Internship Placements

“The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons.”
                                                Feodor Dostoevski, 1861

PALG 497/8 Internship Application Form, click on the Adobe icon to download the *.pdf.

JUST 497 Internship Application Form, click on the Adobe icon to download the *.pdf.

The purpose of the Internships and Cooperative Education Programs are to provide students with direct experience in the legal environment. Students are to be assigned various tasks during their chosen program. We are proud that our students have been placed with law offices, the judiciary, the United States Attorney's Office, financial institutions, insurance companies, and corporate legal departments. Sponsors have the opportunity to review the student's application and conduct an interview prior to placement.

During the semester, students meet with faculty in a bi-weekly seminar class to discuss pertinent topics including computerized legal research, the litigation process, ethics and client-related issues. Students are instructed to maintain client confidentiality. Sponsors are requested to evaluate the student at the end of the semester.

The field placement experience is a mandatory requirement for students in the following programs:

Justice Studies Major: ALL concentrations – JUST 497
Paralegal Minor – PALG 497 or 498
Post B.A. Certificate in Paralegal Studies – PALG 497 or 498

Eligibility:

Justice Studies Major students are permitted to register for this core requirement (JUST 497) in the last semester of their Senior Year. Paralegal Minors and Post B.A. Certificate Students may register for PALG 497/498 in their last semester of completing the minor/certificate.

Prerequisites:

• JUST 497 (3 to 8 credits): Students must have completed all their core requirements and received a grade of C- or better in each of the core courses.
  
• PALG 497 (Internship – 3 credits)/ 498 (Cooperative Education – 4 to 8 credits):  Students must have minimum grade point average of 2.75 in paralegal studies and 2.5 overall.

Contact Person:

Professor Francine C. Raguso
Applied Learning Specialist
Dickson Hall, Room 346
973-655-7702
ragusofr@mail.montclair.edu

Placement Process:

File an application one semester before your last semester. Applications may be found outside the Justice Studies Office, Dickson Hall, Room, 348 or downloaded from the Justice Studies website.

• Justice Students must return their completed application to Professor Morganti, Department Administrator, in Dickson Hall, Room 331.
  
• Paralegal Minors and Post B.A. Certificate students must return their completed applications to Vicki Toffler, Department Secretary, in Dickson, Room 348.
• Please note the date deadlines on the first page of the application.
  

After filing an application, students must call Prof. Raguso and arrange for an appointment to meet regarding placement.

Students who miss the above deadlines will not be allowed to go forward with the placement process until the following semester.

Important Facts to Consider

1. The Applied Learning Specialist has many internships sites available throughout the State of New Jersey. Students who file early have the best selection of placement opportunities.
   
2. Students who fit the following profile may have difficulties finding a placement.
   
   • Students who are not U.S. Citizens
     
   • Students with Criminal Records
     When meeting with the Applied Learning Specialist, please let her know that there may be an obstacle to placement. She will help you find something meaningful and appropriate. You will not be asked for any details.
3. The minimum credit requirement for all internships is three credits.
   
   • JUST 497 students may register for variable credit (3-8 credits).
     
   • PALG 497 is a three-credit course.
     
   • PALG 498 is a variable credit (4-8 credits) course administered by the Office of Cooperative Education.  Students must process with the Office of Cooperative Education simultaneously with the application made with Justice Studies.
     
   • Three credits require 90 hours of fieldwork over the semester.
     
   • Each additional credit requires an additional 30 hours of fieldwork over the semester. (Ex. 4 credits = 120 hours, 5 credits = 150 hours, etc.)
     
   • Students who register for more than four credits will be allowed to count 3 credits toward their core requirement. The remaining credits will count as major electives.
     
4. With the approval of the Applied Learning Specialist, all students may use an appropriate work site as their placement.
   
5. With the approval of the Applied Learning Specialist all students may seek their own placement.
   
6. Paralegal minors and Post B.A. Certificate students only who have worked in the field for more than one year full-time may on special approval of the Department Chairperson have their placement waived and substitute another paralegal studies course (PALG).
   
7. ALL STUDENTS MUST FOLLOW THE PROCESS OUTLINED ABOVE.

Students who do not meet with the Applied Learning Specialist after they file an application will not be allowed to register.