D.C. Externship Program

The D.C. Externship Program places students in federal agencies or nonprofit organizations in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Students complete 500 hours of supervised substantive legal work over the course of the fall semester and participate in a weekly two hour seminar. Students may propose a placement with a federal agency or public interest nonprofit outside of the D.C. area for approval.

This program launched in 2015 under the leadership of Prof. Steve Allred, with placements including the House Education Workforce Committee, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, and the Department of Energy. The program is currently under the leadership of Prof. Ali Silva. 

'Learning from Doing' in D.C. DC Externship 2018
Externships Give Students D.C. Experience DC Externship 2017

Placement Examples

  • Administrative Conference of the United States
  • Department of Agriculture, Office of the General Counsel
  • Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights
  • Department of Energy
  • Department of Homeland Services, Office of Legislative Affairs
  • Department of Homeland Security, Office of Public Affairs
  • Department of Justice, Constitutional Torts Section
  • Department of Justice, Counterterrorism Section
  • Department of Justice, Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section
  • Department of Justice, National Security Division
  • Department of Justice, Office of Human Rights and Special Prosecutions
  • Department of State for International Claims and Investment Disputes, Office of Legislative Affairs
  • Department of State for International Claims and Investment Disputes, Office of UN Political Affairs
  • Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of General Counsel
  • Disability Rights California
  • D.C. Office of the Attorney General
  • Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
  • Federal Communications Commission, Competition Policy Division
  • Federal Labor Relations Authority
  • KARAMAH (Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights)
  • Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault
  • National Network to End Domestic Violence
  • Securities and Exchange Commission, Enforcement Division
  • Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of the Investor Advocate
  • Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
  • U.S. House of Representatives, College Republicans National Committee
  • U.S. House of Representatives, House Committee on Education and Labor
  • U.S. House of Representatives, House Judiciary Committee
  • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
  • U.S. Senate, Office of Senator Tim Kaine