exciting field of academic study for any law student. 

This course investigates one of the most fascinating and often misunderstood features of American law: how our legal system distributes power within the federal government and between the federal government and the states.  The course also explores whether (and how) individual litigants can turn to the judiciary to enforce rights created by constitutional or statutory law. These fundamental questions are related.  Principles that shape and limit the power of federal courts determine not just how but whether those courts (rather than other participants in our system of government) can resolve disputes, ranging from the relatively mundane to the gravest allegations of injustice.  

These issues raise questions about the role that the federal courts play in our constitutional democracy.  Such issues are of utmost importance today.  Many pressing questions—from the scope of presidential power to the conduct of local police—wind up in federal court.  And these disputes often turn on legal issues that we will explore in this course.

The assigned case book is the tenth edition of Low & Jeffries' The Federal Courts and the Law of Federal-State Relations (2022).   

This is a one-semester three-unit course about substantive federal criminal law. This course will detail the prosecution and defense of criminal offenses in federal court, focusing on the more frequently employed and complex areas, and on current hot topics. Class time will be devoted to mail, wire, bank, and health care fraud, public corruption, money laundering, administration of justice offenses, the Controlled Substances Act, immigration offenses, and terrorism and weapons offenses. Students will be alerted to the manner in which federal sanctions can be employed against lawyers, banks, and corporations, and the bases of federal criminal jurisdiction. If time permits, we will review the federal plea bargaining and sentencing systems. Your grade will be based primarily upon a floating open-book essay exam, and in small part upon class participation.  If we have no more than 14 students, the grade in this class will not be on a curve, and you will be required to complete at least one in-class group project. Second-year students interested in the United States Attorney’s Office or Federal Public Defender's Service internships for their third year should consider taking this class first. This class does not significantly overlap with my Advanced Federal Criminal Prosecution & Defense seminar.

What do I need to report on my taxes every year? What is an “IRA” and “401(k)” and why are people telling me to start them? Could someone get married “for tax reasons”? Is it true that billionaires pay lower tax rates than average workers? This Federal Income Taxation (FIT) class has three major goals. First, FIT will explain the law and policy of the income tax, the primary fiscal mechanism of the federal government. Second, FIT will provide practical information to students about tax issues you will likely face, such as saving for retirement, dealing with Public Service Loan Forgiveness, buying a home, etc. And third, FIT will introduce students to the structure of tax-law thinking that enables advancement to upper-level tax courses and tax practice (which also includes tax-intensive areas like M&A, capital markets, funds, real estate, trusts & estates, executive compensation, and energy). Black-letter topics covered will include gross income, deductible expenditures, individuals vs. families, gifts, attribution rules, loans/loan forgiveness, capital gains/losses, and qualified retirement plans, among others. Tax policy issues covered will include tax fairness and optimal tax theory, tax-minimization strategies, tax expenditures, and income vs. non-income taxes.

For any student pursuing a transactional practice or needing to learn the knowledge and skills necessary for actually doing finance deals and working with credit agreements, this is the class for you. After taking this course, students will understand the fundamental legal principles of finance transactions as well as the practical know-how of being an associate on a deal team. This class is designed for students interested in transactional groups at large law firms but any student wanting to understand transactional work would benefit from this course. There are many contract law, property law, commercial law and secured credit concepts that every young finance transactional attorney needs to know when starting their practice, and this class will arm you with what you must know from case law, statutory and scholarly readings and lectures. But in addition, this course will go beyond the fundamental legal knowledge that most classes only provide by doing a deep-dive into the actual documents that finance lawyers are routinely tasked with preparing and negotiating. So that with this class, each student will be ready to excel in the start of their careers by already having experience with the documents they will be responsible for preparing and reviewing.

The class is designed for law students of all interests, including those who are undecided and those who are focused on a particular area such as litigation, public interest law, family law, regulatory work, criminal law, or business law.  Financial Methods for Lawyers covers time value of money, expected value decision making, and investment in enterprises.  It also covers the basic financial statement components: balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements.  The class is only available on a pass/fail basis.  It is designated as a skills course.  Students earn points toward a passing grade through online quizzes, Excel spreadsheet and other exercises, and regular attendance.

This new 2-unit course is designed to introduce students to a variety of financial products and related personal and regulatory strategies. It is suitable for both students with no prior background in financial and related legal matters and students who have had pertinent academic or work exposure. From a personal standpoint, some basic knowledge of investment choices offered in our future employer’s retirement plan or available through our broker can help make our lives more secure—e.g., stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), gold, and bitcoins. As an example, the “ETF” is a 11-trillion dollar product that offers a variety of portals to seemingly endless combinations of asset classes, investment approaches, and long, short, inverse exposures—but, importantly, also has limitations. From a regulator’s standpoint, strategies need to respond to challenges from, for example, manias and crashes, investor financial illiteracy and cognitive biases, certain specialized debt products, and state pension fund underfunding. Various innovations (including certain index products and derivatives-based techniques) may undermine corporate governance and world financial stability. This course can deal only with a very limited number of such matters. The course does not offer any get-rich schemes or investment advice, nor does it offer easy nostrums for regulatory challenges. The only prerequisite is having completed either “Business Associations” or “Business Associations (Enriched).”

In this course, we will pursue a deep and wide engagement with the issues and conflicts that importantly burden the production and delivery of a safe and abundant supply of food--especially, nutritious food--to the American people and to all people. This pursuit is married to the need to confront current challenges to the immense amounts of freshwater that food production conventionally--with embedded legal permission--demands.

Our need to unlock the challenges of understanding will require that we penetrate interlocking webs of legal regulation and institutional responsibility; nutrition and other scientific groundings; ethical and moral considerations; economic drivers; practical judgments; inter-disciplinary professional commitments; political pressures; the sudden advent of AI-generated food and water security concerns; and the diffuse involvements of consumers and producers within these webs. 

Our subjects are inherently inter-disciplinary, though the primary influences on food production and safety of the fragmented U.S. legal system, including its policy-based and politics-encrusted filters, render it the foundational discipline for this course. To enhance inter-disciplinary knowledge-building, I welcome law students as well as those from a variety of other subject areas to shape the class and to fulfill its collaborative aims.

Items of note:

The class will meet for three hours at its once-per-week sessions. This sharply vertical sequencing will serve the analysis of unique as well as recurrent elements of the interlocking webs I mentioned earlier under a new topic heading each week.

In support of a collaborative pedagogy, at least two of the topics to be covered intensively will be chosen by the class's members, after enrollment ends. 

The writing requirements for the class will center on journal entries; group projects (one per student, enrollment permitting); and a possibly-pithy research paper or oral presentation with a targeted aim.

There will be one or two optional field trips and, likely, an optional off-campus meal.

This course will examine the constitutional, statutory, and jurisprudential principles applicable to the foreign relations of the United States.  Topics include the constitutional allocation of foreign-affairs powers between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches; the power to make and unmake treaties and other international agreements; foreign relations in the federal courts; interbranch disputes over the conduct of foreign relations; the role of the states in foreign relations; the power to declare war and direct military forces in the field; and the status of international law in the American constitutional order.  Students will be evaluated based on class participation (20%) and an open-book final exam (80%).

In this course you will learn, from organizational meeting through opening trades on the stock exchange, the roles of the company, investment banks and law firms as well as the SEC process, documentation and securities laws involved in completing Initial Public Offerings (“IPOs”). The class will follow the actual SEC filings and IPO documents for a very recent IPO transaction with which I was involved. In addition to this case study, the course will include drafting assignments for the hypothetical initial public offering of “LUMI” a transition energy IPO featured in Season 3 of the Max series 'Industry' with Kit Harrington in the role of LUMI’s Chief Executive Officer, Sir Henry Mack. For new attorneys concentrating on transactional work, IPO assignments are one of the best sources of training for capital markets, private equity, and M&A practices – IPOs serve as a “Rosetta Stone” for the practical application of federal securities laws, providing a crash course into a broad range of disclosure requirements applicable to all publicly traded companies. Private equity firms see IPOs as one of two basic paths for realizing returns for their investors. Public M&A filings are likewise fueled by these disclosure rules and related concepts. Finally, you will also gain insight to the financial importance of IPOs and public company practice to law firm economics.

The most consequential matters faced by in-house counsel rarely present themselves as conventional legal problems This seminar examines how senior corporate lawyers actually manage strategic legal matters from the inside. Students will assume the role of a public-company CLO confronting extended simulations of critical decisions. These matters involve law, but they also involve incomplete information, business strategy, valuation, personalities, incentives, timing, communications, reputation, and risk. The objective is not to teach students to identify every legal issue. It is to develop the judgment, process discipline, and institutional perspective required of lawyers advising senior executives and boards on decisions with potentially transformative consequences. Rather than studying these matters primarily through cases and doctrine, we will reconstruct the decision process. What information does the CLO need? Who needs to know what, and when? What does the board need to decide? How should outside counsel be used? How does the CLO distinguish a legal risk from a business risk? What happens when advisers disagree? How should the company make a decision when every available option carries substantial risk?

Insurance is one of the most important tools for the management of risk by both private and public enterprises. Insurance law is a hybrid of contracts and administrative law: parties enter contractual relationships which are regulated by the state. The course introduces students to the core principles and institutions of insurance. We will approach insurance law from a law and economic perspective, aiming to understand how insurance institutions affect economic behavior of insureds, insurers and their lawyers. Broad issues to be covered include fraud, moral hazard, adverse selection and other types of divergence of incentives. We will build on these theoretical issues and attempt to understand the various doctrines developed by common law courts as strategies to deal with these problems. In addition, the course provides knowledge of basic insurance law governing insurance contract formation, the interpretation of insurance contracts, insurance regulation and more, especially in areas such as property, life, health, disability, automobile (including uninsured motorist coverage), professional and liability insurance.

This course focuses on the resolution of cross-border commercial disputes via litigation from the perspective of a practitioner.  Among the topics examined are: (1) the legal and practical advantages and disadvantages of litigation versus other forms of international commercial dispute resolution; (2) the international legal framework for international commercial litigation (including key treaties); (3) the jurisdiction of US courts over foreign defendants in cross-border litigation; (4) key elements of international choice of court agreements (including the negotiation of those agreements); (5) basic conflicts of laws principles in international litigation; (6) principles and tactics involved in litigating against foreign sovereigns and their instrumentalities in US courts; (7) the enforcement of foreign court judgments in US courts; (8) the practice and strategic use of parallel international litigation proceedings; and (9) unique features of civil and common law in international commercial litigation proceedings.

Course content and description: International Petroleum Transactions considers the legal issues and transactions relating to the exploration, production, and marketing of petroleum—the most important commodity traded worldwide and hence the most politically charged. Coverage includes how countries establish and allocate sovereignty over petroleum, how countries settle competing claims to oil and gas reserves, how host governments or state-owned oil companies contract with private companies to explore and develop oil and gas resources, how companies contract with each other to share risk, how companies contract with drilling contractors and services providers; how petroleum is marketed; and how disputes are resolved. The course offers a unique mix of both public and international private law.

Professor's goals: Help students develop better analytical skills--especially the ability to critically evaluate contracts and host government law. Help students gain a basic understanding of how crude oil and gas are exploited and marketed worldwide. Help students learn about the unique aspects of acquiring valid exploration and development rights in a foreign country, about pursuing those rights, and the legal ramifications of, and risks associated with, an upstream petroleum investment in a foreign country.

Prerequisites, co-requisites, and sequencing: None.

Materials: Anderson, Weaver et al., International Petroleum Transactions (RMMLF [FNREL] 2020). Additional materials will be posted on Canvas.

The corporate counsel internship course has two components: (1) a weekly class, and (2) an internship with a corporation or business that involves delivering in-house legal services and performing other law-related tasks under the supervision of an experienced lawyer employed by the organization. Students engage in legal work on substantive issues commonly encountered by in-house counsel, gaining hands-on experience that they reflect upon and analyze in class through discussions, presentations, exercises, and real-world case studies. Assignments address topics relevant to the legal profession and professional identity, including ethics and advocacy skills, professional self-development, and effective communication in the business context. 

Specific topics may include: identifying the client, confidentiality and preserving privilege, transaction matters, corporate governance, effective communications compliance issues, and statutory/regulatory hot topics. 

In their internships, students will develop practical lawyering skills important to their current stage of professional development. Placement supervisors are experienced attorneys who broadly expose students to the activities of their offices, oversee varied and demanding assignments, and provide regular feedback on student performance. Students are required to work at least 150 hours at their internships during the semester, and students may not receive financial compensation for their internship work. The internship must involve the student and the supervising attorney working in person at the placement office, and most of the student’s internship work must be completed at the placement.

The classroom component of the course is designed to enhance the educational experience of students by giving them the opportunity to reflect on their internship and to understand the broader landscape in which their internship is situated. Through the seminar, students will deepen their understanding of in-house lawyering, ethical issues that confront in-house lawyers, and how the role of in-house lawyers blends both law and business. 

Application Requirements: Students must submit an application for permission to register for the course. The course is open to students who have completed the first two semesters of law school. Before applying for the course, a student must first arrange a qualifying internship based in the Austin area. The instructor is available to consult with students about possible placements, and some organizations post opportunities on TEX. Each placement and supervising attorney must be approved by the instructor prior to registration. A student who wishes to participate in the course must obtain the internship and apply to the instructor before the first class meeting.

Students who have previously received credit through any of the other internship courses (nonprofit, legislative, judicial, etc.) are eligible to enroll in this course. Credits: 4 (graded pass/fail)

This course is restricted to upper class students only. Federal Public Defender Internship – APPLICATION REQUIRED. Application and/or instructions on how to apply for this internship can be accessed on the web: http://law.utexas.edu/internships/application-information/federal-public-defender-internship/.

To apply, please e-mail a copy of your cover letter, resume and transcript (unofficial is fine) to Prof. Klein at sklein@law.utexas.edu and Supervisory Assistant Federal Public Defender Aldredge at horatio_aldredge@fd.org. Students interested in the internship can obtain additional information from Prof. Susan Klein, by visiting her office, TNH 3.207, during her office hours on Wednesdays from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. Students may also call her at (512) 203-2257, or send her an email. Students may call Prof. Aldredge at (512) 916-5025, or send him an e-mail.

** This course meets the Professional Skills requirement for graduation. **

Course Description:

This internship program offers “for-credit” internship positions with the Austin Federal Public Defender’s Office. Students will assist in the defense of federal criminal cases under the supervision of Supervisory Assistant Federal Public Defender Horatio R. Aldredge, 504 Lavaca St., Suite 960, Austin, TX 78701-2860. While the internship requires a 10 hour per week commitment, not all those hours must be completed at the Fed. Public Defender’s office - many can be done at school or at home. Students should expect to spend one day per week at the office or in federal court.

Students earn 2 credits (pass/fail) for the spring semester. This internship program is not available during either summer session.

Students may wish to enroll in Adv. Fed. Crim. Prosecution & Defense, Federal Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure: Investigation, Criminal Procedure: Prosecution (bail to jail), and Evidence, but these courses are not required.

The application deadline for the Spring 2027 semester is Monday, October 19th, 2026. Interviews are conducted at the Career Services Office or via Zoom.

Additional Information

Information on the Federal Public Defender Office is available at: http://txw.fd.org/austin.

The Judicial Internship Program lasts for one semester and includes a weekly class and a concurrent internship in an approved court placement. Students research complex legal questions and draft memoranda, opinions and orders under the supervision of judges and their staff attorneys and law clerks. Students apply and extend their substantive legal knowledge and further develop their analytical, research, writing, and oral communication skills. Students also observe court proceedings and learn about court procedure and legal advocacy. A fall or spring internship must extend over a period of at least 10 weeks between the first and last class day of the semester. Students work at the internship placement for at least 150 hours. Students who also enroll in the 1 credit Judicial Internship Program Supplement complete an additional 50 hours of work at the internship placement, for a total of at least 200 hours. Within these parameters, each intern arranges a mutually agreeable work schedule with the court. The internship must involve the student and the supervising attorney working in person; regular remote work is not permitted. Students and supervisors are expected to work together at their placement offices. The weekly class covers a variety of topics relevant to the judicial process and working at a court, such as goal setting and reflection, judicial ethics, writing and communicating in chambers, judicial decision-making, statutory construction, and the organization and operation of the courts. Course requirements include reading assignments, class presentations, court observations, short reflective writing assignments, self-assessments, and timesheets. There will be a course packet available for purchase at the start of the semester. In addition to class meetings, students meet individually with the instructor several times during the internship to discuss their goals and review their progress. Application Requirements: An application for approval to register is required. A student may not register until the instructor has approved the application. Before submitting an application to the instructor, a student must first apply for and obtain a judicial internship with an approved court in Austin. The student must be assigned to a specific judge on the court who agrees to participate in the Texas Law program. Approved courts include the Texas Supreme Court, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the Texas Third Court of Appeals, the U.S. District Court (including the active and senior district court judges and the magistrate judges), the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, the Texas State Office of Administrative Hearings, and the Travis County Probate Court. Many of these courts post internship openings on the Career Services Office's Job Bank on Symplicity. Others post information about internships on the court's website. Apply as soon as possible. Most courts accept applications and select interns for the fall semester during the prior spring semester, some as early as March. A few make their selections closer to the start of the semester. A student who wishes to intern for academic credit must obtain the internship and apply to the instructor in time to attend the first class meeting. For the application for approval to register and more information about the Judicial Internship Program, go to https://law.utexas.edu/internships/judicial-internship/. This program is open to students who have completed the first two semesters of law school. Interns who receive academic credit may not be compensated. Students may enroll only once in a judicial internship for academic credit.

The Judicial Internship Program lasts for one semester and includes a weekly class and a concurrent internship in an approved court placement. Students research complex legal questions and draft memoranda, opinions and orders under the supervision of judges and their staff attorneys and law clerks. Students apply and extend their substantive legal knowledge and further develop their analytical, research, writing, and oral communication skills. Students also observe court proceedings and learn about court procedure and legal advocacy. A fall or spring internship must extend over a period of at least 10 weeks between the first and last class day of the semester. Students work at the internship placement for at least 150 hours. Students who also enroll in the 1 credit Judicial Internship Program Supplement complete an additional 50 hours of work at the internship placement, for a total of at least 200 hours. Within these parameters, each intern arranges a mutually agreeable work schedule with the court. The internship must involve the student and the supervising attorney working in person; regular remote work is not permitted. Students and supervisors are expected to work together at their placement offices. The weekly class covers a variety of topics relevant to the judicial process and working at a court, such as goal setting and reflection, judicial ethics, writing and communicating in chambers, judicial decision-making, statutory construction, and the organization and operation of the courts. Course requirements include reading assignments, class presentations, court observations, short reflective writing assignments, self-assessments, and timesheets. There will be a course packet available for purchase at the start of the semester. In addition to class meetings, students meet individually with the instructor several times during the internship to discuss their goals and review their progress. Application Requirements: An application for approval to register is required. A student may not register until the instructor has approved the application. Before submitting an application to the instructor, a student must first apply for and obtain a judicial internship with an approved court in Austin. The student must be assigned to a specific judge on the court who agrees to participate in the Texas Law program. Approved courts include the Texas Supreme Court, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the Texas Third Court of Appeals, the U.S. District Court (including the active and senior district court judges and the magistrate judges), the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, the Texas State Office of Administrative Hearings, and the Travis County Probate Court. Many of these courts post internship openings on the Career Services Office's Job Bank on Symplicity. Others post information about internships on the court's website. Apply as soon as possible. Most courts accept applications and select interns for the fall semester during the prior spring semester, some as early as March. A few make their selections closer to the start of the semester. A student who wishes to intern for academic credit must obtain the internship and apply to the instructor in time to attend the first class meeting. For the application for approval to register and more information about the Judicial Internship Program, go to https://law.utexas.edu/internships/judicial-internship/. This program is open to students who have completed the first two semesters of law school. Interns who receive academic credit may not be compensated. Students may enroll only once in a judicial internship for academic credit.

For more information about the Legislative Internship Program, see: https://law.utexas.edu/internships/legislative-internship/

The law school's proximity to the Texas Capitol affords a unique opportunity for students to gain experience working with legislative lawyers practicing in a number of settings where they participate in the governing process at the state level. Students will learn how legislatures respond to executive activity and judicial decisions, how executives control policy agendas and administrative agencies, and how judges read and interpret governing instruments. Texas has the second-largest population in the United States and its economy would rank 10th in the world if it were an independent country. The Legislative Internship provides students with direct involvement, from a number of institutional perspectives, as state government addresses the important public policy issues of the day.

Students engage in law-related work under the supervision of a legislative lawyer with at least two years’ experience. Students participate in a weekly seminar and conduct between 10-15 hours/week of fieldwork (at least 150 hours over the semester) at an approved placement with a state legislator (including legislative leaders such as the Speaker of the House or the Lieutenant Governor), a legislative committee, a legislative officer (such as the House or Senate Parliamentarian), or a legislative service agency (such as the Texas Legislative Council, the Legislative Budget Board, the Sunset Advisory Commission, or the State Auditor's Office). Course requirements also include academic readings, in-class exercises, and guest speakers; individual meetings with the instructor are scheduled as necessary during the semester. Students arrange a mutually convenient work schedule with their supervising lawyer.

This course will meet in person on Fridays but some class meetings may be held online via Zoom. This class may also meet at the Texas Capitol after the first class meeting, rather than the law school, to accommodate student work schedules and the legislative calendar. PLEASE NOTE: The classroom component of this course ends on March 29, 2026; fieldwork with the legislative office placement continues for the remainder of the semester.

Applying: An application (available on the program website) and instructor approval of both the placement and the supervisor are required prior to registration. Students may pursue their own placements and are strongly encouraged to contact Professor Brady to discuss possible placements.

During the regular session of the Texas Legislature (which is held in the spring of odd-numbered years), students may choose to register both for this course and for the four-credit Legislative Internship – for a total of ten credits to meet the minimum course load to be considered a full-time student. 

This six-credit supplement is available to only to students concurrently enrolled in the 4-credit Legislative Internship course. Students in this course complete an additional 300 hours of work at their internship placements, for a total of at least 450 hours. 

APPLICATION REQUIRED. Instructors: Robert Kepple and Erik Nielsen. The objective of this course is to educate students on the law and legal issues commonly encountered in criminal prosecution, and to familiarize the students with the unique duties and responsibilities of a criminal prosecutor not simply as an advocate, but as a minister of justice. The course consists of a 2-credit classroom component and a 3-credit internship program in the Travis County District Attorney’s Office. All credits are pass/fail. The course is open to students who have completed the first two semesters of law school, but enrollment is limited and preference is given to students who have completed 43 credit hours or who are in their second semester of their second year of law school, and who would be eligible to appear in court for the State under the supervision of a licensed prosecutor. It is recommended that students have completed Evidence prior to this internship. The classroom component of the course will require students to study substantive and procedural law and issues commonly-encountered by criminal prosecutors, covering topics such as charging instruments, discovery, search and seizure, jury selection, public integrity prosecution, trial tactics, evidence, post-conviction DNA, and oral advocacy. Students will also spend significant time discussing the unique ethical responsibilities and duties of a public prosecutor, with focus on the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct and the National Prosecution Standards. Each student will also be assigned to a trial court prosecution team or to the Special Victims Unit in the District Attorney's office and will be supervised by prosecutors assigned to the court and the Unit. Students can expect to gain active experience in all aspects of the day-to-day functions of the public prosecutor, including the charging decision, pleading, discovery, motions to suppress evidence, motions to revoke probation, and the trial of the case. Commensurate with experience and opportunity, students may have the opportunity to actively participate in the courtroom proceedings. Students are required to fill out applications for admission to the course and will consult with the instructors in advance regarding their court placement. Students must complete 150 hours of placement work for their internship. Each student will arrange a mutually convenient work schedule with their supervising attorney. Students may not receive compensation for their internship.

This public service internship course has two components: (1) a weekly class, and (2) an internship with a government or nonprofit organization that involves delivering legal services and performing other law-related tasks under the supervision of an experienced lawyer employed by the organization. Students engage in legal work in public service offices, gaining hands-on experience that they reflect upon and analyze in a weekly class. Assignments address topics relevant to the legal profession and professional identity, including ethics, advocacy and communication skills, and professional self-development.

In their internships, students will develop lawyering skills important to their current stage of professional development. Placement supervisors are experienced attorneys who broadly expose students to the activities of their offices, oversee varied and demanding assignments, and provide regular feedback on student performance. Students are required to work at least 150 hours at their internships during the semester, and students may not receive financial compensation for their internship work. The internship must involve the student and the supervising attorney working in person; regular remote work is not permitted. Students and supervisors are expected to work together at their placement offices.

The classroom component of the course is designed to enhance the educational experience of students by giving them the opportunity to reflect on their internship and to understand the broader landscape in which their internship is situated. Through the seminar, students will deepen their understanding of public service lawyering, ethical issues that confront public sector lawyers, and the role of lawyers in increasing access to justice.

Application Requirements: Students must submit an application for permission to register for the course. The course is open to students who have completed the first two semesters of law school. Before submitting an application to the instructor, a student must first arrange an in-person government or nonprofit internship based in the Austin area. The instructor is available to consult with students about possible placements, and some organizations post opportunities on TEX. Each placement and supervising attorney must be approved by the instructor prior to registration. A student who wishes to intern for academic credit must obtain the internship and apply to the instructor before the first class meeting.

Students who have previously received credit through any of the other internship courses (nonprofit, legislative, judicial, etc.) are eligible to enroll in this course. Credits: 4 (graded pass/fail)

No scheduled meeting time. Internship – APPLICATION REQUIRED. Contact the instructor for information about applying. Students must register for both Semester in Practice internship courses (one for 8 credits and one for 2 credits – for a total of 10 credits). Students must intern in-person at their field placements for this course, no remote internships will be approved. Students in this clinical internship immerse themselves in practice, developing their professional skills and studying the role of lawyers and legal institutions. The course addresses topics relevant to public service lawyering in varied settings, including professionalism, ethics, advocacy, access to justice, the legal profession, and legal institutions. For placements in the U.S., students intern have the opportunity to intern full-time in government, nonprofit and legislative offices located outside of the Austin area. For placements outside the U.S., students have the opportunity to intern full-time with specialized courts, international institutions, and nongovernmental organizations. Placement supervisors are experienced attorneys who expose students to the legal activities of their offices, oversee varied and demanding assignments, and provide regular feedback on student performance. Each student consults with the instructor to arrange his or her field placement, and each placement and supervisor must be approved by the instructor prior to registration. An international placement may be arranged in consultation with the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice or arranged independently Students are required to intern for 500 hours and may not receive a salary for their internship work, although they may receive a modest stipend to offset unusual living or travel expenses. Students are expected to complete a number of written assignments and maintain close contact with the instructor during the internship. Interested students should review the course website (https://law.utexas.edu/internships/application-information//) and then email the instructor (Eden Harrington, eharrington@law.utexas.edu) to arrange a time to discuss the course.

Registration Information:

This course is restricted to upper class students only. U.S. Army Internship – APPLICATION REQUIRED. Application and/or instructions on how to apply for this internship can be accessed on the web: http://law.utexas.edu/internships/u-s-army-internship-application/.

To apply, please e-mail a copy of your cover letter, resume and transcript (unofficial is fine) to Prof. Susan Klein at sklein@law.utexas.edu and to Captain Michael Green at michael.a.green315.mil@army.mil if you are interested in Trial Defense Services, and/or to Prof. Susan Klein and Lieutenant Scott Goble at scott.1.goble.mil@army.mil if you are interested in the Prosecutor’s Office. Students interested in the externship are welcome to stop by Prof. Klein’s office at TNH 3.207 for additional information. Her office hours are Wed. from 4:00 to 7:00 pm, or by appointment. You may call or text her at (512) 203-2257 or send her an e-mail. Alternatively, you can reach the Fort Hood Trial Defense office at (254) 287-0476, and the Ft. Hood Prosecutor’s Office at (254) 553-2524.

** This course meets the Professional Skills requirement for graduation. **

Course Description:

This program offers students the opportunity to apply for “for-credit” externship positions with the United States Army JAG Corps, Trial Defense Service or Prosecution Service, Fort Hood Field Office. Students earn two-credits “pass-fail” for the semester. While this program is not available during either summer session, students are welcome to apply for non-credit summer internship positions directly with that office. Students may apply for the externship for a single semester.

Students will assist prosecutors or defense counsels (and paralegals) in administrative separations and criminal proceedings pursuant to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The Fort Hood Legal office is the largest and busiest office in the Army. Attorneys there have federal felony jury trials monthly, similar to those seen in a Federal District Court but often with crimes and facts unique to the military. Army JAG officers regularly change jobs, working as prosecutors, magistrate judges, defense attorneys, national security attorneys, and trial/appellate judges. This creates a level of collegiality and rapport not seen in criminal justice practice elsewhere.

Applicants may benefit from upper-level criminal law courses such as Adv. Fed. Crim. Prosecution & Defense, Federal Criminal Law, National Security Law, Cybersecurity Law, Criminal Procedure: Investigation, Crim. Procedure: Prosecution (bail to jail), and Evidence. None of those courses are required.

The externship requires 10 hours per week for the 14-week semester, though most hours can be completed outside of the office. Students should expect to spend one day per week at the U.S Army Trial Defense Service, 330 761st Tank Destroyer Blvd., Fort Hood, Tx, 76544, or at the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Building 1000, 761st Tank Battalion Ave., Ft. Hood, TX, 76544, working in the office or in court. Ft. Hood is located about halfway between Austin and Waco, a bit over an hour’s drive from the law school or about 50 minutes from Georgetown.

The application deadline for Fall 2026 is Monday, April 13, 2026. The application deadline for Spring 2027 is Monday, October 19, 2026. Interviews are conducted at the Career Services Office or over Zoom. Students will receive the unique registration number for the Spring 2026 semester once they are accepted into the program.

Additional Information

Information about the U.S. Army Trial Defense Service, is available at: Trial Defense Service Public (army.mil).