The judicial internship program provides a unique opportunity for students to work in approved judicial settings for academic credit. Judicial interns work directly with the courts and have the chance to study judicial decision-making, advocacy skills, and the courts as legal institutions. Interns perform intensive work that challenges them to synthesize their legal knowledge and their analytical, research and writing skills.
During the summer of 2012, the internship program will be offered for three credits only (graded pass/fail) and no concurrent class will be offered or required. Interns are required to maintain contact with an instructor and to submit short reflective essays, progress reports, timesheets, and evaluations. This program is open to students who have completed the first two semesters of law school. Students who have already received law school academic credit for a judicial internship are not eligible to participate. Interns who are compensated may not receive academic credit.
Students must be selected by a sponsoring court and approved by the program director, Professor Mary Crouter, before registration for an internship is permitted. A student must be assigned to an individual judge in an approved court who agrees to participate in the UT program. Approved courts in Austin include the U.S. District Court, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, the Texas Supreme Court, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the Third Court of Appeals, the Travis County Probate Court, and the State Office of Administrative Hearings. Internships with state appellate courts and federal courts outside of Austin and/or Texas may also be approved by the program director.
Prior to the summer, students are required to attend a mandatory orientation session with the instructors Tues., April 24, from 5:30 to 7:00 pm, in TNH 2.139. Students must work at least 180 hours in their internship. The required hours must be worked between the end of final exams in May and August 10, 2012, the last day of the summer session. Students are encouraged to intern during the first half of the summer when courts are generally more active. Each intern arranges a mutually convenient work schedule with their sponsoring judge.
A student participating in a summer internship for credit must be registered for the internship program and pay tuition. Because the internship program is offered for three credits only, students who are not registered for other summer courses should check with the Financial Aid Office in advance about the availability of financial aid.
An APPLICATION for this program is required.
Visit our website for further information about the Judicial Internship Program.
Students at other law schools who wish to visit at Texas Law and receive academic credit for a judicial internship should carefully review the visiting students page.
Information about how to find a judicial internship is available at the Career Services Office. In addition, many courts list internship openings with information about prerequisites and application procedures on the CSO Symplicity website.
Einhorn, Elana S.