• News Feed
• Facebook
• YouTube
• LinkedIn
  
• Twitter

• Open
• Close

Section Navigation

• Doctor of Jurisprudence (JD)
• LLM, MCL, SJD, PhD
• Joint Degree Programs
• Areas of Focus
• Visiting JD Students and Exchange Students
• Courses
• Academic Calendar
• Academic Regulations

Courses

Indiana Law students can build their own plan of study by taking classes from a number of different areas, or they can choose an area of focus.

B698 Judicial Field Placements

Description Judicial field placements (externships) offer an unparalleled opportunity for studying judicial decision-making; federal and state jurisdiction; civil and criminal procedure; and the court system as a whole at first hand, and for polishing skills in legal research, writing, observation, and analysis. Judicial externs will work one full day (or two half-days) per week, for 10-11 weeks, in the chambers of a federal or state judge. Their work is directed by the judge and law clerks, and reviewed by the professor. Students share some of the duties of the judge#s law clerks, including the responsibility for active case files. Students often also observe trials, arguments, pre-trial conferences, and sentencings. This field work will begin the third week of the semester; during the first two weeks of the semester, students will meet with the instructor at a mutually convenient time, for up to a total of four (4) hours, to prepare for the externship by reviewing judicial ethics; opinion-writing; and structural issues. As the semester goes on, students will also submit a series of short reflective essays on their externship experience. Students seeking externships with a judge or judge magistrate in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana must apply through Professor Lahn. The availability of these federal court placements is limited, and ultimately depends on the decisions of judges as to how many and which students they accept for the semester. While externs are usually 3Ls, federal judges occasionally take 2Ls as well. In order to enroll in this course, students must first (a) obtain the permission of the professor, and (b) arrange their class schedules in order to have one complete day free each week to work in chambers. If you are interested in applying, please submit a resume, and identify the day(s) of the week that you would be available to work in chambers, to Prof. Lahn by e-mail: slahn@indiana.edu. Students who have arranged, or plan to arrange, externships with state appellate or trial judges and wish to receive credit should enroll under this course number as well. Grading is on a pass/fail basis.

Note This course satisfies the professional skills requirement.

Faculty S. Lahn