The Samuel S. Lionel Externship Program provides students an opportunity to enhance their legal education by learning through observation and hands-on experience while under the direct supervision of lawyers and judges in a variety of settings. Externships are elective experiential learning courses that integrate class work with real-world experience. The combined academic and field components of the program are designed to help students acquire or deepen their legal knowledge, develop and practice lawyering skills, begin to develop their professional identity, and become a self-directed, lifelong learner.
Students may enroll in judicial, government, public interest, or congressional externships during the fall, spring or summer semester. Legislative externships are offered every two years during the spring semester when the Nevada Legislature is in session. Students may in enroll in 3-7 externship credits if the externship is located in the Las Vegas area or up to 12 credits if the externship requires the student to relocate outside Las Vegas. Students are required to work a minimum of 46 hours per externship credit at their placement during the semester. Academic course work and field work is graded on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis. Students may take a maximum of 12 externship credits during law school.
Regularly offered externship placements:
- U.S. District Court, District of Nevada
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court
- U.S. Immigration Court
- Nevada Supreme Court
- Nevada Court of Appeals
- Eighth Judicial District Court, Las Vegas
- Second Judicial District Court, Reno
- Justice Court
- Probate Commissioner
- Nevada Department of Taxation, Administrative Hearings Office
Students may work with congressional members of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives.
Regularly offered extenship placements:
- ACLU of Nevada
- Barrick Institute for Civil Rights
- Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada, Immigration Assistance Program
- Clark County Commission
- Clark County District Attorney
- Clark County District Attorney, Family Support Division
- Clark County Public Defender
- Clark County Special Public Defender
- Clark County School District Office of General Counsel
- Community Advocacy Office, UNLV Immigration Clinic
- Department of Indigent Defense Services
- Douglas County District Attorney
- Educate Nevada Now
- Elko County Public Defender
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
- Federal Public Defender (Capital Habeas, Non-Capital Habeas, and Trial Units)
- Henderson City Attorney (Civil & Criminal Divisions)
- JAG Air Force
- Las Vegas City Attorney (Civil & Criminal Divisions)
- Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada
- Neon Law Foundation
- Nevada Office of the Attorney General
- Nevada Legal Services
- Nevada State Public Defender
- Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) Office of General Counsel
- Southern Nevada Health District Office of General Counsel
- Southern Nevada Senior Law Program
- University Medical Center Office of General Counsel
- UNLV Office of Athletic Compliance
- UNLV Office of General Counsel
- UNLV Office of Government & Community Engagement
- UNLV Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine Office of Compliance
- U.S. Attorney, District of Nevada
- Washoe County Public Defender
In addition to the regularly offered placements, students have recently externed with the following offices or organizatons:
- American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Washington, DC
- DOJ Aviation Space & Admiralty Litigation Office, Washington, DC
- DOJ Environmental & Natural Resources, Washington, DC
- DOJ Office of Environmental Justice, Washington, DC
- Environmental Law Institute, Washington, DC
- Family Violence Appellate Project, Bellevue, WA
- Georgia Appellate Practice & Education Resource Center, Atlanta, GA
- JAG Army, Fort Hood, TX
- NASA Office of General Counsel, Cape Canavarel, FL
- Portland Family Court, Oregon
- Salt Lake County District Attorney, Utah
- Superior Court, Judiciary of Guam
- Third Judicial Circuit Court, Detroit, MI
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Texas
- U.S. Court of Federal Claims, Washington, DC
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, Sacramento, CA
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington, Bellevue, WA
- U.S. District Court, District of Utah
- U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Phoenix, AZ
- Utah County District Attorney
- Washington State Supreme Court
- Wyoming Guardian Ad Litem