The goal of Baylor Law School’s Field Placement Program is to enhance law students’ education by offering experiential learning opportunities to apply the knowledge and skills gained from academic studies to the rigors of legal practice in a real-life setting. Field placements bridge the gap between law school and the practice of law to better prepare students to immediately step into their role as proficient attorneys. Field placements also offer students the opportunity to further develop substantive legal knowledge and analytical skills, observe and improve their understanding of professional responsibility and professionalism, gauge their strengths and weaknesses, and clarify professional goals.

Students are eligible for one credit hour for each 45 hours worked.  Field placements are generally approved for two credit hours, unless approved for up to three credit hours by the Senior Assistant Dean. More than three credit hours requires approval by the Academic Standards Committee. (Students should contact the Career Development Office for information about submitting a request for additional hours to the Committee.)  

Students who have completed one approved field placement will not receive credit for a second one unless the second placement provides an experience that is substantially different from the experience gained in the first placement.  (For example, a student who completed a field placement with a district attorney’s office for two hours may apply to take a second field placement for two hours with an appellate court or an administrative agency.) If the submission of this application seeks credit for a second field placement, the student affirms that the experience is substantially different from their first field placement.  Students with questions about whether a potential second field placement would be considered substantially different by comparison should visit with Dean Cruseturner or Dean Bridges.

See the Baylor Law Field Placement Manual for additional information about placement opportunities and obtaining course credit.