Externships and Subject Matter Field Placements

Through Externships and Subject Matter Field Placements, upper-level students earn academic credits while gaining practical experience in a supportive real-world setting.

Employers seeking externs should visit our For Employers page.

After completing their first year of law school, students may choose to pursue an externship or subject matter field placement opportunity. In addition to gaining invaluable experience and developing a host of legal skills, students earn academic credits for their work.

New York Law School externship and field placement programs run concurrently with the academic calendar. Students are required to work 140 hours a semester (10 to 12 hours per week in the fall and spring semesters).

Students interested in applying for an externship or field placement can find more information in Student Resources on the NYLS Portal.

Financial Services Law Externship

This externship course enables students to gain practical experience in corporate and regulatory entities related to the financial services industry.

International Human Rights Field Placement and Seminar

This offering is a two-course combination that explores various uses of the law and conceptions of justice in the area of international human rights.

Judicial Externship Placement and Seminar

This course includes a placement with a federal judge or a state court judge in New York City or surrounding jurisdictions with a related seminar.

Law Office Externship Placement and Seminar

This externship experience is comprised of an externship placement with a mentor attorney at a law office and a co-requisite seminar.

New York City Honors Full-Time Specialized Externship (Gotham Honors)

The Gotham Honors Externship in NYC is a full semester offering and will provide a hands-on complement to conventional courses in public law and related areas. It will connect academic learning and abstract thinking to practice, providing unparalleled lawyering experience in some of the City’s fast-paced, mission-critical agencies and/or firms.

New York City Law Department Labor and Employment Field Placement

This field placement gives students the opportunity to work closely with experienced attorneys on all aspects of litigation handled by the Labor and Employment Law Division of the New York City Law Department.

New York City Law Department Tort Defense Field Placement

This field placement and co-requisite seminar on state and local government expose students to the practice of municipal law.

Restorative Practices Field Placement

This field placement offers students a placement in a nonprofit or government agency that uses restorative practices or principles in their work, usually as one of the tools or approaches in their work in a legal or legal-adjacent area.

Securities Arbitration Field Placement

In this placement, students will learn how to conduct factual and legal analysis, draft pleadings, and represent clients in securities arbitration proceedings before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority under the supervision of experienced attorneys.

Wall Street Business and Financial Services Field Placement

This field placement serves as an opportunity for upper-level students to gain practical experience within the business and financial services industry.

Washington, D.C. Honors Full-Time Specialized Externship

The Honors Externship in Washington, D.C. is a full semester placement and will provide a hands-on complement to conventional courses in public law.

Office of Clinical and Experiential Learning • T 212.431.2179 • E ocel@nyls.edu