Externship Director – HigherEdJobs

Posting Details

Position Information

Position Title: Externship Director

Job Description: The Externship Director reports to the Dean
through the Associate Dean for Experiential Learning and is responsible for the development, administration, and management of the
externship program for second- and third-year law students for a semester of in-the-field, live, practical, hands-on experience in the
practice of law. The Director is responsible for ensuring compliance with the American Bar Association Accreditation Standards, ensuring a
quality experience for each extern, as well as developing and cultivating relationships with law firms, government entities and community
service agencies both local and nationwide.

CHARACTERISTIC DUTIES

Community
Relations

• Works with local non-profit organizations, government entities, judicial chambers and even private
  law firms to develop meaningful field placement opportunities for students

Advising Students

• Works closely with students to assure a successful field placement, requiring:
  • organizing regular programs each semester
    to recruit and inform students about the Externship Program and the types of placements that are available;
  • advising students
    individually regarding the selection of an appropriate placement based upon their previous experience (both work and academic), their
    existing skills, their personal goals for an externship (i,e., skills development, substantive law experience, exposure to new area of
    practice), and the types of experiences offered by each agency or office; and
  • advising students about other clinical or skills
    opportunities that may be available to students outside of the Field Placement Program.
• Assists students enrolled in
  the Externship Program with any problems which may arise during the semester such as supervisory issues, time management issues, or meeting
  their goals for the placement. Problems may be addressed through working with the student to develop a plan of action or through direct
  intervention by the Director, depending upon the nature of the problem.

Teaching Students

• Under ABA rules, for-credit field placement requires that students enroll in an accompanying class that deals with
  substantive legal issues, as well as issues related to professionalism and ethics. Depending on the exact structure of the program, the
  Director may teach the class component. In this case, the Director would also have to have some type of faculty appointment (i.e., adjunct
  faculty status).

Visiting Placement Sites, Communicating with Placement Supervisors, and Conducting Supervision
Workshops

• Develops relationships with the students’ supervisors at the various agencies, nonprofits, and
  judicial chambers; screens new potential placements and ensures that appropriate plans of supervision are in place for existing placements;
  personally visits placement sites and meets with placement supervisors to assess the nature of the supervision, types of available projects,
  resources available to students, qualifications for student externs, and suggestions about the program; and reviews reports by the
  supervisors about the students and communicates when needed with the individual supervisors.

Reviewing Student
Materials

• Students in the Externship Program are required to submit time sheets, interim reports, final
  reports, journals, supervisor evaluations and writing samples. The Director reviews and retains these materials, monitoring and evaluating
  the student experiences, and seeks to identify and address any problems that may arise at a placement.

Required Qualifications

Juris Doctor degree from an ABA-accredited law school, member
of the Oklahoma bar or some other state bar; experience as a practicing attorney; ability to develop and cultivate relationships with
various constituencies; ability to develop and implement a solid and meaningful externship program; excellent writing, communication,
organizational, supervisory and analytical skills; superior interpersonal and oral presentation skills; word processing and technical
skills; ability to work independently; ability to do weekend travel and work; ability to appreciate cultural diversity in communications
with all groups associated with the University.

Preferred Qualifications

N/A

Physical
Demands: Standard office environment.

Supplemental Questions

Documents Needed To Apply