Law & Judicial Externships

About Delaware Law’s Externship Program

With an externship, you will earn academic credit, hone your research and writing skills, and experience the day-to-day life of practicing attorneys and judges. Externship participants work with judges, state and local prosecutors, public defenders, and attorneys in legal service and government agencies.

In general, our externships provide opportunities with government or public service law offices or courts, where you may spend a semester or up to a year assisting and learning alongside legal professionals who serve as mentors and can guide your career to the next phase.

During a law or judicial externship, you’ll not only observe what professionals do each day, but you will also play a key role in the legal process. In these opportunities, our JD candidates get to practice what they have learned in the classroom by drafting legal documents; researching and analyzing case law; gathering evidence; and working with clients.

Students interested in interning for a judge or public interest legal agency for academic credit through our externship program should fill out the "request for externship approval" form by the stated deadline for each semester. Exact deadlines will vary from year to year, but as a general guideline:

• For a Fall externship, students must submit a request for externship approval form no later than March of the prior academic year.
• For a Spring externship, students must submit a request for externship approval form no later than October of that academic year.
• For a Summer externship, students must submit a request for externship approval form no later than October of the academic year in which they seek a summer placement.

Delaware Law provides our JD candidates with externship opportunities in Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland. Your choices include:

Public Interest Externship Program

You will work on defending the public good at a nonprofit or government agency of your choice. This 140 hour–minimum program lasting a 14-week academic term sees you explore your role as a public interest attorney and put academic theories into practice as you advocate on behalf of clients.

Students progress through this externship program under the guidance of a prominent attorney and, along with working directly in a law or government office, produce reflection papers on their observations and assess their field experiences in three case journals.

Judicial Externship Program

Students interested in a career in the courtroom or elsewhere will have the opportunity to hone their legal skills and experience the legal field from behind the scenes in a court setting.

Judicial externships provide a holistic perspective of a trial or appellate court’s operations and heavily emphasize research and writing skills. You will assist with this process and hone your own abilities by conducting legal research, drafting documents as a court clerk, and observing judicial proceedings as you receive professional advice. Delaware Law places interested JD candidates in federal or state courts.

JD candidates in strong academic standing may be selected for the Josiah Oliver Wolcott Fellowship, which offers five students the chance to serve as a clerk for a justice of the Delaware Supreme Court or the Delaware Court of Chancery and includes a scholarship in addition to academic credit. Should you be selected, you will perform duties consistent with those of a law clerk for 20 hours per week during the academic year.

Advance Your Legal Career with Delaware Law’s Externship Program

Delaware Law’s externship program prepares you to hit the ground running at your first legal job. If you are considering Delaware Law and would like to know more about our experiential learning and externship programs or are a current student with questions about externship opportunities, contact the Dean of Experiential Learning, Professor Harrington Conner, at [email protected].

Please understand that due to the possibility of conflicts, Dana Harrington Conner, Esq. does not accept requests for legal assistance, including by telephone or email.

Delaware Law School

Judicial Externship Program Placements

Delaware

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

Maryland

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

New Jersey

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.)

Pennsylvania

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

Federal

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

Delaware Law School

Public Interest Externship Program Placements

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