Corporate Counsel Externship Program

SMU Dedman Law School of Law is home to the premier corporate counsel externship program in the country.

More than 1,000 SMU Dedman Law students have completed the Corporate Counsel Externship Program since its launch in 2013. Many of them now work in-house at corporate legal departments including: Microsoft, Keurig Dr Pepper, AT&T, Yum! Brands, and Goldman Sachs.

"SMU students are in a unique situation with so many corporate headquarters in their back yard,” said Stephen Yeager, assistant dean for student affairs at SMU Dedman Law and co-founder of the externship program.

“This program puts students in real-life situations where they have educational opportunities that are unobtainable in the classroom. We realized that the in-house world was virtually unknown to law students and that is how the program came to life."

From the Dean:

“Corporate counsel externships provide SMU Dedman Law students with an important perspective of the practice of law from the client company’s standpoint,” said Dean Jason P. Nance, SMU Dedman School of Law. “Our students will be better prepared to practice law as first-year associates at law firms because they will have a greater understanding of the qualities and services corporations are looking for when they select outside counsel. Our program also prepares students who want to practice in corporate counsel settings immediately following graduation or after working at a law firm for a few years.”

Externship with the George W. Bush Presidential Center

Ashley Hutcheson, extern with the George W. Bush Presidential Center

After a semester of working as a legal extern for the George W. Bush Presidential Center, Ashley Hutcheson finally got to meet the man himself! She says it was such an honor to speak with the former President and First Lady about their days in the White House, their present work at the Bush Foundation, and how they relax in their personal time (a lot of painting and biking). Hutcheson says she is so grateful for this experience and calls it a highlight of her time in law school!

Externship with Hunt Oil

Kyle Mason and Emmanuel Nwakibu, externs with Hunt Oil Company

"The Corporate Counsel Externship Program was such an invaluable experience for me. It allowed me to take a front row seat within the high stakes world of oil and gas. I was given assignments on projects based all over the world." - Emmanuel Nwakibu