FIELD PLACEMENTS

KU Law students perform legal work at approved courts, nonprofit organizations and government agencies under the supervision of a practicing attorney. KU Law offers specialized placement opportunities in criminal prosecution, elder law, the judicial branch and the medical-legal partnership setting. Field placements also include a classroom component. For more information, visit law.ku.edu/field-placements.

Faculty: Glenn Jewell

Students in the Criminal Prosecution Field Placement (Law 890) gain significant courtroom experience working side by side with prosecutors in federal, state and local offices in virtually all phases of the criminal justice process. In addition to appearing regularly in court on behalf of the prosecution, interns work closely with law enforcement agencies in developing a case, as well as prepare and file district court documents and appellate briefs.

The Criminal Prosecution Field Placement consists of two components: work experience in an approved prosecutor’s office and an academic experience. The classroom component of the field placement includes a professionalism training session, program orientation session, meetings with the Program Director, a goals memo, weekly journal entries and a reflection paper.

Students may earn between 3 and 6 credit hours during each of the fall and spring semesters, or during the summer program. A student may only earn up to a total of 9 credit hours in the Criminal Prosecution Field Placement Program.

Eligibility: To be considered for the Criminal Prosecution Field Placement Program, students submit a completed application, resume and unofficial law school transcript. Students enrolled in the field placement must be eligible for a student license pursuant to Kansas Supreme Court Rule 719. More information about Rule 719 is available on page 21.

For more information, contact Glenn Jewell at gjewell@ku.edu.

Faculty: Marilyn Harp

Students in the Elder Law Field Placement (Law 901) work under the supervision of attorneys from Kansas Legal Services assisting seniors with a variety of legal issues, including income maintenance, access to health care, housing and consumer protection. Students interact with clients and prepare documents, such as durable powers of attorney, powers of attorney for health care decisions and living wills.

Students are placed with Kansas Legal Services, a private, nonprofit law firm with 12 field offices that serve senior citizens in all Kansas counties. KLS also operates the Kansas Elder Law Hotline. Each office has a Senior Citizens Law Project that serves counties in the vicinity of the office. Generally, students work in the Kansas City or Topeka offices. Arrangements can be made to be placed in Wichita or Manhattan.

Eligibility: Students are eligible to apply for the Elder Law Field Placement program after successful completion of their first year of law school. Students earn 3 credit hours per semester and can participate in either the fall or spring semester. Students can also choose to participate for both semesters. The Elder Law Field Placement program application is available at law.ku.edu/elder-law-field-placement.

Pre- or Co-Requisites: Successful completion of the first year of law school.

For more information, contact Marilyn Harp, Executive Director of Kansas Legal Services, at harpm@klsinc.org.

Field Placement Program

Faculty: Glenn Jewell

The Field Placement Program (Law 894) provides students the opportunity to earn credit for legal work performed under the supervision of a practicing attorney outside of Green Hall. It’s an excellent opportunity to learn from practicing attorneys working on actual cases and legal issues. Students are responsible for finding their field placements, which must be with a governmental agency or nonprofit. To earn course credit, the student must perform primarily legal work, be supervised by an attorney and may not receive monetary compensation from the employer. For listings of available internships, please check Symplicity.

Past field placements include: the United Nations, JAG Corps, Colorado Attorney General’s Office, Kansas Attorney General’s Office, EPA, Department of Education Office of Civil Rights, ACLU of Kansas, Spencer Museum of Art, the Kansas Department of Revenue and many more.

In order to receive credit, students work 42.5 hours for each hour of credit, complete a goals memorandum, maintain weekly journals of their experience, complete online coursework and write a final reflective paper. They also must attend an orientation and professionalism session.

Eligibility: Students are eligible to apply for the Field Placement Program after successful completion of their first year of law school. The application is available on the KU Law website at law.ku.edu/field-placement-program and must be submitted to Yolanda Huggins at ylhuggins@ku.edu by the deadline. You will be notified upon acceptance and given an enrollment code.

Pre- or Co-Requisites: None

For more information, contact Glenn Jewell at gjewell@ku.edu.

Judicial Field Placement Program

Faculty: Glenn Jewell

Students in the Judicial Field Placement Program (Law 933) serve as interns with federal and state judges. Under the supervision of a judge, law clerk or staff attorney, interns perform research, draft documents and observe courtroom proceedings to expand their knowledge of how our court systems operate.

Eligibility: Students are eligible to participate in the Judicial Field Placement after successfully completing their first year of law school. They may participate one of three ways: 1) Summer internship through the law school: This internship is open only to summer and fall starters finishing their first year of law school and requires that students submit a Judicial Field Placement application packet to Glenn Jewell. Summer interns earn 6 credit hours. 2) Fall-Spring internship through the law school: This internship is open to all second- and third- year law students and requires that students submit a Judicial Field Placement application packet to Professor Jewell. Fall-Spring placement is a full academic-year commitment with 3 credits per semester. 3) Independently secure an internship: For students who locate their own judicial internship, credit may be obtained by submitting an application to Professor Jewell along with a letter of interest from the judge that confirms the internship and explains the work that will be performed. The work must consist of research and writing, and observation of hearings, trials and chamber conferences. Students must complete significant written work.

Pre- or Co-Requisites: None

For more information about summer 2022 placements, contact Pam Keller at pkeller@ku.edu. For questions about the program generally, contact Glenn Jewell at gjewell@ku.edu.

Supervising Attorneys: Juliann Morland DaVee and Lindsey Collins

The KU School of Law Medical-Legal Partnership (MLP) is a collaboration between the KU School of Law and two health systems: The University of Kansas Health System at KU Medical Center in Kansas City, and LMH Health in Lawrence. Under the supervision of experienced MLP attorneys, students assist in providing free transactional legal assistance to low-income patients and their families in the following areas of civil law: I – Income/Insurance (denials of public benefits, Medicaid/Medicare, Social Security benefits) H – Housing (evictions, issues with public housing, Section 8, poor rental conditions) E – Education/Employment (IEPs, school conflict, FMLA leave) L – Legal Status (immigration matters, including naturalization, trafficking/crime victims) P – Personal/Family Stability (Advance care planning – wills, living wills, health care and financial powers of attorney, protection from abuse/stalking orders, guardianships/conservatorships)

MLP interns gain extensive transactional experience conducting intake interviews; developing case strategies; conducting legal research; and preparing legal pleadings, briefs, and memoranda of support. They can represent clients in administrative hearings and district court if the student is eligible for a student license pursuant to Kansas Supreme Court Rule 719. More information about Rule 719 is available on page 21.

Eligibility: Applications are available at law.ku.edu/medical-legal-partnership and are accepted on a rolling basis. Students can participate during the fall, spring or summer semesters for 3 to 6 credit hours. Students must enroll through the general Field Placement Program (894).

Pre- or Co-Requisites: Successful completion of the first year of law school.

For more information contact Lindsey Collins, Managing Attorney for the KU MLP at KU Medical Center, lindsey.collins@ku.edu; or Juliann Morland DaVee, Managing Attorney for the KU MLP at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, juliann.davee@ku.edu.

Faculty: Glenn Jewell

The 6th Semester in Washington, D.C. Program gives students work experience and connections within the D.C. legal, political and public interest communities. Through the program, students meet, learn from and network with influential and accomplished D.C. attorneys from the public and private sectors and have opportunities to develop in the D.C. region.

Each student is responsible for securing an internship in the public or nonprofit sector. Past field placements include the House Judiciary Committee, the Senate Agriculture Committee, the Department of Homeland Security, ASPCA, PBS, the National Resource Defense Council and the National Association of Attorneys General. To earn credit, the student must be engaged primarily in legal work, be supervised by an attorney and may not receive monetary compensation. Students complete a goals memo, weekly journals and a final reflection paper for the program.

In D.C., you will take classes taught by KU Law faculty that address topics pertinent to D.C. and public service or incorporate local speakers and resources. Courses are offered on a schedule that allows students to balance study and work obligations. Students enroll in 6 to 9 credit hours for the field placement .

Eligibility: Students in good academic standing are eligible to participate in the D.C. program during their final semester. Students interested in this program should meet with Professor Jewell as early in their law school career as possible, preferably during their 1L year.

Pre- or Co-Requisites: Be in the last semester of law school; enroll in the Sixth Semester Field Placement taught in Washington, D.C.

For more information, contact Glenn Jewell at gjewell@ku.edu.