Information for Companies

Benefits for Companies

• Our students represent the best in academic excellence, leadership, and professional presence. They have taken a broad array of courses and have learned key research, writing, and drafting skills from our nationally- and internationally-recognized faculty, as well as seasoned practitioners.
• With just a modest investment of time, your attorneys can contribute to the education and professional development of future lawyers.
• Some companies use the program as a pipeline program for aspiring lawyers from underrepresented backgrounds.
• Many companies report that law students add energy and “fun” to their corporate law department.
• Placements may be fully virtual, hybrid, or in-person.
• There is no cost to participating companies. Students receive academic credit only.
• The program is a learning experience. There is no expectation of temporary or regular employment.

Field Supervisor Responsibilities

• Each company appoints one attorney to serve as the student’s field supervisor. This person oversees the student experience at the company.
• Field supervisors assign work to the student and complete two short evaluations at the middle and end of the externship.
• Field supervisors work with faculty supervisors, as appropriate, to ensure the quality of the educational experience.

For the corporate GCs, the externship is also about “molding the next legal and business leaders,” according to former Interstate Batteries General Counsel Kelvin Sellers. “On their first day – if not before – I share with externs that they should feel like they are joining the Interstate legal team,” Sellers said. “Our externs are brought into most facets of the business. If it is something that corporate counsel is involved in, our externs are brought in. That includes employment matters, large-scale upstream and downstream contractual drafting and reviews, and a litany of ad hoc requests for legal counsel.”

Sellers said corporate legal departments not participating in SMU’s externship program should consider it. “And as we are called to do less with more and as we find our budgets under ever-increasing scrutiny, it makes a ton of sense to invest time in the future outside counsel,” Sellers said. “Help them understand the pressures of business. Help them better appreciate the expectations in-house counsel has of outside counsel. No, the impact may not be immediate but there is return on this investment for you and your current and future leaders.”