 The public prosecutor has played a unique and crucial role throughout American history. Traditionally, public interest-minded attorneys fresh out of law school have started their legal careers as prosecuting attorneys. Although most of those new prosecutors have been provided a theoretical background in criminal law and procedure, they often have little training in the role of the prosecutor and in the practical aspects of prosecuting a criminal matter.
Prosecutors play a crucial role in ensuring that both justice and the rule of law prevail in our criminal justice system.
The Prosecutorial Externship Program combines both classroom and field-based components designed to prepare law students for careers as prosecutors. In the classroom, law students study the substantive and procedural legal principles that a prosecutor needs to know, and gain hands-on experience from practical exercises geared towards their eventual roles as prosecutors.
Professionalism and the special ethical concerns of prosecutors are emphasized. In the field, students gain practical experience through placement as externs with local, state, and federal prosecuting offices. Students are also placed with state and national prosecution-related agencies.
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