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SKILL SHARPENER
University of Minnesota Law Students See Courts in Action Through Judicial Externship [by Erica Winter] Dave Nardolillo chose to attend the University of Minnesota Law School in part because of its clinics and externship program, and now he is one of 60 law students this summer taking the law school’s judicial externship course.
The Minneapolis-based law school’s pro-
time with the courts. Students also write one
a great opportunity” to work with a judge and
grams are strengthened by its location.
long essay, says Chomsky, discussing judicial
decided to do both. It’s expensive to lose paid
Specifically, being very close to several state
decision making and the role of clerks in that
hours to pay for a law school course at the
and federal courthouses makes its judicial
process.
same time, Ewald says, but “I’m getting my money’s worth and then some,” she says.
externship program vibrant and the school itself a “really attractive” choice, says Nardo-
Ewald, who will be in her second year at Min-
lillo. The externship course places students
nesota Law in the fall, is doing her externship
So far this summer, “I’ve been pleasantly
with a federal, state, or tribal judge.
with the Hennepin County District Court,
surprised by both,” Ewald says, and cites
Fourth Judicial District, a state trial court.
the wide range of legal experience that she
And in the judicial externship itself, see-
The judge will be retiring next January, so
is packing into one summer. On one hand,
ing the law move from the theory of the
he is only hearing criminal cases now, not
there is a gang-related murder trial; on the
classroom to the reality of the courtroom is
lengthier civil cases. At the start of her ex-
other, banking laws. “I like both for different
very interesting, says Ashley Ewald, another
ternship, Ewald saw some basic cases, such
reasons,” Ewald says, adding that it will be
current externship participant. She now feels
as sentencing in a domestic violence case,
difficult to make a career choice between the
she is studying for an applicable purpose,
she says. Then, the court started a more
private and public sectors.
“not just to ace the final,” she says.
complicated murder trial.
Students must complete at least 100 hours
The judge Ewald works with is “very open
wants to pursue a career in prosecution,
of externship work to receive 2 credits, and
with what he lets me see,” she says. For ex-
preferably in the arena of federal white-collar
at least 150 hours to receive 3 credits for
ample, she was surprised to be told to sit up
crime. Now finished with his first year of law
completing the course. The summer extern-
next to the judge during proceedings, having
school, Nardolillo was a bond trader on Wall
ship runs from early June to the start of the
expected to be out in the gallery. The judge
Street for six years before coming to Min-
fall semester in August; the course is also
will tell her his thoughts on the case and the
nesota Law. Both the September 11 attacks
offered during the academic year.
proceedings afterwards. There is another law
and the Enron scandal motivated him to go
Nardolillo, on the other hand, is sure he
clerk, but the judge, she feels, treats her as
into the law, he says, and he hopes to focus
In the summer, students’ hours must be
though she is also a clerk. “It’s been very nice
on corporate wrongdoing as a U.S. Attorney
spread out over at least six weeks, to get a
that way,” Ewald says.
some day.
choose to work for the judge for the whole
The judge is “an excellent mentor,” Ewald
This summer, Nardolillo’s externship is
summer “and get a great experience out
says; and she is enjoying doing a lot of
with a federal magistrate judge, who assists
of it,” says Professor Carol Chomsky, who
research. “I’m learning how much I don’t
the district court judge with the caseload of
teaches the course. Also, some students have
know,” she says, and seeing “how difficult a
the federal district court. Nardolillo is not
concurrent summer jobs or take other law
judge’s job is.”
working as closely with the federal judge as
sense of the breadth of cases. Some students
school courses.
Ewald is with the state judge, but this is not Ewald is splitting her time this summer be-
surprising. Instead, Nardolillo is assisting the
For the externship, there are no class meet-
tween the judicial externship and an intern-
federal judge’s clerks in their work, watching
ings, as there are during the course in the
ship with the legal department of MoneyGram
proceedings, and helping with memo writing.
academic year. There is a reading packet, and
International. Most students signed up for
The judicial externship is “absolutely” good
instead of discussing it, students write essays
the externship before hearing whether or not
practical writing experience, says Nardolillo.
and send them in to Professor Chomsky.
they had gotten other jobs, she says. Ewald
“I really needed to get some real exposure to
Students keep journals recording their im-
considered dropping the externship to take
how things unfold” in a courtroom.
pressions and experiences throughout their
the corporate job alone, but she “knew it was
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