Certified legal internship requirement

For some clinics and externships, students must obtain a certification for student practice to become a certified legal intern. In planning schedules, students should remember the prerequisites for seeking such certification. The Indiana Supreme Court’s Admission and Discipline Rule 2.1 permits students to practice under the supervision of licensed attorneys upon certification by the Dean that such students:

1. Have completed one-half or more of the credit hours required for their J.D. degree (44 credits, which means that unless a student received credit during their 1L summer, that student must take at least 13 credits to reach 44),
2. Are in good academic standing, and
3. Have satisfactorily completed or are currently enrolled in the course in Professional Responsibility.

The certification is contingent upon an agreement filed with the Dean’s Office by a licensed attorney who agrees to supervise the legal intern’s activities. Further information may be obtained from the Office for Student Affairs. Each student must be supervised by a practicing attorney who is admitted to practice in Indiana. It is the responsibility of the student applicant to make contact with the office or program in which he or she desires to work as a legal intern. Some prosecution and defense externships also require that the student has taken Evidence. 

The application requires certification by both the applicant and the supervising attorney. The application must be signed and returned to the Dean for Students (not the Dean of the Law School). Students should log in to the Indiana Board of Law Examiners website to begin the process, then send the forms to Kim Bunge (kbunge@indiana.edu) for completion and signature. After the submission of the application form, the certification process usually takes approximately one week. Any questions about the program should be addressed to the Dean of Students.