The request for externship approval form for the Fall 2025 semester will open in March 2025. Please reach out to Emily Shim at [email protected] with any questions.
The Delaware Civil Law Clinic (DCC) provides free legal services to survivors of domestic violence seeking civil legal protection from abuse, as well as child custody, visitation, and divorce matters; engages in social justice reform; and prepares wills, powers of attorney, and health care directives for survivors of domestic violence, the elderly, and terminally ill clients. The DCC operates in conjunction with Delaware Volunteer Legal Services, Inc. (DVLS), the pro bono arm of the Delaware State Bar Association.
What Students Do: Third year clinic students are admitted to the limited practice of law, as Certified Legal Interns, pursuant to Delaware Supreme Court Rule 56. Interns represent survivors of domestic violence in Delaware Family Court, as well as provide estate planning assistance to clients. Interns also engage in social justice reform through public policy work, which includes legal research, advocacy and drafting legislation. DCC interns learn practical legal skills while working in the clinic, including interviewing clients and witnesses; counseling clients; negotiating; investigating cases; marshalling evidence (such as photographs of injuries, 911 calls, witness statements, and social media); legal research; writing legal memorandum; drafting pleadings (petitions, motions, etc.); writing client letters; preparing for trial (direct examination, cross examination, opening, closing, etc.); applying the rules of evidence, rules of civil procedure, rules of professional conduct, and statutes; and representing clients in court.
Credits and Hours Required: Students in their third year of law school enroll in the clinic for six (6) credits and are expected to spend an average of 20 hours per week working on clinic cases. Students work collaboratively with their DCC colleagues and meet with their supervisors throughout the week regarding their work. The DCC may also accept second year students for two (2) credits, depending on space availability, to do limited work in the clinic for approximately seven (7) hours per week.
Delaware Bar Clerkship Requirement: Students enrolled in the DCC are able to satisfy some of their Delaware Bar Clerkship requirements and all work is supervised by a Delaware-barred attorney (5+ years).
Orientation, Hearing Dates and Clinic Seminar: Students must be available throughout the semester every Friday during business hours for mandatory orientation, trainings, and meetings necessary to prepare for trial. In addition, students must attend a weekly seminar. The seminar is considered a law firm meeting, due to the professional skills, substantive law, and procedure taught. Seminar attendance is mandatory. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the DCC Clinic Director, Professor Dana Harrington Conner ([email protected]) or Supervising Attorney, Professor Cathy Zwolak Kilian ([email protected]).
The Dignity Rights Clinic helps bend the arc of the law toward human dignity – the inherent, inalienable, and equal worth of every person, everywhere. The Clinic focuses on law reform through education, advocacy and litigation in domestic and international fora. We do not represent individuals in court; instead, we work with advocates and lawyers to help shape the law so that the human dignity of marginalized and vulnerable people is respected. The clinic is offered for 3 credits in the fall and spring semesters.
What Students Do – Clinic students will work with lawyers and others on dignity-advancing matters. They will conduct research on individual cases, speak with lawyers and clients (or potential clients) in person or remotely, and help develop arguments, briefs and reports, and other materials to persuade courts and others that the law should respect the human right to dignity.
The Clinic Class – The clinic meets weekly in a seminar format. The first part of the class involves learning the basics of dignity law, as it has developed in the US and abroad and in international and regional human rights instruments. In the second part of the class, students will conduct legal and factual research and produce a work product.
Application and Enrollment – Students in their second semester, second year or later may apply for the Clinic. ED students and students who have previously taken the Clinic are welcome to apply. Others may apply with permission from the Clinic Director. Please contact Professor Daly at [email protected] or Professor May at [email protected].
For more information, visit https://delawarelaw.widener.edu/current-students/jd-academics/experiential-courses/clinics/dignity-rights-clinic/
The Environmental & Natural Resources Law Clinic provides free legal representation to individuals and organizations confronting environmental issues arising under federal, state, and local environmental laws. The Clinic handles cases such as appeals of regulatory decisions and enforcement of environmental laws, analyzes and develops policy proposals, and advises clients who seek advice, educational, or legislative assistance.
What Students Do – Clinic interns, operating under the direct supervision of the Clinic Director, assist in representing and advising clients. This may involve working with administrative agencies, scientists and engineers, conducting factual and legal research, drafting memoranda and pleadings, and otherwise developing and implementing legal strategies.
The Clinic Class – The Clinic meets weekly in a seminar that includes a Firm Meeting (in which Clinic Interns discuss and address substantive and procedural problems encountered by students in their work for Clinic clients) as well as working on the development of skills to become practice-ready. Students are expected, over the course of the semester, to work 40 hours of combined live client and Clinic time per credit hour taken.
Delaware Bar Clerkship Requirement – Students enrolled in the Clinic may be able to satisfy some of their clerkship requirements by working with Volunteer Attorneys who are Delaware-barred attorneys.
Application and Enrollment – Students in their second semester, second year or later may apply for the Clinic. ED students are welcome to apply.
(3L/4L ED and RD students encouraged to apply)
The Innocence Project Delaware Legal Clinic partners with the non-profit organization Innocence Project Delaware (IPD) in providing legal representation to people unjustly incarcerated in Delaware for crimes they did not commit.
What Students Do – Students assist Innocence Project Delaware in their mission by learning post-conviction law and practicing innocence work. Students work under the supervision of Clinic Director Romie Griesmer and the IPD legal team. Innocence work may involve comprehensive case reviews, interviewing clients or witnesses, conducting investigations, performing legal research, writing memoranda of law and preparing legal pleadings.
Credits – Students are enrolled for six (6) total skills credits, three (3) in the Fall Semester and three (3) in the Spring Semester.
Clinic Seminar and Clinic Hours – There is a weekly seminar where students study the causes of wrongful convictions. Students will work on innocence cases and attend supervision sessions with Professor Griesmer and the IPD legal team. Students are expected to spend an average of 10 hours per week on clinic work. If you have any questions about our program, please feel free to email Professor Griesmer at [email protected].
Application & Enrollment – Only rising 3L/4L students are eligible to apply by completing the online Experiential Application Form. Six (6) students will be selected after submission of application and interview.
Prerequisites - Post-Conviction Remedies (offered in the fall semester) is a pre or co-requisite. Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure I, Evidence and Professional Responsibility are course prerequisites. Preference will be given to students who have taken ITAP, Trial Methods: Criminal, Pretrial Methods: Criminal and/or Criminal Procedure II.
The Pa. Criminal Defense Clinic represents people in Chester County who are indigent and charged with misdemeanor crimes in state court. Our clients are referred to us by the Chester County Public Defender’s Office.
What Students Do – Students are certified by Pennsylvania Supreme Court to represent clients in court under the direct supervision of Clinic Director Romie Griesmer. Students represent clients through all stages of criminal cases: initial client interview, investigation, plea bargaining, preliminary hearings, pretrial motions, trials, and appeals.
Credits and Hours Required – Students are enrolled for six (6) Credits and are expected to spend an average of 20 hours per week working on clinic cases, 10 of those hours must be spent in the clinic workroom. Students work with an assigned partner and have a weekly meeting with Professor Griesmer regarding their casework. Once enrolled in the Clinic, students may not withdraw from the clinic without specific written authorization from Professor Griesmer.
Orientation and Clinic Seminar – In order to have students begin client representation as soon as possible there is a mandatory orientation prior to the start of classes. The seminar meets once a week, usually Wednesdays from 2 - 4 p.m. Due to the importance of the professional skills, substantive law and procedure being taught, seminar attendance is mandatory-- no absences are allowed. If you have any questions about the program, please feel free to email Professor Griesmer at [email protected].
Application & Enrollment – Only rising third year students are eligible to apply by completing the online Experiential Application Form. Students will be selected after submission of application and interview.
Prerequisites - A grade of C or better in the following courses: Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure I, Evidence and Professional Responsibility is required. Strong preference will be given to applicants who have taken one of the following trial skills courses: Pre-Trial or Trial Methods: Criminal, Criminal Procedure II or ITAP. ITAP is a one-week trial advocacy course offered immediately following the spring semester.
The Veterans Law Clinic (VLC) provides free legal representation to low-income, disabled veterans and their dependents for appeals to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. The clinic handles cases regarding disability compensation, needs-based pension, Section 1151 claims (malpractice-type claims against the VA), VA overpayment waivers, and dependency and indemnity compensation (survivor benefit). The Clinic also handles discharge upgrade applications and wills and related documents. Students also might have the opportunity to assist the National Law School Veterans Clinic Consortium with policy advocacy and amicus work.
What Students Do – Students assist clients through all phases of a case: intake and initial interviews, investigation and gathering of documentary evidence, working with forensic experts, filing petitions, representing clients at hearings, and appellate brief writing. Students also attend the Clinic's Veterans Assistance Appointments, in which Clinic attorneys provide one-hour, free consultations to veterans.
The Clinic Class – During fall/spring semesters, the clinic class meets once a week, usually Mondays from 4:15 to 6:15 p.m. Students are enrolled for three to six credits and are expected to spend 10 to 20 hours per week on Clinic work.
Delaware Bar Clerkship Requirement – Students enrolled in the Clinic may be able to satisfy some of their clerkship requirements by working with Professor Morrell, our Delaware-barred attorney. Please let us know if you plan to sit for the Delaware Bar.
If you have any questions about our program, please feel free to contact Professor Jennifer Morrell, Clinic Director at [email protected].
Registration – (ED and RD students encouraged to apply)
The Judicial Externship Program (JEP) is a one-semester or full-year clinical legal field placement experience in which students may earn either 3 credits per semester (10 hours/week minimum) or 6 credits per semester (20 hours/week minimum) academic credits. The course is graded pass/fail.
Placements: Students enrolled in the Judicial Externship Program (JEP) are placed as part-time clerks for academic credit in the chambers of judges in State and Federal trial and appellate courts in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, including Federal Circuit, District and Magistrate Courts; State Supreme, intermediate appellate and trial courts, and various other courts including U.S Tax Court, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, state courts of equity and administrative law courts. A list of possible field placements is set forth below.
Requirements: Briefly put –and not intended to limit more specific instructions- to complete the program, externs are required to:
Prerequisites: Applicants must have completed 3 semesters of law school, with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above, and must have successfully completed (C or better) courses in Professional Responsibility and Evidence. The Director will have final authority to determine which applicants qualify for admission and to determine placements with particular courts. We recognize that some students have special relationships with judges or may have contacted judges prior to application and enrollment. Such arrangements for placements will be carefully considered as they occur.
Application Requirements: Applicants must complete the Request for Externship Approval Form by the stated deadline and receive approval from the Associate Dean of Experiential Learning in order to engage in an externship for academic credit. Please reach out to Emily Shim, Experiential Learning Coordinator ([email protected]), with any technical difficulties or questions.
Student initiative in arranging one’s own field placements is welcomed and encouraged.
The Public Interest Externship Program (PIEP) is a one-semester or full-year clinical legal field placement experience in which students may earn either 3 credits per semester (10 hours/week minimum) or 6 credits per semester (20 hours/week minimum) academic credits. The course is graded pass/fail.
Placements: Students enrolled in the Public Interest Externship Program (PIEP) are placed as part-time law clerks in government agencies (including prosecutors, public defenders, and others) and non-profit organizations for academic credit. A list of possible field placements is set forth below. If you have questions about PIEP placements, please contact Dean Harrington, Associate Dean of Experiential Learning, at [email protected].
Prerequisites: By the start of the Externship Placement, students must have earned 60 credits for DE and NJ (45 credits for PA) and must have successfully completed (C or better) courses in Professional Responsibility and Evidence. Students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.3 or above. Some placements may also require students to have completed additional courses, such as Federal Tax, Family Law, ITAP and/or Trial Methods.
Application Requirements: Applicants must complete the Request for Externship Approval Form by the stated deadline and receive approval from the Associate Dean of Experiential Learning in order to engage in an externship for academic credit. Please reach out to Emily Shim, Experiential Learning Coordinator ([email protected]), with any technical difficulties or questions.
Student initiative in arranging one’s own field placements is welcomed and encouraged.
Judge Meghan A. Adams (Superior Court of Delaware) Wilmington
Judge Danielle J. Brennan (Superior Court of Delaware) Wilmington
Judge Jeffrey J. Clark (Superior Court of Delaware) Dover
Judge Robert B. Coonin (Family Court of Delaware) Wilmington
Judge Arlene M. Coppadge (Family Court of Delaware) Wilmington
Judge Eric M. Davis (Superior Court of Delaware) Wilmington
Vice Chancellor Sam Glasscock, III (Delaware Court of Chancery) Georgetown
Judge Mary M. Johnston (Superior Court of Delaware) Wilmington
Judge Jan R. Jurden (Superior Court of Delaware) Wilmington
Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster ((Delaware Court of Chancery) Wilmington
Judge Abigail L. LeGrow (Superior Court of Delaware) Wilmington
Judge Calvin L. Scott (Superior Court of Delaware) Wilmington
Judge Vivian L. Medinilla (Superior Court of Delaware) Wilmington
Master Selena E. Molina (Delaware Court of Chancery) Wilmington
Judge Mark D. Buckworth (Family Court of Delaware) Wilmington
Chief Judge Michael K. Newell (Family Court of Delaware) Wilmington
Judge Mardi F. Pyott (Family Court of Delaware) Dover
Judge Sheldon K. Rennie (Superior Court of Delaware) Wilmington
Judge Alex J. Smalls (Delaware Court of Common Pleas) Wilmington
Judge Robert H. Surles (Delaware Court of Common Pleas) Wilmington
Judge Paul R. Wallace (Superior Court of Delaware) Wilmington
Judge John K. Welch (Delaware Court of Common Pleas) Wilmington
Justice Karen K. Valihura (Supreme Court of Delaware) Wilmington
Judge Kathleen L. Beckstead (Maryland Circuit Court – 1st Circuit) Salisbury
Judge Michele D. Hotten (Maryland Court of Special Appeals) Upper Marlboro
Judge V. Michael Whelan (Maryland Circuit Court – 3rd Circuit) Elkton
Judge Robert P. Becker, Jr. (Superior Court of N.J.) Gloucester/Salem/Cumberland Vicinage
Judge Aimee R. Belgard (Superior Court of N.J.) Burlington Vicinage
Judge Paula T. Dow (Superior Court of N.J. – Chancery Division) Burlington Vicinage
Judge Richard W. English (Superior Court of N.J.) Monmouth Vicinage
Justice Faustino V. Fernandez-Vina (Supreme Court of N.J.)
Judge Garry J. Furnari (Superior Court of N.J.) Essex Vicinage
Judge Douglas H. Hurd (Superior Court of NJ) Mercer Vicinage
Judge Lisa James-Beavers (Superior Court of N.J.) Burlington Vicinage
Judge Harold U. Johnson, Jr. (Superior Court of N.J.) Gloucester/Salem/Cumberland Vicinage
Judge Hany A. Mawla (Superior Court of N.J. – Appellate Division) Hunterdon Vicinage
Judge MaryAnn O’Brien (Superior Court of N.J.) Burlington Vicinage
Judge Michael R. Ostrowski, Jr. (Superior Court of N.J.) Gloucester/Salem/Cumberland Vicinage
Judge Stephen L. Petrillo (Superior Court of N.J.) Essex Vicinage
Judge Patricia Richmond (Superior Court of N.J.) Burlington Vicinage
Judge Daniel Roberts (Superior Court of N.J.) Union Vicinage
Judge M. Susan Sheppard (Superior Court of N.J. – General Equity/Chancery) Atlantic Vicinage
Justice Lee A. Solomon (Supreme Court of N.J.)
Judge Wallace H. Bateman (Pa. Ct. of Common Pleas) Bucks Co. (Doylestown)
Judge Mary Alice Brennan (Pa. Ct. of Common Pleas) Delaware Co. (Media)
Judge Carolyn Tornetta Carluccio (Pa. Ct. of Common Pleas) Montgomery Co. (Norristown)
Judge Richard M. Cappelli (Pa. Ct. of Common Pleas) Delaware Co. (Media)
Judge John P. Capuzzi, Sr. (Pa. Ct. of Common Pleas) Delaware Co. (Media)
Judge Rose Marie DeFino-Nastasi (Pa. Ct. of Common Pleas) Philadelphia
Judge Barry C. Dozor (Pa. Ct. of Common Pleas) Delaware Co. (Media)
Judge Kelly D. Eckel (Pa. Ct. of Common Pleas) Delaware Co. (Media)
Judge Charles Ehrlich (Pa. Ct. of Common Pleas) Philadelphia
Judge Michael E. Erdos (Pa. Ct. of Common Pleas) Philadelphia
Judge Susan Peikes Gantman (Superior Court of Pa.) Conshohocken
Judge Gary B. Gilman (Pa. Ct. of Common Pleas) Bucks Co. (Doylestown)
Judge Glynnis Hill (Pa. Court of Common Pleas) Philadelphia
Judge Allyson Jozik (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (Philadelphia)
Judge James M. Lillis – (Pa. Court of Common Pleas) Reading
Judge William C. Mackrides (Pa. Ct. of Common Pleas) Delaware Co. (Media)
Judge Daniel D. McCaffery (Superior Court of Pa.) Philadelphia
Judge Maria McLaughlin (Superior Court of Pa.) Philadelphia
Judge Scott O’Keefe (Pa. Ct. of Common Pleas) Philadelphia
Judge Ann A. Osborne (Pa. Ct. of Common Pleas) Delaware Co. (Media)
Judge John Padova (Pa. Ct. of Common Pleas) Philadelphia
Judge George A. Pagano (Pa. Ct. of Common Pleas) Delaware Co. (Media)
Judge Jack Panella (Superior Court of PA) Allentown/Philadelphia
Judge Mia Roberts Perez (Pa. Ct. of Common Pleas) Philadelphia
Judge Thomas P. Rogers (Pa. Ct. of Common Pleas) Montgomery Co. (Norristown)
Judge Dominic F. Pileggi (Pa. Ct. of Common Pleas) Delaware Co. (Media)
Judge Megan Sullivan (Superior Court of Pa.) Philadelphia
Judge Karen Shreeves-Johns (Pa. Ct. of Common Pleas) Philadelphia
Judge Stella M. Tsai (Pa. Ct. of Common Pleas) Philadelphia
Judge Thomas L. Ambro (U.S. Court of Appeals, 3rd Cir.) Wilmington
Judge Richard G. Andrews (U.S. District Court, DE) Wilmington
Judge Christopher J. Burke (U.S. Magistrate Court, DE) Wilmington
Judge Linda K. Caracappa (U.S. Magistrate Court, E.D. PA) Philadelphia
Chief Judge Kevin J. Carey (U.S. Bankruptcy Court, DE) Wilmington
Judge Sherry R. Fallon (U.S. Magistrate Court, DE) Wilmington
Judge Kent A. Jordan (U.S. Court of Appeals, 3rd Cir.) Wilmington
Judge Mark A. Kearney (U.S. District Court, E.D. PA) Philadelphia
Judge Luis Felipe Restrepo (U.S. Court of Appeals, 3rd Cir.) Philadelphia
Judge Timothy R. Rice (U.S. Magistrate Court, E.D. PA) Philadelphia
Judge Laurie Selber Silverstein (U.S. Bankruptcy Court, DE) Wilmington
Judge Christopher S. Sontchi (U.S. Bankruptcy Court, DE) Wilmington
Judge Leonard P. Stark (U.S. District Court, DE) Wilmington
Judge R. Barclay Surrick (U.S. District Court, E.D. PA) Philadelphia
Alexandria (VA) Office of the Public Defender
Atlantic County (NJ) Office of the Public Defender (Mays Landing)
Beau Biden Foundation (Wilmington)
Bucks County (PA) District Attorney’s Office (Doylestown)
Camden County (NJ) Prosecutor’s Office (Camden)
Campaign for Working Families (Philadelphia)
Chester County (PA) District Attorney’s Office (West Chester)
Christiana Care Health System – Office of Corporate Counsel (Wilmington)
City of Wilmington (DE) City Solicitor’s Office, Environmental Section
Commonwealth of PA Bureau of Consumer Protection (Philadelphia)
Community Legal Aid Society, Inc. – Wilmington, DE
Community Legal Aid Society, Inc. – Medical-Legal Partnership (Wilmington; Chester)
Defenders Association of Philadelphia (Philadelphia)
Delaware Eviction Defense Project (Wilmington)
Esperanza Immigration Services (Philadelphia)
Federal Public Defender – District of Delaware (Wilmington)
Free Migration Project (Philadelphia)
Gloucester County (NJ) Prosecutor’s Office (Woodbury)
Health, Education & Legal Assistance Project (MLP) (Chester/Philadelphia)
Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield of New Jersey (Pennington)
Innocence Delaware (Wilmington)
Innocence Project PA (Philadelphia)
Local 1776 Food & Commercial Workers – Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania
Montgomery County (PA) District Attorney’s Office (Norristown)
Montgomery County (PA) – Office of the Public Defender (Norristown)
National Lawyers Guild of Delaware/New Jersey
Ocean County (NJ) Prosecutor’s Office (Toms River)
Office of Attorney General of New Jersey – Department of Law
Office of Attorney General of Pennsylvania – Special Initiatives
Office of Chief Counsel – U.S. Internal Revenue Service (Philadelphia)
Office of Chief United States Probation Officer – DE (Wilmington)
Office of Corporate Counsel – Thomas Jefferson University (Philadelphia)
Office of Counsel to New Castle County Council (New Castle)
Office of General Counsel – Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ (Hopewell; Newark)
Office of the District Attorney – Berks County, Pennsylvania (Reading)
Office of the District Attorney – Bucks County, Pennsylvania (Doylestown)
Office of the District Attorney – Chester County, Pennsylvania (West Chester)
Office of the District Attorney – Montgomery County, Pennsylvania (Norristown)
Office of the District Attorney – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Office of the District Attorney – Office of Child Support Enforcement – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Office of the District Attorney – York County, Pennsylvania (York)
Office of General Counsel, Pennsylvania Department of Education (Harrisburg)
Office of the Mayor – North Brunswick, New Jersey
Office of the Prosecutor – Camden County, New Jersey
Office of the State’s Attorney – Allegany County, Maryland (Cumberland)
Office of the Public Defender – 6th Judicial Circuit of Florida (Clearwater)
Office of the State’s Attorney – Cecil County, Maryland (Elkton)
Office of the U.S. Bankruptcy Trustee – DE (Wilmington)
Office of United States Senator Cory A. Booker (Newark)
Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (Philadelphia)
State of Delaware – Delaware Department of Justice, Traffic Safety Division (Wilmington)
State of Delaware – Delaware Department of Justice, Consumer Protection Unit (Wilmington)
State of Delaware – Delaware Department of Justice, Office of Civil Rights and Public Trust
State of Delaware – Department of Justice, Civil Division (Wilmington)
State of Delaware – Delaware Department of Justice, Criminal Division (Wilmington)
State of Delaware – Delaware Department of Justice, Domestic Violence Unit (Wilmington)
State of Delaware – Delaware Department of Justice, Drug Overdose Fatality Review Commission
State of Delaware – Delaware Department of Justice, Family Division (Wilmington)
State of Delaware – Delaware Department of Justice, Multi-State Litigation Unit (Wilmington)
State of Delaware – Delaware Department of Justice, Sussex County Prosecutor (Georgetown)
State of Delaware – Department of State, Global Delaware (Wilmington)
State of Delaware – Office of the Child Advocate (Wilmington)
State of Delaware – Office of the Governor (Dover; Wilmington)
State of Delaware – Office of Defense Services (Wilmington)
State of Delaware – Senate Majority Caucus (Dover)
State of New Jersey – Division of Taxation (Trenton)
State of New Jersey – Division of Tort Litigation & Judiciary (Trenton)
Tax Conferee – Delaware Division of Revenue (Wilmington)
U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General (Washington)
U.S. Department of Education – Office of Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services – Office of Regional Counsel
U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Immigration & Customs Enforcement
U.S. Department of the Interior – Bureau of Indian Affairs
U.S. Department of Labor, Regional Solicitor (Philadelphia)
U.S. Department of Transportation - Federal Transit Administration
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission – Cleveland, OH Field Office