EXT: Phila. District Attorney's Office (Law Division)
Additional Information
Experiential CourseYes
Skills Training
Oral Presentations
Drafting Legal Documents
Other Professional Skills:
Grading
100% Other (Externships are graded credit/no-credit.)
No
Class meets in person.
Course Continuity
Students are encouraged to stay home if you are ill or experience flu-like symptoms. If you miss a class for any reason, it is still your responsibility to make up the work missed.
I offer the following to students who miss class due to illness:
- If you are absent due to illness or some other unavoidable circumstance, email me and I can make PowerPoint slides or other class materials available to you.
Meeting Times/Location
TBA
TBA
Category
Clinics/Externships
Credits
4.0
PLEASE SEE IMPORTANT ENROLLMENT PROCEDURES FOR EXTERNSHIPS AVAILABLE ON THE REGISTRAR'S WEBSITE.
Soon after schedules are released, students will be connected via email with supervisors at the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office to arrange a short virtual interview. As part of that meeting students will indicate preference for which unit they would like to be placed into. However, all placement decisions are not guaranteed and made solely within the discretion of the DA’s Office.
APPEALS UNIT: Assistant District Attorneys in the Appeals Unit represent the Commonwealth in the Pennsylvania Superior Court and Pennsylvania Supreme Court, filing briefs and presenting oral arguments in state post-conviction appeals. Externs will be assigned to work with an Appeals Unit ADA to research, write, and edit appellate briefs filed in state appellate courts. In addition to meeting regularly with their supervising ADA, externs will be assigned to a “team” of Appeals ADAs and will participate in weekly team meetings to discuss their cases and relevant legal and writing issues. Over the course of the semester, externs will write and edit two to three briefs that will be filed in the Pennsylvania Superior Court. The Appeals Unit prefers that students be available to work on Wednesday mornings.
FEDERAL LITIGATION UNIT: Assistant District Attorneys in the Federal Litigation Unit represent the Commonwealth in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the Third Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. Externs will assist these ADAs in researching, writing, and editing federal filings responding to federal habeas corpus petitions. In addition to developing their legal research and writing skills, externs will learn about and engage in the complex world of federal habeas and U.S. Constitutional law. Externs will develop a background in AEDPA, as well as common claims such as ineffective assistance of counsel and suppression of exculpatory evidence. Through this work, externs will also engage in issues related to progressive prosecution in post-conviction appeals. The Federal Litigation Unit prefers that students be available to work on Wednesday mornings.
POST-CONVICTION RELIEF ACT UNIT: Assistant District Attorneys in the Post-Conviction Relief Act (PCRA) Unit represent the Commonwealth in the Court of Common Pleas, filing briefs and presenting oral arguments and evidentiary hearings in state post-conviction appeals. Externs will be assigned to work with PCRA Unit ADAs to research, write, and edit petitions filed pursuant to the Post Conviction Relief Act. Externs will also get the opportunity to observe court, assist ADAs in preparing for evidentiary hearings, and watch those hearings. Students who are (or wish to be) Certified Legal Interns will also have the opportunity to status cases in court. Externs will learn about and engage with the PCRA, including common claims such as ineffective assistance of counsel and suppression of exculpatory evidence. The PCRA Unit prefers that students be available to work on Wednesday mornings.
Grading: The field placement and seminar are combined for one Credit/No Credit grade.
Credit Restrictions: No more than 14 semester hours (of the 22 co-curricular semester hour maximum) can be earned in externships (both Gittis and ad hoc externships). Students are not permitted to enroll in a Clinic and Externship in the same semester, or in two Externships in one semester. Students should review important externship registration information: Enrollment Procedures for externships
International JD Students must seek CPT (Curricular Practical Training) credit for the externship work BEFORE the start of the semester.
Skills Learning outcomes: Demonstrate an understanding of the individual course skill; Demonstrate the ability to receive and implement feedback; Demonstrate an understanding of how and when the individual course skill is employed in practice.
Criminal Law and Procedure Learning outcomes: Demonstrate a core understanding of criminal law and procedure; Perform legal analysis in the context of criminal law and procedure; Communicate effectively on topics related to criminal law and procedure; Demonstrate an understanding of the role criminal law and procedure play in society and their impact on other areas of law and society.
Public Interest Learning outcomes: Demonstrate a core understanding of the varied legal aspects of public interest law; Perform legal analysis in the context of public interest law; Communicate effectively on topics related to public interest law; Demonstrate an understanding of how public interest law is connected to and affected by a wide variety of legal and regulatory structures and doctrines.