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The University of Texas at Austin School of Law

Course Information

Fall 2024

This program includes a weekly class and a concurrent internship with a participating court in Austin. Students who register for the 4-credit program have the option to enroll in a 1-credit supplement for total of 5 credits. Students intern part-time while taking other law school courses.  Students work in their placements for 150 hours to earn 4 credits or 200 hours to earn 5 credits. This program is available only to second and third-year law students. Judge Vasu Behara directs and teaches the program.

Students who wish to enroll in the Judicial Internship Program must first apply for and obtain an internship with one of the participating courts in Austin. See Students – Finding a Placement. Once a student has obtained an internship, use the “apply” button to the right to seek instructor approval to register for the judicial internship program. 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.

All internship hours must be worked during the term over a period of at least 10 weeks. A student may take a judicial internship for academic credit only once. Students who are interning for academic credit may not receive compensation. Students generally may not receive academic credit for interning with state trial courts.

Summer 2024

  • Course Description: Judicial Internship Program
  • Students must intern in person at their placement; only incidental remote work is permitted.

Students intern with an approved court and work with a faculty instructor long-distance. Students attend a mandatory orientation session on campus late in the spring semester and submit short essays and other assignments during their internships; a classroom course is not offered. Students work at least 165 hours in the internship placement and receive 3 credits (graded pass/fail). Students may begin internships in May after completing final exams; internship hours must be completed by the end of the summer session. Students intern part-time while attending summer school or intern on a full-time basis for all or part of the summer. Many students split the summer between a judicial internship and another legal position. Students are encouraged to intern during the first half of the summer when courts are generally more active. Students who are considering interning during the second half of the summer who plan to participate in Summer Interview Program (SIP) in Austin in mid-August, should consult the SIP schedule before committing to an internship schedule. Students are strongly encouraged to intern over a minimum of at least six weeks in order to maximize their learning opportunities in the field, but a five-week internship will be approved on an individual basis if necessary and if the court agrees.

A student who wishes to enroll in the Judicial Internship Program must first apply for and obtain an internship with a judge who agrees to participate in the program. See Students – Finding a Placement.  Students may intern with one of the participating courts in Austin or state appellate courts and federal courts outside of Austin, subject to the program director Judge Vasu Behara’s approval. All students apply for permission to register for the program using the online application. Before the student is permitted to register, Judge Vasu Behara will contact the court, and the supervising attorney, student, and instructor will sign a written understanding. Students who start their internships before the beginning of the summer session must first apply for and obtain approval to register, attend the orientation, and begin work on the course requirements. Applications for approval to register from students who have already begun their internships will be denied.

This program is available to students who have completed the first two semesters of law school. Students must register for the program and pay tuition. Because the program is offered for 3 credits only, students who will not register for other law school summer courses should check with the Financial Aid Office about the availability of financial aid.

A student may take a judicial internship for academic credit only once. Students who are interning for academic credit may not receive compensation. Students generally may not receive academic credit for interning with state trial courts.

Visiting Students

A student at another law school who has an offer to intern with a participating court in Austin may request to enroll in the Texas Law Judicial Internship Program as a visiting student. The student must first apply to The University of Texas School of Law and be offered admission as a visiting student. A visiting student is responsible for verifying that his or her law school will accept the Texas Law course credits.

Texas Law requires all visiting students to enroll in a full-time course load. In the summer, a visiting student must take at least six credit hours. In the fall and spring, a visiting student must take at least ten credit hours.

The Texas Law summer session begins in early June and visiting students cannot register for Texas Law summer session classes until a few days before the beginning of the session. Students may begin summer internships before the start of the summer session, but they first must:

  • be admitted to The University of Texas School of Law,
  • apply for and obtain approval to register,
  • attend an orientation session, and
  • begin work on the course requirements, even if they have not yet registered for the course.

Applications for approval to register from students who have already begun their internships will be denied.

For more information on how to apply to visit, contact the Admissions Office. For information on registering for courses as a visiting student, contact the Student Affairs Office.