Externships (June 30 - July 12)
Externships will be offered to twenty students who have participated in the four-week course component. These two-week externships allow students to observe the practice of law in Mexico under the direct supervision of a Mexican judge, attorney or notary. Externs receive two semester credits. If you wish to enroll in the externship program, you must enroll by May 30, 2008 and have paid all fees associated with the program prior to June 1, 2008.
The externship program begins on June 30 with an orientation and ends July 12 at noon. The program beings at 8:00 a.m. with a fifty-minute lecture. The lectures will take place either at the law school or in the offices of various state and governmental officials. Externs will also spend approximately five hours each day working at their externships and maintain a daily journal of their experience. Placements will include the Guanajuato Supreme Court; the Mexican Federal Appellate Court; the civil, criminal, and administrative courts of Guanajuato; conciliation courts of Guanajuato; and law offices in Guanajuato. Preference for positions at the State Supreme Court and the Federal Courts will be given to students entering their final year of law school.
The grade (Credit for C or better or C-/D+/D/D-/F) for the externship will be based on the journal, an evaluation by your placement supervisor, and a memorandum of approximately eight pages explaining some aspect of the law or procedure learned during their externship.
Externs will be supervised through weekly meetings with the Program Director. Attendance at each morning lecture is required to obtain credit.
Students participating in the externship program must be reasonably fluent in Spanish. Applicants must submit an application form as well as a statement of interest which describes their level of Spanish fluency. Each student will be interviewed in person or by telephone prior to acceptance.
Enrollment is limited to a maximum of 20 students depending on availability. Applications must be accompanied by the $200 non-refundable application fee required by those attending the four week program and the $500 externship program fee. The program will attempt to place successful applicants in an externship that is appropriate to his/her interest. Students who withdraw from the externship program after June 1, 2008, will not receive a refund.
