Field Placement Program
Step outside the classroom and learn to practice law from experienced attorneys.
- Atlanta is headquarters for 11 Fortune 500 companies, including Coca-Cola Co., Home Depot, UPS, CNN, Southern Co. and Delta Air Lines along with a host of nonprofit and goverment agencies.
Want to appear in court on behalf of victims of domestic violence?Want to help a grandparent gain custody of a grandchild in foster care or a disabled worker get public benefits? How about working with a career prosecutor or public defender or investigation violations of the securities laws at the SEC? Or perhaps clerking with a federal or state court? Or going in-house to work on intellectual property issues or commercial transactions for a major corporations?
Second- and third-year students may be placed as interns with public service organizations such as the ACLU, Atlanta Legal Aid, or the Georgia Innocence Project. Others may intern with the regional offices of a federal agency such as the Internal Revenue Service, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the Environmental Protection Agency. Some students may join in-house counsel at corporations such as The Coca-Cola Company and AT&T. Judicial placements include positions with several justices of the Georgia Supreme Court and federal judges. Third-year students may be placed with a district attorney, public defender, or with the U.S. attorney and may try cases under supervision pursuant to local, state, or federal rules.
These placements are carefully selected, monitored, and evaluated by the administrative professor for field placement in order to provide practical lawyering experiences with the supervision of highly qualified and experienced attorneys. Students integrate substantive learning with the practice of law and develop their legal skills through exposure to many different kinds of law practice.
What Our Students Have to Say
The following are some student comments about their experiences in the field placement program.
"It's great! It let me see life outside the theory of the classroom. It's an early glimpse of the real world." -Atlanta Legal Aid
"Get the word out to students what an incredible experience this is!" -Atlanta Legal Aid-Health Law Unit
"This placement gave me the confidence that I will be an effective attorney--on top of that I have an appreciation for pro bono work and I know I will continue to be active as a volunteer lawyer throughout my career." -Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation
"I think it's a great program--get hands on experience, build your resume and get a head start in learning from seasoned attorneys." -Dekalb County Public Defender
"I learned and improved numerous skills that cannot be adequately conveyed in class. The field placement program is a great asset." -Federal Aviation Administration
"I am thankful for the opportunity to have participated in the program. Interning at Coke was a wonderful experience!" -The Coca Cola Company
"It would be really wonderful if everyone could get to do a judicial field placement. I think the perspective it gives you on the legal system and society in general is invaluable whether a student plans to do litigation or transactional work." -State Trial Court
"This is the best program....doing legal work makes me want to be a lawyer." -Southern Center for Human Rights