Clerkships and Externships

Clerkships

You should not assume that you are ineligible to serve as a law clerk just because you are not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. The Office of Judicial Clerkships (OJC) has plenty of resources for international students who wish to complete a clerkship, and many CLS international alumni have completed federal or state clerkships before. If you're at all interested, please sign up for a chat with the OJC on Symplicity to discuss the possibilities and things to consider.

OJC will host a clerkship event for international students on March 16 (see below). If you have any questions that you would like OJC to address, please send them to [email protected].

International students generally can participate in judicial internships. The Second Circuit, the SDNY, and the EDNY have all accepted students as judicial interns, either during the summer or through the school's externship programs.

Externships

International students generally can participate in all externships at Columbia Law other than the following, which require U.S. citizenship or permanent residency:

  • Eastern District of New York (EDNY) Judicial Externship
  • Domestic Violence Prosecution Externship
  • U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY)
  • U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey (DNJ)
  • DC Externship (if in federal government)

This list is currently being updated by the Externship Office and will be finalized by the end of March, 2021.

Some externships require full-time or part-time CPT. Please refer to Employment Authorization for detailed steps. You should also contact the Externship Coordinator, Susan Kraham, for the most up-to-date information, including externship eligibility.

Please note that according to the ISSO, if an employer wants you to complete an I-9 Employment Authorization Verification form, it means that the employer considers it to be an employment relationship requiring authorization even if you are not being paid.

Events

Tuesday, March 16, 2021, 12:10 PM - 1:10 PM, Online

Are you an international JD or LLM seeking to clerk in U.S. federal or state courts? Come learn from applicants who have blazed the clerkships trail before you. This event, hosted by the Office of Judicial Clerkships and assisted by CLISA, will discuss eligibility considerations; volunteer opportunities; and potential paid opportunities.

To register for the event, please go to the "Workshops" section under the "Events" tab on Symplicity. You can send any questions you want addressed to [email protected] prior to the event.