Experiential Education

Students who enroll in the Public Interest Externship will work in a publicly funded law office which provides public "service" type legal assistance. These include State's Attorney offices, Public Defender offices, Legal Service offices, private law firms, and offices associated with a public university that have licensed attorneys on staff, such as the SIU Legal Counsel, SIU Student Attorney, or the SIU Athletic Department.

As students work in law offices or a judge's office they will learn real-world practical experiences. Students are able to work in legal offices throughout America where they can get credit and be paid if the job is a paying position. Students can get as many as 6 credits for working in a semester in a legal environment.

For every 1 credit, a student must work 42.5 hours. For example, if a student wants to earn 6 credits they must work 255 hours. Multiply 42.5 times the number of credits desired.

The Judicial Externship Clinic provides a unique opportunity for law students to learn about the legal system by working for a sitting judge. While experiences vary from chamber to chamber, most placements allow Externs to hone their research and writing skills while learning how judges make decisions and observing a wide range of courtroom proceedings.

Our students begin to grow into their roles as expert communicators, negotiators, and advocates as participants in a variety of hands-on learning opportunities, including our award-winning clinics. Serving residents in a 13-county area in southern Illinois, our legal clinics offer students the opportunity to work closely with clinical faculty while representing clients in a variety of cases.

Third-year SIU Simmons law students live and take classes and study in the Metro East while working at various state and federal offices.