PURPOSE OF EXTERNSHIP
To provide students with courtroom trial
experience by presenting felony preliminary hearings, misdemeanor
court and jury trials, pretrial motions and/or juvenile court
adjudications.
REQUIREMENTS
Students must be currently enrolled in either
their second, third or fourth year of law school and have completed
courses in Civil Procedure and Evidence.
The Certified Law Student Program offered by the Los
Angeles County District Attorney's Office provides students with the
opportunity to present actual criminal cases in court. Unlike other
externships where the majority of a student's time is spent on
research and writing, assignments in the District Attorney's Office
focus on courtroom trial skills.
Under the rules of the Office of
Certification/Practical Training of Law Students, the State Bar of
California allows qualified law students to make appearances in court
under the supervision of an experienced attorney. For the past several
years, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has offered
law students the opportunity to participate in such a program
throughout the year.
In order to qualify for certification, students must
be enrolled in their second, third or fourth year of law school and
must have either successfully completed or be currently enrolled in
Evidence and Civil Procedure. Please note that while the rules allow
for certification of students currently enrolled in Evidence,
experience has shown that individuals perform better and have a more
meaningful experience if the externship occurs after the student has
taken the course.
Certification forms are available through your law
school and the State Bar of California. The certification procedure
includes a fee of $55 payable to the State Bar for students who have
never been certified; there is no fee for recertification. Fees are
the responsibility of the student.
Students who apply for this program must be prepared
to spend a minimum of 16 hours per
week in their assignments. While consecutive days are desirable,
they are not mandatory. Students are encouraged to avoid Fridays as
one of their court days since this day is typically less busy and
therefore provides less opportunity for courtroom work.
While the District Attorney's Office has many
offices throughout the County, not all of them offer assignments for
certified law students. Therefore, while a car is not required,
students must be cognizant of the fact that not all individuals can be
assigned close to home or close to school, and geographical
flexibility is highly desirable.
Due to our desire to avoid even the appearance of
impropriety, students selected for this program are advised that they
may not perform any work (paid or unpaid) for any criminal defense
attorney during the pendency of their externship with this office.
All students will be required to complete a Criminal
Record Check Information form at the time of their interview. These
forms are thoroughly reviewed by our Bureau of Investigation, and
students are encouraged to be candid. Persons who have outstanding
traffic warrants may be required to clear these matters prior to being
allowed to participate in the program.
Students interested in the Certified Law Student
Program should contact their law school career placement or externship
office to apply; or send a resume to: Recruitment Coordinator, District Attorney's Office, 210 West Temple Street, Room
18-215, Los Angeles, California 90012-3210; telephone: (213)
893-0174; fax (213) 626-5862.
DEADLINES FOR SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS
To provide students with the utmost experience, we have set
deadlines for submission of applications as follows:
Summer Semester -- February 15
Fall Semester -- June 15
Spring Semester -- October 15
