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  3. Field Placements

Field Placement Program

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Field placements, also referred to as externships, are one of the College of Law's experiential learning programs. In a field placement, students work outside boundaries of the law school building under the mentorship of a practicing attorney.  Through an intentional and structured field placement, students develop and exercise judgement, acquire practical knowledge, hone their professional identity, and gain other professional skills.

    Iowa Campus in Summer in front of Old Capital with yellow flowers.

    Summer Legal Placement Program

    This program is designed to help you explore professional options within the legal profession and support you in your first legal experience.

    Fall 2021 Old Capitol Building at the University of Iowa

    Academic Year Field Placements

    Pursue a part-time externship within commuting distance of the law school, or opt for a semester away in a full-time externship in a specific practice area of interest.

    View of the National Mall in Washington DC from the Iowa Law DC Program

    Washington, DC Field Placement Program

    Spend a semester in DC with a cohort of classmates while acquiring exposure to the unique legal environment of the Nation's Capital.

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    New York Pro Bono Scholars Program

    Law students in their final semester of law school are eligible to participate in this unique and innovative program developed by the New York Court of Appeals.

    Patricia Rodrigues Posada, JD Candidate 2023
    Patricia Posada Rodriguez
    Class of 2022
    "I cannot recommend enough an externship experience. The externship programs are incredibly helpful in preparing students to become successful attorneys. I had the opportunity to work in-house at John Deere Financial and at the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Iowa. These experiences helped me to put into practice the knowledge I acquired in the classrooms. At John Deere, I had the opportunity to participate in meetings and research issues which gave me an insight into the clients’ perspective of legal issues. In addition, working with Judge Collins provided me with the perspective of seeing the law from the judge’s eyes."
    Brennen Walker class of 2023 headshot
    Brennen Walker 
    Class of 2023
    "Externing has provided me with some of the most valuable, practice-based experience I could ask for—and did so from an early juncture in my law school career. I was fortunate enough to spend my 1L summer in Washington D.C. with the United States Securities & Exchange Commission and my 2L spring with Chief Judge Sara Darrow in the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois. The SEC provided me the chance to meld my budding interest in government enforcement with the new skills I had learned in Iowa Law’s foundational classes. Right away, I felt like an early contributive member of my attorney team and picked up practice-based skills that continue to serve me today. My time with Judge Darrow exposed me to an entirely different side of the law and taught me lessons that many practitioners go careers without learning. From gauging how receptive a judge is to different lines of argument, to improving my writing under the guidance of Judge Darrow and her clerks: My time with the judiciary was truly invaluable!"

    Featured Stories

    Iowa Judicial Branch Building a frame on a sunny day

    Law in Practice: Students pursue externships to hone appellate advocacy and legal writing skills

    Thursday, October 6, 2022
    By Giovanna Deo
    In addition to the Appellate Advocacy program, Iowa Law students can participate in externships that allow them to further advance their legal writing and appellate advocacy skills while working on actual cases.
    Student walking into Student Legal Services office

    Third-year law students get their day in court, fighting for students' rights

    Monday, May 2, 2022
    By Giovanna Deo
    Yutian Lei and Alison Leuchtenmacher, both third-year law students, recently tried and won a court case as a part of their field placement with Student Legal Services (SLS).

    Contact Us

    June Tai (1)

    June Tai

    Title/Position
    Clinical Professor of Law
    Director, Field Placement Programs
    Email
    june-tai@uiowa.edu
    Phone
    319-335-9094
    Professor June Tai is the Director of the Field Placement Program for the law school and supervises students in field placements. Her practice has focused on civil litigation, particularly in patent and other intellectual property disputes.  She earned her J.D. from The University of Chicago Law School and her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. 
    The University of Iowa
    University of Iowa

    College of Law

    280 Boyd Law Building Iowa City, IA 52242

    Melrose & Byington

    319-335-9034

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