UC Davis School of Law - Academics and Clinicals - UC-DC Law Program: Application Process

Academics and Clinicals

Application Process

Application Instructions PDF File

Download application PDF File

Students may apply to the Program as early as their second semester in law school, for externships in their third, fourth, fifth or sixth semesters subject to the academic rules cited below. The Program helps students identify quality placements and apply to them, and helps prospective and current UCDC law students connect with alumni of the program as well as with alumni of the participating schools who have made their careers in Washington. The Program Director visits each participating law school every term, and is available from D.C. at other times for individual consultations with students considering applying.

Before you start the process, confirm that you are eligible. You need to have sufficient available Law 400 units and externship/clinical units to allow you to enroll in a 10 unit externship. See Regulations 1.4(B)(3), (4).A
Rena Contreras, Clinical Office Administrator rgcontreras@ucdavis.edu, Room 110, can assist you.
- Try to identify the kind of experience you seek. Do you want to learn about:
  - Legislation and the political lawmaking process? Examples include:
    1. House or Senate personal staff or committee
    2. Office of Legislative Counsel
    3. Government Accountability Office, Congressional Research Service, etc.
  - The regulatory, oversight and/or enforcement work of the executive departments, independent agencies, federally chartered corporations, or quasi-official agencies? Examples include:
    1. Justice, State and Treasury Departments
    2. Agencies in executive departments like the Federal Aviation Administration or the Food and Drug Administration
    3. Independent administrative agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Election Commission, etc.
  - Influencing federal lawmaking as an advocate at a national nonprofit? Examples include:
    1. American Civil Liberties Union
    2. American Enterprise Institute
    3. Human Rights Watch
    4. Center for Strategic and International Studies, etc.
  - A particular area of substantive law, regardless of where you work in the lawmaking continuum? Examples include:
    1. economic regulation
    2. national security
    3. civil rights and liberties
    4. health care
    5. education, etc.
  - More traditional lawyering unique to D.C.? Examples include: the litigating divisions of the Justice Department, the general counsel's office of another department, or national public interest law firms like the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Washington Legal Foundation, the Public Citizen Litigation Group, etc.

These are just some of the factors to consider when choosing what kind of placement you would pursue in Washington. Read publicly available information about agencies and organizations, and don't be afraid to ask us any question you think will help you decide. We will help you identify quality placements and apply to them, and we try to keep current students in touch with alumni of the program as well as with alumni of the participating schools who have made their careers in Washington. The UCDC Program Director visits each participating law school at least once a term, and is available from D.C. at other times for individual consultations with students considering applying.

The UCDC Law Program has a growing number of placements. Here are a few from the past three terms:

Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution
White House Counsel's Office
White House Domestic Policy Council
White House Council on Environmental Quality
Offices of U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer, Sheldon Whitehouse
U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division
U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division
U.S. Department of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division
U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of General Counsel
U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of the Solicitor
U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Administrative Law Judges
Securities and Exchange Commission
Federal Trade Commission
Food and Drug Administration
NAACP Legal Defense Fund
Human Rights Watch
Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights
Native American Rights Fund
Washington Legal Foundation
American Council on Education, Office of General Counsel
National Public Radio

Please review a complete list of all placements since the program's inception PDF File in spring 2009. We are constantly developing new externship opportunities, and will work with students and externship supervisors to achieve the best possible matches. All placements, whether secured by you or by the Program, must be approved by the UCDC Program Director and will have to meet certain criteria, ordinarily including:

Direct supervision by an attorney
Involvement with federal law (either legislative, executive, regulatory or advocacy work)
Commitment from the externship supervisor to ensure an educational experience consistent with the UCDC Law Supervisors' Checklist

Application Procedures and Eligibility Requirements

UC Davis Law students must be in their second or third year of law school to participate in the Program.
UC Davis Law students must check their unofficial transcripts on Sisweb (and, if they desire, meet with Rena Contreras or Dean Kulwin) to confirm that they are eligible to participate in this program in terms of units, course requirements and other academic planning issues.
UC Davis Law Students must confirm that they have enough externship/clinical units to participate in this program. No more than 16 units of courses (up to 20 units with Dean Kulwin’s permission) numbered 400 or above (including the UCDC externship) and non law courses at any UC may be taken for credit towards King Hall J.D. See Regulation 1.4(B)(3). No more than 14 of these units may be taken in externships, including the UCDC externship. See Regulation 1.4(B)(4). Note: the 3 unit seminar, “Law and Lawyering in the Nation’s Capital” is a graded course and is not included in the calculations of Regulation 1.4(B).

If you do not have any initial questions, or after you have had basic questions answered, proceed to downloading and completing the UCDC Law application PDF File , and e-mailing to Rena Contreras at rgcontreras@ucdavis.edu. Late applications will be considered by permission, but it is in your interest to apply early, both to the Program and to potential placements of your choice.

After you have been approved for the UCDC Law program and assigned a placement, you will be enrolled by the King Hall Registrar.

Dates to Remember

Registration Deadline for fall 2012 and spring 2013 — February 23, 2012 (spring 2013 applications will be accepted beyond this date)

Fall 2012 Program Dates — August 27, 2012 – November 30, 2012

Spring 2013 Program Dates — January 7, 2013 – April 19, 2013

Spring Break 2013 — March 25- March 29

Application Deadlines for Popular UCDC Placements

US Department of State
- Fall 2012 — March 31, 2012
- Spring 2013 — May 31, 2012
White House Internship Program
- Fall 2012 — Opens of January 30, 2012
- Spring 2013 — TBA (deadline is usually beginning of September)
White House - Council on Environmental Quality
- Fall 2012 — July 1
- Spring 2013 — November 1
Securities and Exchange Commission
- Fall 2012 — January 23 – April 13, 2012 (recommended by March 23)
- Spring 2013 — August 13 – October 19, 2012
Department of Justice

Above are dates as of January 25, 2012. All dates are tentative and subject to change. Each Department has its own deadline. Please see their respective websites for posted deadlines.