SALT at ABA Council Meeting; Status Quo on Externships, For Now
The Council of the ABA’s Section on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar met in Chicago July 31 to consider among other items the proposed deletion of Interpretation 305-2, which prohibits law schools granting credit for paid externships. Along with other organizations such as the Clinical Legal Education (CLEA), we filed comments opposing the deletion of Interpretation 305-2, on the grounds that making the externship an employment relationship would dilute the educational value that an externship for credit would obtain. The Council took the suggestions of SALT and CLEA to engage in a holistic review of all the standards governing externships before removing Interpretation 305-2. The Council, and SALT, will continue examining best practices for externships in upcoming meetings.