How To Enroll

Unlike most courses at Washburn, online enrollment in the Externship courses is not permitted. If you are interested in an Externship placement, you should contact the Director, Shawn Leisinger, at shawn.leisinger@washburn.edu or by telephone at (785) 670-2464 to initially discuss your interest and goals. You will then be connected with potential placements and apply for those opportunities in the same manner as you would apply for a job with a legal employer. Students provide a resume, writing sample and cover letter along with any other required documents to be considered for the placement.

Students should have or be prepared to develop a professional cover letter/e-mail and a polished resume to submit when initially expressing your interest. The Career Services professionals at Washburn Law will be happy to help you develop and polish a professional resume for this purpose and for future employment opportunities. The Externship Director will also work with you on professional cover letters and answer questions about creating and selecting appropriate writing samples.

After a successful interview with an employer, and once you have obtained a placement offer, you will be required to complete the necessary paperwork, including completion of the Externship Plan and Enrollment Request (27 KB PDF; requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) Form complete with a signature from your selected Externship supervisor, as well as a Student Acknowledgement and Release (27 KB PDF; requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) Form. You will then submit these documents to Externship Director Shawn Leisinger to review, approve, and submit to enroll you in the course for the requested hours. Once final approval is submitted, the Dean's Office will then complete the enrollment process for you.

Deadlines to Enroll

For the fall and spring semesters, the deadline to secure an externship will be the Friday of the second week of the semester. "Secured" means that the externship has been selected and all paperwork has been completed so that the student is ready to begin work. For additional information, please see the Externship Guidelines.

As noted, prior to enrollment, students will be required to complete and submit the following forms to Director Leisinger:

Externship Plan and Enrollment Request (27 KB PDF; requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)Student Acknowledgement and Release (27 KB PDF; requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)