Externship
The Winter Public Interest Law Externship is a program conducted during the winter break for all first-year students at Seoul National University School of Law. The goal of the externship is to help students develop the abilities and qualities required of legal professionals by allowing them to gain practical experience through handling real cases or designated tasks with high public interest and educational value.
The externship consists of on-site fieldwork in collaboration with a variety of external institutions such as government agencies, local governments, NGOs, law offices, and corporate legal departments, along with a structured system of pre-placement seminars, discussions, and feedback sessions, and post-placement debriefing and reflection.
Students who complete the externship in full are awarded one academic credit for Public Interest Law Externship.
“It was an externship that struck a good balance between education and practice.”
“It felt like I gained a new option in life through the Public Interest Law Externship.”
“It was a valuable opportunity to realize that there are people in our society who are marginalized and in difficult circumstances.”
“It was a great opportunity to concretely experience real cases, confront the reality of human rights issues, and draft related legal documents—allowing me to explore in advance how legal professionals can contribute to the public interest.”
“This is an essential program for law school. Even students who are not particularly interested in public interest or in the issues of the vulnerable and minorities were able to participate in civic organizations and experience what the law can do and what it is doing. It helped us cultivate the mindset needed to study law. I believe all students who took part were able to develop a deeper sense of solidarity with civil movements and public interest law. These are experiences you simply cannot have unless you work face-to-face with activists.”
– Participating law student in the Public Interest Law Externship–
