Internship: Federal Public Defender

• Semester: Spring 2025
• Course ID: 297P
• Credit Hours: 2
• Unique: 29595

Meeting information not available

Special Instructions

Description

Students will arrange their work schedules with their supervisor. They are expected to work about 10 hours per week per semester.

Exams:        None

Registration Information:

This course is restricted to upper class students only. Federal Public Defender Internship – APPLICATION REQUIRED: https://law.utexas.edu/internships/federal-public-defender-internship/course-information/

To apply, please email a copy of your cover letter, resume and transcript (unofficial is fine) to Prof. Susan Klein at sklein@law.utexas.edu and to Assistant Federal Public Defender Horatio Aldredge at horatio_aldredge@fd.org. Students interested in this internship can obtain additional information by stopping by Prof. Klein’s office at TNH 3.207 (her office hours are Wed. 4:00 – 5:30 pm), or calling or texting her at (512) 203-2257. They may also call Mr. Aldredge at (512) 916-5025.

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

** Course Description:

This internship program offers students the opportunity to apply for “for-credit” internship positions with the Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Western District of Texas, Austin Branch. Students will assist in the defense of federal criminal cases under the supervision of Mr. Aldredge and other assistants. Information on the Federal Public Defender Office is available at: http://txwd.fd.org/austin. The office is located downtown at 504 Lavaca St., Suite 960, Austin, TX 78701. The internship requires a 10 hour per week commitment, but not all those hours need to be completed at the Fed. Public Defender Office. Students should expect to spend at least one day per week at the office or in federal court.

Students earn 2 credits (pass/fail) for the fall semester and, if they enroll in the spring, they earn another 2 credits (pass/fail) for spring semester. Students are encouraged to commit to a full academic year of internship study, but one semester applications will also be reviewed. This internship program is not available during either summer session.

Students may wish to enroll in Adv. Fed. Crim. Prosecution and Defense seminar, co-taught by Prof. Klein and Aleza Remis. They might also consider enrolling in Fed. Crim. Law, taught in the spring by Prof. Klein and in the fall by Judge Robert Pitman. Applicants may also benefit from having completed one or both Criminal Procedure courses, Evidence, any upper-level criminal justice course, and any internship or clinical program in the criminal justice field. None of those courses are required.

The application deadline for the next academic year is Mon., March 25th, 2024. Interviews are conducted at the Career Services Office or via Zoom. Though students will know whether or not they are admitted before fall registration, the unique registration number for the fall 2024 internship will not be available until April 15, 2025.