Externship Program

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The Campbell Law Externship Program provides all students with a meaningful educational experience that supplements our commitment to skills training, while also receiving academic credit. Students observe and assist attorneys and judges in their work, developing an experiential understanding of what these attorneys and judges do and how they do it. Externships allow students to use their analytical skills, legal knowledge, and practical skills in practice. Further, they provide opportunities for students to develop lawyering skills including interviewing, counseling, negotiating, investigating, research and writing, and advocacy. This advocacy includes supervised legal representation to clients pursuant to the Rules of the North Carolina State Bar.

Learn more about Campbell Law’s Certification Process

Externs earn two credits for performing 120 hours of substantive legal work at an approved placement, in addition to completing academic assignments required by the Externship Program. While these cannot be purely administrative roles, we recognize that attorneys in certain settings are responsible for overseeing every aspect of a case, including file organization, scanning, copying, filing, trial notebook creation, etc. Therefore, we anticipate that externs who are in these placements will be exposed to such tasks.

More than half of our recent graduates completed one or more externships with corporate, government, non-profit and pro bono private practice employers.

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Click on the photo to watch a video about the Campbell Law Externship Program or click on this link to learn more about the program.

Recent Placements

  • Federal judges, prosecutors, public defenders, and agencies
  • State district attorneys, public defenders, and legal aid providers
  • State trial and appellate courts
  • State agencies, commissions, and boards
  • Bankruptcy judges and courts
  • City and county governments
  • Medical / health care
  • Civil rights agencies
  • Judge Advocates General Program (Military)
  • Corporate counsel, trade associations, and nonprofit organizations
  • Pro Bono work with private law firms

Next steps for students? Secure an eligible placement, register for Externship Course I or II and satisfactorily complete the classroom requirements for the semester.  See answers to frequently asked questions regarding the program and eligible placements at this link. 

Supervising attorneys are integral to the Externship Program. Attorneys meet regularly with externs, provide feedback, help students identify goals (assigning projects or identifying learning opportunities in furtherance of those goals), and evaluate the student’s performance. The Externship Director supports supervisors by providing a program manual, engaging in periodic check-ins, and serving as a resource for questions throughout the semester. Many of our employer partners host Campbell Law externs throughout the year — summer, fall, and spring.

Check out our Externship Informational Flyer for Employers for more information.

Click here to post available Externships

Externship Posting Guidelines — Earliest opening dates & earliest closing dates follow. Note: Each posting will be posted for three weeks and can be extended if there are no applications and/or at the request of the employer.

Recruiting Chart

Extern Term

Class Levels

Earliest Posting Date

Latest Closing Date

Students available to start work

Fall 2023

2Ls, 3L

4/12

7/16

First week of class: 8/15/22

Spring 2024

2L, 3L

8/16

11/19

Typically, the first full week of January

Summer 2024

1L, 2L

12/13

4/7

Typically, after graduation

Fall 2024

2L, 3L

5/8

7/16

First week of class: ~8/12/24

Questions? Contact the Career Center at lawcareercenter@campbell.edu or call 919-865-5898.