This summer I will be externing for Judge Fruin of the Los Angeles Superior Court - Stanley Mosk Courthouse. Judge Fruin has a close relationship with Loyola Law School and a lot of his externs come from Loyola. I will be externing for Judge Fruin along with 2 other 1L’s from LLS.
During the fall 2021 semester, Professor Delfino, who is the director of the externship department at LLS, dropped by after one of our classes to introduce us to judicial externship opportunities. Judicial externship opportunities are available to 1L’s during the summer and 2L’s during the school year. After 1L midterms that semester, the career counselors also visited one of our classes to inform us about the resources that the career development office provides. We were all required to make a counseling appointment so that our counselors could get to know us and help us draft our resumes.
The application process for a judicial externship happens early and is very competitive. Judges began accepting applications for 2022 summer externships on December 1, 2021. Judges will either require a hard copy to be mailed to them or accept applications via email. The materials required to apply include a cover letter, resume, writing sample (usually an objective memorandum from your legal writing class), and a copy of your current 1L grades. My career counselor was awesome and very attentive and helped me look over my cover letter and resume. I also got feedback on my writing sample from my professor and the Legal Writing Assistants Program.
After I sent my applications in December, Judge Fruin reached out to me in January for an interview. I was able to set up a mock interview immediately with my counselor and she provided me with professional feedback. The mock interview helped me practice and made me less nervous. I had my interview with Judge Fruin over the phone and he offered me an externship position, which I accepted. I am super excited to be working in the courthouse this summer and to learn more about the legal processes in court. Hope everyone has a successful and fun summer!