Supervised Field Placements

Topical Field Placements include the Public Interest Field Placement, Human Rights Law Field Placement, Immigration Law Field Placement, Patent Field Placement, Corporate Externship Field Placement, Law Firm Field Placement and Judicial Field Placement which provide opportunities for students to gain valuable experience in the legal profession while earning credits toward their law degree.

Judicial Field Placement provides students with a unique vantage point on civil and criminal litigation by placing them in the field to assist judges in with the federal and state courts in Minnesota. Students serve as part-time law clerks for academic credit.

All field placements are supervised by both a law school faculty instructor and a member of the organization hosting the field placement.

The Independent Field Placement is available for students who wish to pursue an experiential opportunity not covered by a Topical Field Placement.

Field Placement Course Number Description Enroll
Immigration 7621 Students work alongside immigration law practitioners.  Form
Human Rights 7622 Students work directly with organizations and practitioners in the field of human rights law.  Form
Public Interest 7623
(3 secs)		 Students work with and learn from lawyers in government agencies and non-profit organizations that serve the public interest. Form
Corporate 7624 Students are placed in a company's legal department to experience the work of in-house counsel.  Form
Law Firm 7626
(2 secs)		 Students work with and learn from lawyers in private law firms of varying sizes and practice areas. Form
Judicial 7628 Students learn about lawyering and judging by observing and participating in the work of a judge and their staff. Placements are made based on an application process that occurs a few months before the start of the semester. Application 
Patent 7629 or 5629 Students work with and learn from lawyers and patent professionals in industry and law firms.  Form
Independent  7607 or 7609 Field placement not covered by a Topical Field Placement. Form

To enroll in a Topical Field Placement, students must:

  1. Read the Rules for Supervised Field Placements before registering;
  2. Email the faculty instructor for the Topical Field Placement to obtain prior approval to enroll in the course. The email should provide the faculty instructor with the 4Ws (who, what, where, and when) and the number of credits/hours (1-3cr / 50-150hrs) for the field placement.
    1. Who - you and your field supervisor (manager or supervising attorney)
    2. What - type of topical field placement/work experience
    3. Where - organization, corporation, law firm, etc.
    4. When - semester
  3. Complete the online application form to register for the Topical Field Placement* for which they have obtained prior approval from the faculty instructor 
  4. Comply with add/drop deadlines applicable to law school courses.

*Note - The Judicial Field Placement follows an application process for enrollment. See the course guide for additional information.

To enroll in an Independent Field Placement, consult the course guide page.