The Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School Externship Program (“Externship Program”) provides second-year (2L), third-year (3L), and fourth-year (4L) students an opportunity to gain practical legal experience by working with local, state, national, and international corporations, government agencies, public interest organizations, and the judiciary for academic credit. Students gain practical legal experience by working under the supervision of lawyers, which is supplemented and enhanced by a corresponding academic course.
Placements with private firms or attorneys are approved on a limited basis. Factors for approving a placement include, but are not limited to, length of time the attorney or firm has been in practice (5 years minimum), their reputation in the legal community, and the primary areas of practice. Preference is given to private firms or attorneys that have a significant number of pro bono cases or work in specific areas.
AJMLS Externship Supervisor Handbook (Updated 3/32/2024)
12 Tips for Engaging with Remote Externs (Updated 3/21/2024)
To qualify for the Externship Program, a placement must provide the student:
- A substantive legal experience;
- An on-site supervising attorney, who directly supervises and provides feedback in connection with the student’s work.
Please note that students receive academic credit for their work at the field placements. As such, students are not eligible to receive any compensation from externship employers. Students may, however, receive third-party funded stipends or fellowships to supplement their externships.
In order for a student to participate in and receive academic credit for his/her participation in the Externship Program:
- The student must be an enrolled student at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School and be in good standing (not on probation and all fees and tuition current;
- The student must have successfully completed 30 credit hours (including all first-year required courses);
- The student must have at least a 2.3 cumulative GPA to participate in the summer program between 1L and 2L years;
- The student must submit a fully executed Experiential Learning Secured Placement Contract for an approved placement;
- The student must complete the work hours required for his/her elected credit amount;
- The student must complete the Externship Program Seminar Course;
- The student must participate in a mid-term conference with the Associate Dean for Career Services & Professional Development and complete the required program evaluations; and
- The student must maintain a time log and submit weekly timesheets via 12Twenty that must be verified by the supervising attorney.
A student may earn a maximum of 9 credits through externship placements that may be applied towards meeting a student’s graduation requirements in accordance with the Law School’s JD Degree Requirements Self-Audit Form.
All externship placements are subject to the approval by the Executive Director of Career Services & Professional Development.
For more information about the Externship Program or if you are interested in participating in the Externship Program, please contact Dr. J.L. Wyatt-Keyton, Executive Director of Career Services and Professional Development, at (678) 916-2612 or jwyatt@johnmarshall.edu.
How to Request an Extern
Step 1
To request an extern, first create your 12Twenty account by using the directions below. Creating an account is easy and can be done within minutes. By doing so, this will allow you access to enter your job information directly into our career management system. Create a 12Twenty Employer Account:
1. Go to: https://law-ajmls.12twenty.
2. Click *Sign up for an account *
3. Enter the required information, agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, and click *Create Account*
Step 2
Once your employer account is created, you are now ready to submit your Employer Extern Request. To do so, follow the directions below:
1. Under Post a Job, click 
2. Enter your job information
3. Under *Type of Job*, select *Externship*
4. Click Submit
Thank you for choosing AJMLS!
All externship placements are subject to the approval by the Executive Director of Career Services and Professional Development.