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Robbi Smith is the Assistant Dean of Externships & Field Clinics at Cardozo School of Law.
Cardozo School of Law has one of the nation’s most robust field placement programs for future lawyers. Each year, through our extensive externship and field clinic programs, hundreds of Cardozo students fan out across New York City to learn directly from experienced lawyers across both the public and private sectors. Spanning nearly every area of law, Cardozo’s field placement program puts students in the driver’s seat, where they have flexibility to find particular placements that interest them. Being in New York City, the possibilities are endless.
Through Cardozo’s externship program, academic credit can be awarded to individual students for work performed in the public sector for a judge, a public service organization, or government agency, as well as for work performed in the private sector for in-house counsel at a corporation or for an intellectual property, real estate, or general practice law firm. Through its field clinic program, Cardozo also places groups of students with select nonprofit and government law offices throughout the City, such as the Legal Aid Society, the New York State Office of the Attorney General, the New York State Department of Financial Services, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
Students in field placements are immersed in the real world, where they take what they learn in the classroom and bring it to life. Hosted in a variety of legal offices, students build foundational skills essential to practice, such as analytical ability, oral advocacy, attention to confidentiality and other professional responsibilities. In addition, given the breadth of field placements available, students have the opportunity to focus on specific skills aligned with their own unique goals. Coming from a wide range of backgrounds, students find positions tailored to their varied interests.
Students working with individual clients may build client-centered interviewing and counseling skills, while students working with judges in state or federal court have opportunities to sharpen their legal research and writing. Other students may develop powerful advocacy and critical-thinking skills by assisting with impact litigation or prosecuting and defending cases. Students engaged in transactional work can hone their contract drafting and negotiating skills. Externship and field clinic seminars also address legal ethics and develop goal setting and self-reflection skills critical to lifelong learning and career development.
Known for its Intellectual Property programs and FAME Center, Cardozo has developed extraordinary opportunities for practical experience in the fashion, arts, media, and entertainment realms. Demand for these opportunities is strong and we are innovating our field placement programs to afford even more students the ability to take part. Our field placement programs continue to evolve as we follow student interests and expand the opportunities our students can pursue.
A great feature of Cardozo’s externship program is that spots are not limited. So, if students find a placement that meets program requirements, they can qualify for academic credit. When applying to externships and field clinics, students are encouraged to keep an open mind and not limit themselves to a specific practice area, but to consider placements more broadly that will help them develop desired skills. In terms of standing out, it’s helpful to articulate your interest in the placement’s work, highlight your prior relevant experience, and show enthusiasm to learn. Field placements really get students excited for practice.
Robbi Smith was interviewed by Arush Chandna, the co-founder of Juris Education, a law school admissions consulting company.
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