Judicial Internship Fall 2021 (PLSI 610/611)

Author: Department of Political Science
May 21, 2021

Judicial internships provide students the unique opportunity to earn four units of credit toward the B.A. while observing and working with judges and other personnel at the San Francisco Superior Court. These internships are especially valuable for students thinking about or planning to apply to law school. The judges often mentor the interns, and sometimes even write letters of recommendation to support their future endeavors (such as law school).

For the three units of PLSI 610, interns work ten hours per week at the courthouse on a scheduled arranged with their assigned judges. For the one unit of PLSI 611, interns meet each Monday from 6:00 p.m. to 6:50 p.m. on campus with Dr. Conway and their fellow interns to process their experiences. Those wishing to apply to a judicial internship for Fall 2021 must email Dr. Nick Conway by June 4, 2021, and attach a PDF containing the following:

1. A one-page resume with current contact information, and

2. A statement (one page or shorter), addressed to coordinating Judge Gail Dekreon, of why you want to be a judicial extern, what you hope to gain from the experience, and how it fits into your future plans. Indicate as well which divisions(s) of the court (criminal, civil, family, drug, veterans’, traffic, housing, juvenile, young adult) you think you would be interested in working (assuming openings in those divisions are available). You may identify more than one preference if you like.

For all who meet the deadline, these materials will be forwarded to Judge Dekreon, who makes all internship assignments. There are often more applicants than available internships, so applicants should enroll in other courses in case they are not assigned to an internship. Since we do not know in advance how many applicants will be assigned to internships, students should not sign up for PLSI 610/611 in advance. During the first week of the Fall 2021 semester, add codes will be provided to those students assigned to internships.

Any questions should be directed to Dr. Conway at nickconway@sfsu.edu.