Students arrange their own field placements for this course. Students who wish to intern in the fall or spring term apply to the participating courts in Austin. Students who wish to intern in the summer may also apply to state appellate courts and federal courts outside Austin. The program director will approve placements outside Austin for academic credit if the court agrees to participate in the Texas Law program. The director contacts the proposed supervisor to discuss the program requirements and invite the supervisor to participate. Once the placement is approved and the student, supervising attorney, and director sign a written understanding, the student is authorized to register for the course.
The Career Services Office provides students with detailed information about when and how to apply for judicial internships. See Career Services Office – Career Paths – Judicial Internships. There are many ways to identify potential judicial internships, including:
- Search on TEX for judicial internship postings.
- Review the list of Recent Judicial Internship Placements maintained by the Judicial Internship Program.
- Explore the websites of state appellate and federal courts in geographic areas that interest you.
- Consult with Marilyn Drees in the Career Services Office.
- Consult with the program director/faculty instructor, Judge Vasu Behara.
Because judicial internships vary with respect to interns’ duties and the extent to which interns work with legal staff or directly with the judge, students are advised to consider their goals for a judicial internship and to research courts before submitting applications. In particular, students should review prior interns’ evaluations of their internships (which are maintained in binders located at the CSO reception desk) and seek out students who have interned with judges.