Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law - Beus Center for Law and Society Snell & Wilmer Plaza

D.C. Externship Placements

The following is a list of possible placement opportunities in Washington D.C. This list is not exhaustive. Externships are available at a multitude of agencies and non-profit organizations and students are encouraged to pursue placement opportunities that best match their legal interests and aspirations. A website that may assist students is http://www.psjd.org/.


Executive Branch Legal Externships

  • State Department Legal Adviser's Office
  • U.S. Department of Justice, Aviation & Admiralty Law Division
  • U.S. Department of Justice, Narcotics Division
  • U.S. Department of Justice, National Security Division
  • Federal Trade Commission, Deceptive Advertising Division
  • Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
  • Federal Communications Commission, International Bureau
  • Securities & Exchange Commission
  • U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia
  • Navy Judge Advocate General Corps
  • Environmental Protection Agency, Office of General Counsel
  • U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of the General Counsel
  • U.S. Institute of Museum & Library Services, Office of the General Counsel
  • U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division
  • U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Tribal Justice
  • U.S. Department of Justice, Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section
  • Council on Environmental Quality
  • U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Inspector General
  • U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Secretary's Office
  • U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Civil Rights 
  • The Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia
  • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Congressional Legal Externships

  • House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation & Trade
  • U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
  • U.S. Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema
  • Office of Senator John McCain
  • Office of Senator Al Franken
  • U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Technology, Terrorism & Homeland Security


International Legal Externships

  • Embassy of Canada Legal Office
  • Organization of American States - work for attorney in anti-sex trafficking division


Non-Governmental Legal Externships

  • Transparency International
  • Environmental Law Institute
  • Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
  • Climate Institute
  • Break the Cycle
  • Shared Hope International
  • International Municipal Lawyers Association
  • Grameen Foundation
  • Alliance Defense Fund
  • The National Whistleblowers Association
  • The Electronic Privacy Information Center 
  • Human Rights First - Refugee Protection Project
  • The Humane Society of the United States - Government Affairs
  • Polaris Project

An Externship Seminar meets periodically during the semester and generally features accomplished attorneys or policy-makers who will describe their area of specialization in a seminar setting.

Students also prepare journal entries that are submitted to the College of Law faculty member who is in residence in D.C. The journal is a collection of personal reflections on the externship experience, including notes on work assignments, office hierarchy and management practices, challenging legal problems, and ethical issues.