Cars driving past ASU Los Angeles Campus at night

Externing in Los Angeles

The Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law offers a special program for second and third year law students who seek legal experience in governmental offices or non-profit organizations in the Los Angeles, California area. The Program offers externship credits and usually two 3-credit classes which are taught in Santa Monica, California. (Classes are usually offered in the fall semester only, but may be available in the spring.) The Los Angeles Externship Program helps students acquire expertise in important legal areas, obtain real world experience, and develop relationships that are invaluable assets to new attorneys as they enter legal practice.

Students must fill out an L.A. Application (available below) and submit it to Kelle Andrews in Room 401 as soon as possible before the externship semester begins. The L.A. Application alerts the Externship Program to both student interest and externship options. Late applications may be accepted, but a timely application is highly recommended. Students do not need to have secured a postion in order to fill out the LA Application.

Students are responsible for securing their own placements in L.A. in government or non-profit organizations. A website that may assist students is http://www.psjd.org/. Once accepted, students must provide the name and address of the agency or judge and supervisor contact information to the Externship Program.

Students will earn credit for both the externship and for academic courses taught by a law professor in Santa Monica. The courses may address subjects such as privacy, ethics, and law and economics, but they may change each semester.

Students may not earn more than 16 credits in L.A. during the semester. Most externship placements earn nine credit hours at 55 hours per credit. Students may take one or two courses while in L.A. Courses are generally three credits each.


ASU Los Angeles campus at night

Students accepted into the program will pay all standard tuition and fees required by their enrollment at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law and are eligible for financial aid through the law school.

If you are petitioning for Arizona residency, please note that leaving Arizona for this program may negatively impact your petition for residency. Once you have obtained residency, participating in this program will not result in a review of your residency status.

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Eligibility and requirements

Students must be a second or third year law student at the Arizona State University's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law in order to participate in this program. Students may not be on academic probation. In special circumstances, students from other law schools may be able to participate in the Externship Program as visiting students at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law.

The application procedures and deadlines for L.A. externships vary among different agencies and organizations. It is therefore advisable for students to examine the requirements of individual agencies and organizations many months before the externship semester begins. It is also strongly recommended that students submit the L.A. Application to Kelle Andrews in Room 401 several months before the externship semester begins. The L.A. Application alerts the Externship Program to student interest and externship options. Late applications may be accepted, but a timely application is highly recommended.

Classes may not be offered in the spring semester and will not be offered in the summer.

Students are responsible for securing and paying for housing.

View of the corner of ASU Los Angeles campus