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

Academics and Clinicals

Application Process

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Before you start the process, confirm that you 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
Bring your initial questions to UCDC Law Program Director Stephen Pershing. He can be reached by email at steve.pershing@ucdc.edu. Rena Contreras, Clinical Office Administrator rgcontreras@ucdavis.edu, Room 110, can also assist you. As you consider whether to apply to UCDC, you can read these thoughts by Mr. Pershing.
- 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.

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 Mr. Pershing 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

To apply, please complete the UCDC Law Application [Download Now], and e-mail it as an attachment to Mr. Pershing at steve.pershing@ucdc.edu, with a copy to Rena Contreras at rgcontreras@ucdavis.edu.
After you have been approved for the UCDC Law program and assigned a placement, you will be enrolled by the King Hall Registrar.

*** The UCDC Law Program is subject to approval by King Hall faculty. It is anticipated that a decision on approval will be made prior to the start of the Spring 2010 semester. Students may apply for the Program in the interim period.