Internship: Nonprofit

• Semester: Spring 2020
• Course ID: 497P
• Credit Hours: 4
• Unique: 29000

Description

The nonprofit internship course has two components: (1) a seminar and (2) an internship with a nonprofit organization that involves delivering legal services and performing other law-related tasks under the supervision of an experienced lawyer employed by the organization.

In their internships, students will develop lawyering skills they identify as being important to their current stage of professional development. Placement supervisors are experienced attorneys who broadly expose students to the legal 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 seminar component of the program is designed to enhance the educational experience of students by giving them the opportunity to reflect on their internship experiences and to understand the broader landscape of nonprofit lawyering in which their internship is situated. Through the seminar, students will deepen their understanding of public interest lawyering, strategic development in nonprofit legal organizations, ethical issues that confront public interest lawyers, and the role of lawyers in increasing access to justice and in social change movements.

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 and who have not previously enrolled in the nonprofit internship course. Before submitting an application to the instructor, a student must first apply for and obtain a nonprofit internship based in Austin. The instructor is available to consult with students about possible nonprofit placements, and some organizations post internship placements on Symplicity. Each placement 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 in time to attend the first class meeting.

Additional course information and the course application are available at: https://law.utexas.edu/internships/nonprofit-internship.