Quinn Cote (28JD) spent the summer after his 1L year clerking for the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. During his clerkship, he drafted judicial opinions, bench memoranda, and conducted legal research. 

“It was an incredible experience that constantly challenged my legal writing abilities. Besides the first semester of law school, this summer was the most I have ever improved my writing skills,” Cote said. 

As a law student, Cote appreciates opportunities to learn through hands-on experiences because he was able to see real-life applications of the law he learned in a purely academic environment and get a head start on his career. He was planning on working for the Eighth Circuit before enrolling in the SLP course, which made the decision to receive academic credit “feel natural.”  

“Not only did this externship set me up for success in my practice, but it has also set me up for law school success as well,” Cote said. “Receiving three credits does not feel like a lot, but having one less class to worry about in law school is significant ... I won’t have to stress during registration and if I need to take a lighter course load, I am now able to because of the SLP course.” 

Clayton Harlan, 27JD

Summer law clerk for the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 

Clayton Harlan (27JD) spent the summer after his 2L year interning as a law clerk for the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. There, he worked with the Oversight and Nominations team to prepare legal memoranda about recent developments affecting agencies under the Committee’s jurisdiction and observed some of the many functions of the Committee. 

Harlan has looked for experiential learning opportunities like working for the Banking Committee because they allow him to apply the ideas he learns in law school into practice.  

Through SLP, students work on assignments that help them develop professional skills and optimize their experiences. They reflect on their externship experiences throughout the summer to improve performance and to translate their experiences into marketable skills, academic plans, and career plans. Harlan emphasized that these reflections were valuable to his development. 

“I also benefited from the numerous course reflections that I completed, which allowed me to better align my internship and career goals,” Harlan said. 

Andrew Jackson, 27JD

Summer intern at Neighborhood Defender Service Detroit 

Andrew Jackson (27JD) interned at Neighborhood Defender Service (NDS) Detroit the summer after his 2L year and described it as “everything [he] could have hoped for.” After a week of training, NDS Detroit interns were given the freedom to take on almost any task. 

“I was able to meet with clients, draft various pleadings, argue bail and extradition bond motions, and assist attorneys with trial preparation and execution. This was only possible because of the amazing people and office culture I found at NDS Detroit, and my confidence moving forward as a public defender has never been higher,” Jackson said. 

This summer was Jackson’s second time benefiting from SLP. Last summer, he enrolled in the course for an internship at the Federal Public Defender's Office in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 

“As someone going into public defense, experiential learning is crucial because public defenders are often ‘thrown into the fire’ of litigating criminal cases. I take my responsibility to become an effective public defender extremely seriously, and experiential learning is widely regarded as the best way to learn how to defend cases,” Jackson said. “Receiving experiential credit is a fantastic bonus, as it allows me to lighten my credit load going into my 3L year.”