Experiential Learning

Externship programs allow you to perform legal work under the supervision of a licensed attorney affiliated with a law firm, nonprofit organization or government agency. You will have the opportunity to do everything from judicial internships to various levels of client representation and courtroom practice. The externship is year-round, but you will work full-time during the summer semester at your externship placement.

Second-year and third-year students may participate in the program during the academic year, as well as during the summer. Externships may range from one to six credits, depending on the type and length of the externship. These credits count toward completion of the experiential learning requirement for graduation.

First-Year Summer Judicial Program

Law students who have completed their first year may apply to participate in this program. Working under the supervision of the Director for Experiential Learning and the judge, students will develop their legal research and writing skills, learn about litigation through courtroom observation and learn how judicial chambers operate. Students may earn up to three credits. Participation is limited to rising second-year students. Credits earned in this program are purely elective and may not be used to satisfy the experiential learning requirement for graduation.

Our federal tax clinic provides free legal representation to low-income people in disputes with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) while allowing law students like you to practice tax law.

You'll represent clients with assessments, collections, compliance and other matters. You are supervised by the tax clinic director but obtain your own student attorney designation from the IRS and tax court. This designation allows you to represent low-income taxpayers in tax controversies before the IRS, IRS appeals and the tax court.

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Students at the Knudson School of Law may also elect to participate in a practicum. Practicum combines the intensity of focused doctrinal study in the classroom with related field work performed under the supervision of a licensed attorney.

Tax Planning and Practicum

The tax practice and skills course gives you the opportunity to represent hard-to-reach, low-income rural residents in communities throughout Alaska, joining over 150 program contributors and more than 80 volunteers. You will provide direct legal assistance in individual and business tax law to nearly 130 native communities across 10 regions in Alaska.

The practicum is two credit hours and counts toward completion of the experiential learning requirement for graduation.

Criminal Defense Practicum

This practicum allows students to represent low-income criminal defendants while learning litigation, negotiation, advocacy skills and appeals processes. You will work side-by-side with the Minnehaha County Public Defender and the Public Advocate's offices as a defense litigation attorney. You will conduct interviews and assist in representing clients through several phases of the criminal justice process, including appeals work. In addition, you may have the opportunity to learn about and participate in applications for writs of habeas corpus and parole revocation proceedings.

This practicum is two credits and counts toward completion of the experiential learning requirement for graduation.

The pro bono program at the USD Knudson School of Law reflects our commitment to shaping attorneys who appreciate the value of providing legal services to individuals and communities who are in substantial need of assistance, but have limited resources for acquiring it. The experiential learning program is a key component of the educational and professional development experiences at the law school.

The Director of Experiential Learning oversees the Pro Bono Program at the University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law. Students who perform pro bono work often find opportunities through the Law School Career Services Office, and through independent contacts and Bar-supported Pro-Bono programs. Individuals who complete a minimum of 50 pro bono hours by graduation, as approved by the Director of Experiential Learning, will be recognized as recipients of the Access to Justice award during the ceremony. In addition to independent opportunities for arranging pro bono service, students may also participate in several structured pro bono opportunities that are coordinated by the Knudson School of Law.

Equal Justice Works

The School of Law is a member of Equal Justice Works, formerly the National Association of Public Interest Law. Through its membership, you are eligible for summer internships and fellowships upon graduation from law school. Several opportunities exist in South Dakota on the Indian reservations and elsewhere in the U.S.

R.D. Hurd Volunteer Law School Society

The R.D. Hurd Volunteer Law School Society is a program that is designed to give law students an opportunity to provide pro bono legal services to low-income clients in South Dakota. Students for the program are chosen to work under the supervision of licensed attorneys at East River Legal Services, where they will learn a variety of skills to help them in their legal careers.

Students may conduct client interviews, draft pleadings, do legal research, make client phone calls and file case filings for the law office. Third-year law students are even given the chance to make court appearances. R.D. Hurd works in various areas of law, including housing, will drafting, divorce, child custody, protection orders and abuse and neglect. All the work that students do is to aid low-income clients for pro bono cases.

Veterans Legal Education Group

The Veterans Legal Education Group promotes pro bono involvement at the law school and provides service to veterans of the U.S. military.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance

Law students in VITA prepare income taxes for students and low-income people at no charge.