Semester in DC: Students

Spend a semester in DC working for a non-profit or government agency – for law school credit!  If you would like to work in Washington after graduation, or if you want to gain experience in matters of public policy, regulation, lobbying, or litigation in your specialty area, the Semester in DC program offers you a unique opportunity.  By working in the DC area as a full-time extern for a government or non-profit employer, you'll get hands-on experience in your field, meet attorneys in your specialty and in diverse positions -- and learn about the incredible range of jobs available in government agencies, on the Hill, and in lobbying firms, non-profit organizations, professional associations, and private firms and companies in our nation's capital. 

Program Details

Externship and Seminar:  The Semester in DC program is centered around a one-semester, full-time externship with a government office or non-profit organization.  You will also participate in our DC Seminar, in which you will discuss your externship experience, write a seminar paper based on your externship work, learn about some of the substantive areas of law related to work in Washington, and meet our Washington-area alumni.

Credits:   In one semester, you earn 13 credits: 10 ungraded credits for the DC Externship and 3 graded credits for the DC Seminar.  The DC Externship fulfills the Professional Skills requirement, and the DC Seminar fulfills the Upper Level Writing Requirement.  If you wish, you can also earn 1-2 additional credits by writing an independent study paper related to your externship under the supervision of a professor.  In Spring 2013, you can also take an additional 3 credit class, "Law-Making Seminar,"  which will be taught in Washington.

Externship Requirements:  

In order to qualify for the program, externships must meet the following requirements:

1. Employers must be either non-profit organizations or government offices;
2. Students must work a minimum of 520 hours during the semester (35-40 hours a week for 13-15 weeks);
3. Students must do primarily law-related work;
4. Students must be supervised by an attorney;
5. Students must be unpaid; and
6. Students must work in the office (no telecommuting).

Steps for Participating:

(1) As soon as you know that you might be interested in participating in the Semester in DC program:

• Join our LinkedIn group, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter! We regularly post job, internship, and event info on our LinkedIn page, and event info and program updates on our Facebook page.  Our Twitter has updates from our current Semester in DC students.
• Contact Prof. Baylis at pittindc@pitt.edu so that she can add you to the e-mail list for interested students.  Once you are on the list, you will receive periodic updates about the program and announcements about internship opportunities.  
• Begin thinking about the fields (e.g., health law, IP, international law) and types of employers (e.g., government agencies, Congress, non-profit organizations) that might be of interest to you. Talk to the professors who teach in those areas about possibilities. 

(2) During your 1L year, or as soon as possible, begin thinking about how the Semester in DC program fits into your plans for your law school education, career exploration, and job search. 

• What courses do you need to take right away in order to have a semester free for this program? 
• Which semester would you like to spend in Washington? 
• If you are participating in a certificate program, clinic, joint degree program, or law review, talk to the director or faculty advisor.  You can use the Semester in DC to fulfill some certificate program requirements. All our program directors support participating in the Semester in DC program and encourage students to use it to gain hands-on experience in their specialty area, but you do need to plan your courses carefully to make sure that you schedule required classes and fulfill other obligations in other semesters. 

(3) Next, develop a list of potential employers.  Students get the most out of the SDC Program when they take the time to identify externships that will really help them pursue their career goals, either because the employer does the kind of work they know they are interested in, because the externship helps them explore an area of work they might be interested in, or because it helps them gain a useful credential toward their area of work (e.g., working in Congress for someone who wants to do lobbying or policy work). 

Beyond the on-line research you can always do on your own, here are some ways we can help you find potential externships: 

• As a starting place, under the "Semester in DC" link on the extranet, you will find three documents with information about potential employers: (a) The "SDC Employer List" is the best place to start, as it lists employers who have hired SDC students in the past, where alumni work, or who are looking for SDC interns.  This list also has email addresses for the past SDC students and alumni who have worked for these employers, so that you can contact them for more information about the employers and the program. (b) The "SDC Unaffiliated Employer Information" document lists some employers who we have been told offer internships during the semester, but with whom we do not yet have any conenction. (c) The "Applying for a Congressional Internship" document explains how to apply for an internship with a Senator, Representative, or Congressional committee. (Many thanks to Jeanne Stoner, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Federal Relations, for this information!)  
• E-mail Professor Baylis at pittindc@pitt.edu and she will be glad to suggest potential employers and put you in touch with Washington area alumni who work in your field and may be able to make suggestions.
• Talk to professors who teach in your area, to Keeley Mitchell in Career Services, and to Briana Green who works for Career Services in DC.
• Reach out to alumni via the Alumni Network Directory on the extranet.

(4) The semester before you want to participate, start applying. 

• Apply early, but be patient and flexible about the timing.  If an employer has openings for the following semester, do not wait to send in your application.  Externship positions tend to be highly competitive.  Some agencies may have very early deadlines, and even organizations that consider applications on a rolling basis typically only have a few spots to fill.  However, some employers will not hire their externs until shortly before the semester begins. 
• Most employers will want to receive a resume, brief writing sample, and a few references.
• Resume Databank:   You can submit your resume to our Resume Databank so that employers who are looking for externs can contact you directly concerning their externship opportunities.  To protect your privacy and security, before you submit your resume to the databank, please remove all contact information except your email address, as well as any other private information you do not want displayed on the internet.  The resume databank is on line now and is updated every semester.

(5) When you obtain an externship position, contact Prof. Baylis at pittindc@pitt.edu so that she can confirm that your externship meets the program requirements.  After your externship placement has been concerned, you will be able to get permission numbers to register for the DC Externship and DC Seminar from the registrar’s office.

Samuelson/Glushko Fellowship for IP/Tech Law externships:

We are pleased to announce the Samuelson/Glushko Fellowship for students participating in the Semester in DC Program!  Semester in DC students working in IP or tech law externships are eligible for fellowships of $2,500 each to help cover the travel and additional cost of living expenses of moving to DC for a semester. 

After you have obtained an IP or tech law externship position, you can apply for the fellowship by simply:

(1) sending an email to Prof. Baylis at pittindc@pitt.edu letting her know that you have accepted an IP or tech law externship and would like to apply for the fellowship and

(2) having your externship employer send an email confirming (a) that you have accepted their offer of an externship, (b) that your externship work will primarily concern IP or tech law and (c) that the externship will meet the general Semester in DC program requirements (full-time, unpaid, primarily law-related work, supervised by an attorney, for a government or non-profit employer). 

At any time, if you have particular questions or just want to learn more about the SDC Program, feel free to contact Prof. Baylis at pittindc@pitt.edu to talk by e-mail or phone!