• Degree Requirements
• First Year Writing
• Moot Court Programs
• Clinics/Externships
  • About Clinical Programs
  • Meet Clinic Students
  • Civil Litigation Program
    • About the Program
    • Housing, Employment, Family & Disability Clinic
    • Asylum & Human Rights Clinic
    • Employment Rights Clinic
    • Concentration
    • Faculty
    • FAQs
  • Criminal Clinical Program
    • About the Program
    • Requirements
      • Second Year Students
      • Third Year Students
    • About the Courts
    • Concentration
    • Faculty
  • Health Law Externship Program
    • About the Program
    • Accepted Students
      • Fall Semester Students
      • Spring Semester Students
      • Placement Search
    • Concentration
    • FAQs
  • Legal Externship Program
    • About the Program
    • Accepted Students
      • Fall Semester Students
      • Spring Semester Students
      • Placement Search
      • Past Field Placements
        • Placement Listings
    • Concentration
    • FAQs
  • Legislative Clinics
    • Legislative Policy & Drafting Clinics
      • About the Program
      • How Legislative Clinics Work
      • Past Projects
      • Concentration
    • Africa i-Parliaments Clinic
    • Legislative Counsel Clinic
      • About the Program
      • Requirements
    • Faculty
    • FAQs
  • Legislative Internship Program
    • About the Program
    • Requirements
    • Recent Legislative Internship Placements
    • FAQs
  • Semester-in-Practice Program
    • About the Program
    • How to Apply
    • FAQs
    • Accepted Students
  • Trial Advocacy Program
  • How to Apply
    • Open House
    • Application
    • Application – Employment Law Clinic
  • Contact Us
  • FAQs
  • Clinic News
• Concentration
• Dual Degrees
• Study Abroad Programs
• Pro Bono Program
• Visiting Exchange Students

How to Apply

Spending a semester away from BU Law is a serious decision that requires introspection and initiative. To help you decide whether to pursue the Program and navigate the application process, please follow the steps below, in order. Acceptance to the Program is competitive. You should not pursue any externship opportunity until you have talked with an advisor (see step one) about your qualifications and whether your externship proposal is likely to be approved by the Application Committee.

Step One - Determine whether the Program is right for you.

• Contact the following individuals to discuss your interest in specific externships and whether the Program supports your goals:
  • Human Rights Externship (Geneva) - Contact Sabrina Halloran of the CDO at shallor@bu.edu or 617.353.3141.
  • Government Lawyering in Washington, D.C. - Contact Professor Sean Kealy at skealy@bu.edu or 617.353.8373.
  • Death Penalty Externship (Southern Center for Human Rights) - Contact Professor Tracey Maclin at tmaclin@bu.edu or 617.353.4688.
  • Independent Proposal Externship - Contact Professor Lois Knight at lknight@bu.edu or 617.353.5818.
• The Clinical Programs Office can answer your general questions about the application process, requirements, and restrictions. Contact lclinic@bu.edu or 617.353.3148.
• The CDO is always happy to discuss your career plans with you. The CDO can be reached at lawcdo@bu.edu or 617.353.3141.

Step Two - Apply for placements and secure a suitable externship.

• Human Rights Externship (Geneva) - Sabrina Halloran will work with you individually to help you find a placement.
• Government Lawyering in Washington, D.C. - You will work closely with Sean Kealy to secure a suitable placement.
• Death Penalty Externship - You must follow the externship application procedures found at the SCHR's website.
• Independent Proposal Externship - You must seek out your own externship. Before you apply for any externship, please be sure that you have discussed the specific placement with Professor Lois Knight. As with the other externships, the proposed opportunity must: 1) be full-time; 2) involve significant legal work and be under the supervision of an attorney; 3) be in the public interest, government or judiciary; and 4) be an experience that you cannot find in Boston or at BUSL.

Please note that even after you have secured an externship with a placement organization, you still must apply to BU Law to receive permission to participate in the Program (see step four).

Step Three - Find a faculty sponsor.

During your semester away, your faculty sponsor will oversee the academic portion of your externship and will be your primary contact with BU Law.

Several of the externships have a set faculty sponsor. Professor Susan Akram is the sponsor for the Human Rights Externship. Professor Sean Kealy is the sponsor for the Government Lawyering in Washington, D.C. Externship. Professor Tracey Maclin is the sponsor for the Death Penalty Externship. If you participate in the Independent Proposal Externship, Professor Lois Knight will help you determine what faculty member might make a good sponsor based on the subject matter of your placement.

Once you have identified a faculty sponsor, please have the sponsor sign the Faculty Sponsor Agreeement, which you will find in the application posted below.

Step Four - Fill out BU Law's application.

Please type your responses in the following application. Turn in three (3) hard copies of the application - including supporting materials - to the Clinical Programs Office on the 12th floor of the law tower. Electronic copies will not be accepted.

• Application (pdf format)
• Application (word format)

Your application will be reviewed by an Application Committee comprising three faculty members. Factors the Application Committee will examine in considering whether to approve your application include: the quality of the opportunity, how well it supports your career and academic plans as described in your application and demonstrated by your employment and coursework background, whether the opportunity is unique (i.e. the opportunity cannot be found in Boston), your academic performance, and any other factors relevant to whether it is appropriate for you to spend a semester away from BU Law.

The deadlines to apply are as follows:

• Spring 2010 semester - September 15, 2009
• Fall 2010 semester - April 15, 2010
• Spring 2011 semester - September 15, 2010