Developing Critical Career Experience

The Externship Program at the Penn Carey Law School helps current students build real-world experience lawyering at federal and state government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and within judicial chambers.

“Externships are a wonderful opportunity for Penn Carey Law students to fulfill their experiential credit graduation requirement,” said Rachel Mayover, Executive Director of the Externship Program and Director of Administration for Academic Affairs. “These hands-on learning experiences give students the chance to explore various areas of law while being embedded within different placement sites, all while receiving full support from both their site supervisor and the Law School’s Externship Program.”

Students can pursue two different types of externships with the Law School. Gittis Externships are pre-approved, local opportunities with top government and nonprofit organizations. Typically, students can complete semester-long externships with placements like the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Philadelphia Regional Office), the Federal Defender’s Office, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, the Public Interest Law Center, and Community Legal Services, among others.

Ad Hoc Externships, which also includes Judicial Externships, gives students the flexibility to propose and craft their own externship that is tailored to their specific interests and career goals.

“Penn Carey Law’s central location provides students with the opportunity to participate in ad hoc externships in Washington, D.C., New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and locally within Philadelphia,” Mayover said. “Throughout their externship, students receive strong support from the Law School, including generous travel funds that cover multiple trips each week to their placement sites.”

As someone interested in a future career in government service, Liam Leahy L’25 says his externship experiences with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (USAO EDPA) have been a foundational part of his legal education at Penn Carey Law.

“The ability to see the necessary work underpinning justice in action has given me a fuller picture of what the practice of law is like in a way that time in the classroom alone could not,” said Leahy.

Leahy also commented on how the perspective he gained from his externship experiences has not only provided important insight into the type of work he may one day be expected to perform but also offered the chance to network and gain real professional connections in his fields of interest.

“As I introduce myself to new attorneys in the office at my current externship at the SEC, as I did at the USAO EDPA last semester, I am frequently invited into offices to discuss pending matters by collegial attorneys who want to facilitate my development,” he said. “These experiences often left me with a wealth of subjects to independently study in order to gain a better understanding of the daily functions of the office.”

The externship program supplements the experiential learning opportunities with an in-person, semester-long externship seminar in conjunction with students’ work at their field placements. Students are enrolled in the foundational Criminal Law, Civil Law, Judicial Law, or Advanced Externship Seminar, depending on the type of placement or previously completed foundational course.

Seminar groups meet every other week during the semester to reflect on their field placement experience, examine their roles as lawyers and professionals, develop professional identities, set career goals, and gain real-time feedback and problem-solving opportunities with fellow students in similar placements.

“Penn Carey Law’s externship seminars provide students with invaluable experiential learning opportunities which, coupled with their fieldwork experiences, bridge the gap between theory and practice,” said Kathryn Quaglia, Curricular Director of Externships and Lecturer in Law.

“The seminars provide a unique opportunity for students to reflect together on their experiences, to work with their peers to develop proficiencies relevant to their placements, and to engage in critical reflection about legal systems and institutions and the professional obligations of attorneys,” she said. “I consider it an honor to work with such outstanding and dedicated students as they gain practical skills and insights that prepare them for their legal careers.”

In addition to designing and teaching the externship seminars, Quaglia provides close supervision and guidance for students throughout the entire externship process.

“Professor Quaglia goes above and beyond to provide generous and reassuring support for all of us externs,” said Irena Dezazzo L’25. “She gives thoughtful advice on navigating tricky situations and building professional relationships and has endless insights from her years of practice on how to make the most of our opportunities. She is always our biggest cheerleader and encourages us to have confidence in our abilities and to learn from our mistakes when we inevitably stumble.”

For Dezazzo, the chance to enrich her experience at the Law School by building practical, real-world skills with the support of experienced legal practitioners through externship placements with the Juvenile Law Center and Support Center for Child Advocates has been invaluable.

“As someone interested in child advocacy, externing has let me shadow experts in different facets of this field to understand what the day-to-day experience is like,” Dezazzo said. “It is also incredibly rewarding to be a part of representing young people and supporting them in some of the most difficult times of their lives.”

The Externship Program’s balance between individual learning in the field and a group classroom component creates a uniquely communal seminar, where the variety of externship placements enables students to learn from each other’s experiences.

“Overall, the Externship Program at Penn Carey Law creates a learning environment where students engage with intricate legal problems and develop their critical thinking skills in a hands-on and supportive environment,” said Quaglia.