Significant but Unheralded Growth of Large Externship Programs

Abstract

Over the past twenty years, the growth of externship programs has been one of the least understood features of curriculum development in law schools. We explore the development of externship programs at the ninety-five law schools that have achieved high levels of externship availability since 2006. By focusing on the externship models of the thirty law schools that achieved the highest levels of externship participation, we conclude that a law school's chosen approach for delivering externships is the most important factor influencing externship growth — more than a law school’s ranking, its geographical location, or its size.

Keywords: externship, externships, growth, clinical education, legal education, curriculum development