Students in this clinical externship can earn up to three units of credit to assist state or federal prosecutors with their responsibilities — before, during, and after verdict or judgment. A majority of the students in the course place in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Haven (though placement in the Bridgeport office may also be available). In recent years, up to three students have been able to work in the State’s Attorney’s Office in New Haven. Investigation and adjudication are very different in the state system, as is the caseload. The federal caseload in Connecticut ranges from national security matters to white-collar crimes to child-trafficking to RICO, whereas the students in the State’s Attorney Office generally have worked on individual murder and sex crime cases. There is a required weekly seminar, held at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Haven, with guests ranging from federal and state prosecutors, to defense attorneys, to state and federal judges, to law enforcement officers. All students will complete two written products, each about 10 pages.
Applications, interviews, and placements at the U.S. Attorney’s Office must occur several months in advance, to allow time for the security clearance process. This timing and the involvement of outside agencies remove this clinic from the usual sign-up procedures for limited enrollment courses.
