The Orange Experience: College of Law Students Learn Through Expanded Externship Program 

Dafni Kiritsis
Dafni Kiritsis

The College of Law’s externship program continues to evolve to meet the educational and professional demands of today’s law students, including those in the JDinteractive program, well beyond the core regions of Central New York, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.

The summer of 2021 was the first time JDi students participated in externships, joining a growing number of residential students who accelerate their practical experiences and legal skills via field placements to complement lessons learned in the classrooms. With JDi students stationed all over, the program was able to place students throughout the country.

As always, College of Law alumni came out in full force, and with their assistance, the Office of Career Services placed 145 students, including 60 JDi students, in 29 states, for whom the externship is a graduation requirement during the academic year.

As she ramped up the program, Director of Externships and Career Services Dafni Kiritsis ’97 (pictured left) also implemented a few systems changes for real-time data collection and tracking and to ensure ABA compliance.

2022 Program Highlights

JDI:

3L JDi student Meghan Steenburghwas a full-time extern this summer with the Defense Intelligence Agency which has led to a post-graduate employment offer. The DIA is one of the only members of the Intelligence Community to offer legal placements to law students, including three Syracuse Law students in 2022! As an extern at the DIA, Steenburgh gained experience working for an organization that provides military intelligence in support of U.S. military planning and operations and weapon systems acquisition.

NYC:

2L Sam Brewster completed a full-time spring externship with BSE Global, a new externship placement partner in New York City. BSE Global manages and operates Barclays Center, the Brooklyn Nets, and the Long Island Nets. BSE Global also provides several shared services to the New York Liberty, the WNBA sister team of the Brooklyn Nets.

CNY:

This spring, 2L Paul DiPaduaexterned at Carrols Restaurant Group, a new externship placement in Central New York. Carrols Restaurant Group is a dynamic publicly traded company located in Syracuse and is one of the largest restaurant companies in the United States, operating over 1,000 restaurants and employing 25,000 people.

Externship Placements

Of the 145 placements, the overwhelming majority of hosts are College of Law alumni. The success of the externship program is reliant on these partnerships. The College of Law thanks all placement hosts for their support.

Summer 2021 Externship Placements

 JDi Externships:

Apple

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) Legal Aid Hawaii

International Reproductive Law Group Inc. Page Law Firm, LLC

Lewis & Clark Criminal Justice Reform Clinic Washington Appeals Court

New Jersey Superior Court, Judge Rodney Thompson L’93 Legal Aid of Southeastern PA

Montana Legal Services Association

CNY:

Syracuse City Corporation Counsel

United States Attorney’s Office for the NDNY United States Attorney’s Office for the WDNY Gregg A. Starczewski, Esq.

Riehlman Shafer & Shaw

Onondaga County Court, Judge Matthew Doran 

Bousquet Holstein

Dept. Environmental Conservation NYS Cannon Heyman & Weiss LLP

United States Bankruptcy Court, NDNY (Judge LaShonda Hunt)

DC:

Department of Justice, SMART Office

Philadelphia:

United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (Philadelphia, PA)

Fall 2021 2021 Externship Placements

JDi Externships:

First Judicial District of Pennsylvania 

Britt Wiseman Attorney at Law 

Villalobos & Moore LLP

Hinckley Allen & Snyder, LLP 

SKLawyers PLLC

Discovery Practice Management, Inc 

Reicker, Pfau, Pyle & McRoy, LLP 

Alliance Defending Freedom

18th Judicial District East Prosecutor’s Office

Upstate Medical University, Office of General Counsel

CNY and Remote Externships:

Atrocity Crimes Initiatives, Center for Human Rights 

NY Office of Attorney General—Syracuse Office 

United States Court of Appeal Third Circuit

Hon. Thérèse Wiley Dancks L’91, U.S. Magistrate Judge, Northern District of New York

Hon. Frederick J. Scullin Jr. L’64, U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York

LGBT Bar Association of Greater NY (LeGal)— Judiciary Committee

Law Office of Sidney Corminsky

Hon. Matthew J. Doran—Judicial Extern 

New York Civil Liberties Union

Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office 

Syracuse City School District

Spring 2022 Externship Placements 

JDi Externships:

United States Attorney’s Office

Bronx County Superior Court, Hon. Wilma Guzman 

State Attorney’s Office, 5th Judicial Circuit

Trillium Health Deere & Company

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 

Luzerne County Public Defender’s Office

United States Defense Intelligence Agency 

Utah Attorney General’s Office

CNY:

Hon. Brenda Sannes (NDNY)

Chambers of Deborah H. Karalunas L’82, JSC 

Monroe County Public Defender

Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse @ Syracuse University

Legal Aid Society of Northeastern NY LITC 

Kelly & Walthall, P.C

Hon. Joseph Lamendola

Van Erden Richardson, PLLC

U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York

Center for Court Innovation

DC:

Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law 

The Chaklader Firm

U.S. Dept. of Education

U.S. DOJ Disability Rights Section.

NYC:

BSE Global

NYS State Supreme Court, Civil Court for the City of NY, Hon. Wilma Guzman

Adam Leitman Bailey PC 

Weitz & Luxenberg

LGBT Bar Association of Greater NY (LeGal)

Locations outside of CNY, Philly, DC, and NYC:

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid 

The Promise of Justice 

Norcross Law Firm 

Webber Law