INTERNSHIP REQUIREMENTS
Prior Coursework
A student must have completed 45 hours of law school work with a cumulative GPA of 4.0 or better and must have taken Evidence, Civil Procedure and Professional Responsibility courses before being sworn in as a legal intern. A student will be allowed to take the Licensed Legal Intern Exam while completing these requirements.
Registration
A student must be registered as a law student with the Board of Bar Examiners. If you are registered as a law student in another state, you may not have to register in Oklahoma. (See Rule 2.1{d}, Rules of the Supreme Court of the State of Oklahoma on Legal Internship (opens in a new window)). If you plan to register NUNC PRO TUNC, please be warned that it could take four to six months to get final approval from the Board of Bar Examiners.
Application
A student must submit an application for a limited license with $50.00 non-refundable fee to the Oklahoma Bar Association one week prior to taking the legal intern examination. An application for a limited license (Form 1 and instructions) can be found in the forms section of the Rules of the Supreme Court of the State of Oklahoma on Legal Internship (opens in a new window). Forms and applications are also available from Lori Ketner in Room 2020.
Application Deadline
January 5, 2012
April 12, 2012
May 17, 2012
Aug. TBA
November 1, 2012
Supervising Attorney
A student must submit a supervising attorney application (Form 2) for approval to the Oklahoma Bar Association. A student cannot be sworn in as a Legal Intern until a supervising attorney is obtained and approved.
Enrollment
A student must be enrolled in one of the following courses before being sworn in as a Legal Intern:
- Civil Clinic/Legal Aid Clinic (Law 6363) - 3 hours of credit - A student works l0-12 hours per week in the OU Legal Clinic office and handles various civil cases from an initial interview through trial. Enrollment in the Litigation Skills Class (Law 6400 - 2 hours) is required the initial semester of enrollment in the Civil Clinic. A required orientation meeting is scheduled during the first week of classes.
- Criminal Defense Clinic (Law 6323) - 3 hours of credit - A student works 10-12 hours per week in the OU Legal Clinic office and handles various criminal and municipal cases from an initial interview stage through trial. Enrollment in the Litigation Skills Class (Law 6400 -2 hours) is required the initial semester of enrollment in the Criminal Defense Clinic. A required orientation meeting is scheduled during the first week of classes.
A student must either continue to be enrolled each semester in the OU Legal Clinic or be registered in the Legal Internship Program in order for their Legal Intern License to remain "active". Students register in the Legal Internship Program in Lori Ketner's Office (Room 2020) during the first two weeks of each semester. (Students who are enrolled in the OU Legal Clinic are not required to be registered in the Legal Internship Program.)
The first semester that a student uses a legal intern license, he or she must enroll in Issues in Professionalism. A student should enroll in the section (criminal or civil) that best reflects the internship placement. If a student begins using the legal intern license during the summer, that student must enroll in Issues in Professionalism the next fall semester. Students using their intern license in connection with one of the live client clinics need not take Issues in Professionalism, however students are required to take Litigation Skills (Law 6400 § 604) during the first semester of enrollment in either live-client clinic.
Swearing-In Ceremony
A student will be sworn in as a Legal Intern when all requirements for a limited license have been met. The ceremony is scheduled by the Oklahoma Bar Association (OBA) and is held at the Oklahoma Supreme Court. A Legal Intern must notify the OBA immediately of any changes in status in his/her supervising attorney and/or to notify the OBA to inactivate his/her license due to unemployment as a Legal Intern.