Students are permitted to do a total of 18 units of Field Placement and/or Judicial Externship units in the course of their 2L and 3L years. See Academic Rules (click here) for further guidance. Students are limited to 5 units in the fall of their 2L year.
UNITS
Students in their 3rd semester of law school can do a maximum of 5 Field Placement units. Students in their 4th, 5th, or 6th semesters of law school may complete their field placement for 4-12 units.
The units are calculated on an hourly basis. See the chart below for a unit/hour breakdown. Students continuing field placements or other internships may propose 2-4 units.
FULL-TIME FIELD PLACEMENTS/JUDICIAL EXTERNSHIPS
Students seeking full-time Field Placements or Judicial Externships must seek ‘academic clearance’ from the Student Services Office. When you have received clearance from Student Services, you must send an email to sschechter@law.berkeley.edu AND fieldplacementprogram-law@berkeley.edu confirming your clearance.
REMOTE/IN-PERSON/HYBRID PLACEMENTS
Students will have the option to complete their field placements in an in-person, remote, or hybrid mode. This includes field placement opportunities at non-profit and government agencies away from the Bay Area.
CLASS/REFLECTIVE COMPONENTS
If you are living in the Bay Area, you are required to take one of the in-person seminars. If you are living away from the Bay Area, you are strongly encouraged to take the 1-unit Away Field Placement Workshop. Students doing field placements/judicial externships are required to take an accompanying class component or reflective component. Further information will be provided in the appropriate Application section.
LL.M. STUDENTS
Students must speak with an advisor in the ADP office to determine if a Field Placement or Judicial Externship is appropriate in their proposed plan of study. Individuals present on a student visa may only pursue a field placement if they are fulfilling the requirements for the LL.M. Practical Lawyering Certificate. LL.M. students are only eligible for Civil, Criminal, Judicial, and Environmental Placements.
EXPERIENTIAL PROGRAM LIMITS
Students are advised to enroll in only one experiential learning opportunity/program (clinic, field placement/judicial externship, or some practicum) each semester. If a student wants to enroll in more than one of these programs in a semester, the student must have the permission of both instructors.
COMPENSATION
You may not receive financial compensation from your Placement/Externship (outside of reasonable out-of-pocket reimbursements).
AWAY FIELD PLACEMENT/JUDICIAL EXTERNSHIPS
If you are traveling away from the Bay Area, students are required to make their own housing, travel, and visa arrangements. The Law School does not provide visa advising.
The Field Placement Program is governed by ABA Standard 304(opens in a new tab): Study Outside the Classroom and Berkeley Law Academic Rule 3 (opens in a new tab) – the 295 Series – (c) Limitations.