The School of Law does not offer a summer session. However, students may take courses offered in the summer sessions at other accredited law schools to earn up to six credit hours toward their degrees. In order to receive credit for courses taken in the summer sessions at other law schools, a student must obtain advance approval from the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs of the School of Law and submit to the Law Records Office, no later than the end of the grading period for the following semester, a transcript evidencing satisfactory completion of the summer work. Satisfactory completion of a summer school course means fulfillment of the course requirements established by the law school where the course is taken, with a grade equivalent to C or higher.
The following requirements and procedures apply:
●The summer school program must be ABA-accredited. No more than six credits earned through such a program may be applied toward your W&L degree. For a list of ABA accredited study abroad programs, go to http://www.americanbar.org/groups/legal_education/resources/aba_approved_law_schools.html.
●Both your participation in the program and the specific courses you intend to take must be approved in writing by Professor Bond in advance. Failure to obtain advance permission may result in denial of credit.
●The summer program must be one that gives grades. You will receive W&L credit for each course you successfully complete with a grade equivalent at least to our "C".
●In order to receive credit, you must furnish Ms. Linda Johnson with a transcript from the summer program no later than the end of the grading period for the semester following the summer school program. (January 3, 2014)
●We will record successfully completed summer school courses on your transcript, but "credit" will be indicated in place of a grade; your W&L grade point average will not reflect grades earned in summer school programs.
●Some summer school programs will require a "letter of good standing" from us as part of your application. Ms. Johnson in Law Records can supply such a letter.
Non-graded credit is available to students who work over the summer in an approved, unpaid, full-time internship with a for-profit entity, such as a law firm or corporate counsel's office, a not-for-profit entity, governmental organization, NGO, trade organization, court or other legal practice setting. An internship term with a term of at least four weeks is eligible for one-half credit; an internship with a term of eight weeks or longer is eligible for one credit. Credit is not available for any internship for which a student received financial support through OCP, PILSA, the Transnational Law Institute, or any other third party source of financial support for unpaid positions.
Summary of Requirements: To be approved for academic credit, an internship must be supervised by an attorney, full-time, and uncompensated. At the close of the internship, your supervisor must certify that the internship met the foregoing requirements, as well as verify its duration. An opportunity to review your work will be offered, but your supervisor needn't provide a review in order for you to receive credit. You must submit a satisfactory memorandum summarizing your work as an intern and reflecting on the experience. Guidelines for this memorandum will be provided before the start of your internship.
Procedure to Obtain Approval: Submit a completed Summer Internship for Credit Approval Request along with the required accompanying documentation to Andrea Hilton in the Office of Career Planning as soon as possible after accepting an offer of employment. Ms. Hilton will contact the supervisor to verify the position and will be back in touch with you once the internship is reviewed by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
Post-Internship Obligations: The memorandum described above must be submitted no later than Friday, September 30, 2013.
Contact Andrea Hilton at HiltonA@wlu.edu if you have any questions regarding this process.