The University of Minnesota Law School Corporate Externship Program - Summer 2008

Q & A for Externship Placement Supervisors

This year's participating companies are:

Why did the law school start the Corporate Externship program?

The Corporate Externship program is a way for the law school to provide students with experiences in business law, specifically in transactional law. The law school's only other externship program, the Judicial Externship, familiarizes students with the workings of the court system. The Corporate externship program familiarizes students with the working connections between law and business in in-house corporate counsel settings. This program is a fitting companion to our Business Law Center's Multi-Professional Business Law Clinic, where students represent businesses in transactional matters.

Which students will be eligible to sign up for the program?

Any student who has successfully completed their second year of law school may participate in this program.

In what kinds of projects and activities can we expect students to participate?

We ask that projects be transactional, but the projects you assign students will be up to you. Projects and activities should focus on research, writing, and thinking related to lawyering and business skills -- problem analysis, organizational strategy, negotiation, and drafting or revising commercial documents.

How many students will participate?

We hope to be able to place 15 students this summer.

How will students be assigned to us?

We will assign a student based on the student's preferences when possible. For example, we would attempt to place a student with an interest in biotech with a company in that industry.

Can we offer placements to more than one student?

You may have more than one student placed with you for the summer, but each student will be placed from June through August (not one for July and one for August, e.g.).

What are the interests of the students who will choose this program?

Many students who attend law school have a strong interest in the business side of the law. Their career goals do not include adversarial dispute resolution. These are the students who will be most interested in this program.

Will we be required to compensate students for the work they do?

No. The students will be paying tuition for this 3-credit offering.

How many hours can we expect the students will be at our company?

The students will put in 150 on-site hours. This is up to 20 hours per week during the summer session.

How will you evaluate the students?

We will evaluate the students based on feedback from you and from the students and on activities that will be part of the weekly classroom component of the program.

How will you evaluate the program?

Feedback from you and from students will provide us with the best information about the quality and value of the program.

Will the students be graded for participating in this program?

All grades for the Corporate Externship will be on a Pass/No Pass basis.

Is there anything else students will be required to do to earn their credits?

• Class sessions will be devoted either to discussing a topic relevant to in-house counsel or to debriefing issues they encounter.
• Communications workshop
• Interview of placement supervisors on their experiences with the roles of corporate counsel
• Weekly journal of experiences
• They will purchase and read Bryan Garner's Legal Writing in Plain English and will revise a corporate legal document, following the recommendations in that text.

Examples of past projects:

• Review a contractual agreement with a vendor to determine liability and insurance issues
• Make an employee manual more user-friendly
• Compare law among countries regarding independent contractor invention rights
• Brainstorm solutions to antitrust questions
• Help prepare for negotiation between a parent and subsidiary
• Create a system for tracking SEC filings
• Revise a licensing agreement
• Craft a list of corporate governance questions that might be asked by shareholders during an annual meeting
• Revise a vendor agreement template for clarity
• Draft a confidentiality agreement for UMN corporate externs

Contact:

Mary Alton: 612-624-5779, alton003 [at] umn.edu
John Matheson: 612-625-3879, mathe001 [at] umn.edu