Public Interest Internship Program (B547)

Session:
Thursday, April 16, Noon, Room 121

There was a mandatory class session on Thursday, April 16, for students enrolled in B547 for summer 2009.

Listen to mp3 audio.

The academic component is a critical part of summer internship; it is designed to encourage you to think reflectively and critically about the practice of law and the ethical issues it poses. This class session will cover the course requirements as well as provide essential information on some ethical issues you will face.

Description

The Public Interest Internship Program encourages students to gain experience in public interest work by permitting students to obtain academic credit for unpaid legal work done in public service venues. Students are supervised by a faculty member at the law school as well as an attorney or judge at the internship site. A critical component of the internship is the academic component assigned by the faculty member. This academic component is designed to encourage students to think reflectively and critically about the practice of law and the ethical issues it poses.

First thing's first:

• Complete the registration form and read the Course Handbook.
• At registration you will be assigned a faculty supervisor; contact him or her before you start your internship.
• You must register for B547 before starting work. No credit will be given unless registration pre-dates the beginning of work.
• Complete all academic requirements on time including staying in contact with your faculty supervisor.

Course Requirements

1. You are required to read the Rules of Professional Responsibility for your jurisdiction. In Indiana, those rules may be found in Indiana Rules of Court (West 2006) or online.
2. You must attend a mandatory class at noon on Thursday, April 16, in in room 121.
3. You must be accessible on a continuous basis via your law school e-mail account.
4. You must contact your faculty supervisor by e-mail within the first week of starting your internship using the initial status report form. This report will include (1) your supervising attorney's or judge's name, address, telephone number and e-mail address; (2) verification of your starting and ending date; and (3) confirmation of having read the Rules of Professional Responsibility and those on Admission and Discipline, the exerpt on Reflective Lawyering and the course handbook.
5. You must keep track of the hours you work at the internship. You will report the hours with each essay (see #6 below).
6. You must submit to your faculty supervisor reflective essays about your internship using the essay form.
   • Weekly. Write reflective essays on a weekly basis.
   • Deadline for submission. Submit your essays by e-mail to your faculty supervisor using the required essay form every second and fourth Sunday of each month that you are working. This means you will submit two or three essays on each of the following Sundays if you worked any part of the preceding two- or three-week period:
     • May 10
     • May 24*
     • June 14
     • June 28
     • July 12
     • July 26
     • August 9
     • August 23

     *Note: next sumbission due in three weeks.

   • Essays are due on Sunday before 9 p.m. EDT. You must obtain advance approval from your faculty supervisor if you believe that you need to deviate from this schedule.

   • Reflect. Your essays should be reflective in nature, not merely descriptive. Read the excerpt about reflective lawyering.
   • Length. Your essays should be a minimum of three pages (double-spaced) and a maximum of five pages for each week of work. But submit your eassys on each due date as one file. Be sure to number the pages of your essay.

Due Dates/Deadlines

• Prior to the start of your internship, you must attend a mandatory class.
• Within the first week of starting your internship, you must submit a status report with contact information and a work plan (see #4 above).
• Each week throughout your internship, you must write a reflective essay.
• Each month, on the second and fourth Sundays, following weeks that you have worked, you must submit your reflective essays (as one attachment) by e-mail to your faculty supervisor before 9 p.m. EDT.

Grading

The Public Interest Internship Program is a pass/fail course. Your grade will be based on your fulfillment of the requirements set forth above. Failure to comply with the above requirements in a timely and professional manner could result in:

• Failing the course;
• Loss of course credit;
• Involuntary withdrawal from the course (which may require repayment of financial aid); and/or;
• Placement of a negative letter concerning your lack of professional responsibility in your law school file.

No academic credit will be given for work of which your faculty supervisor is unaware.