6th Semester in D.C. Program

Students who are interested in participating in this program should make an appointment with the program director as early in their law school career as possible — even first-semester 1Ls. This will allow us to work together throughout your law school career to help you prepare for your D.C. semester, and work toward your ideal D.C. field placement.

• Introduction for 1Ls
• Introduction for 2Ls
• Mandatory Planning for 3Ls

Washington, D.C. provides a wealth of opportunities for field placements (externships) with government agencies, think tanks and nonprofit organizations. Our students have found placements in organizations as diverse as:

• Administrative Conference of the United States
• Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
• American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
• AmeriCorps
• Department of Homeland Security, ICE, Office of the Principal Legal Advisor
• EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
• Equal Justice Under Law
• House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law
• NAACP
• National Association of Attorneys General
• National Resources Defense Council
• North American Securities Administrators Administration
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
• Senate Agriculture Committee
• Senate Judiciary Committee
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
• U.S. Department of Justice, Executive Office for Immigration Review, Office of General Counsel

Students enroll in 6 to 9 credit hours for the field placement through work at approved organizations. If you are a current KU Law student interested in the 6th Semester in D.C. Program, visit the Field Placement Program page for more details.

In Washington, D.C., you will take classes taught by KU Law faculty that address topics pertinent to D.C. and public service or incorporate local speakers and resources. Courses are offered on a schedule that allows students to balance study and work obligations. The field placement program is a 7 to 11 credit hour commitment. Students enroll in 6 to 9 credit hours for the field placement and take a mandatory 1-2 credit hour capstone course.

This year’s courses include:

Asylum and Refugee Law

Professor David Gottlieb teaches Asylum and Refugee Law. This course will cover the law applying to the treatment by the international communities of the millions of migrants who are forced to leave their countries of origin as a result of persecution, war or other disruptions. Although the primary focus will be on the treatment of refugees in the United States, the course will also speak about current issues in places such as the European Union and Turkey. Topics will include:

1. The International Conventions on the treatment of refugees
2. Protections in the United States: Asylum and Non-Refoulement
3. Who is a “refugee” and what is “persecution”?
4. Limitation on refugee protection such as criminal behavior and security dangers
5. The Convention Against Torture
6. Resettlement and other solutions

Learning Space

KU Law students take their courses a block from the White House at BAU International University.

Through the 6th Semester in D.C. Program, you will build connections within the D.C. legal, political and public interest communities. As part of the program, you will meet with U.S. senators, members of Congress and their staffs, senior lobbyists, U.S. Supreme Court practitioners and others in small-group settings organized by the KU Law Program Director.

Participants in the program have met:

• U.S. Senate delegation for Kansas
• Alumni attorneys at the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Federal Communication Commission
• Alumni attorneys at AMARA Legal Services and Prime Policy Group

They got a behind-the-scenes tour of the U.S. Capitol from Krisann Pearce, L'95, general counsel for the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and met legendary former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole.

When work and study demands aren’t calling, you will be able to take advantage of the city’s wealth of cultural amenities. You can quickly get from the National Mall to locations in Maryland and Virginia, or anywhere around the Beltway. You’ll have time to tour the city, enjoying extraordinary monuments, museums and historic sites; catching a Nationals baseball game; or watching the cherry trees blossom in the spring.

Housing

There are many wonderful neighborhoods in D.C. where you can live. Due to the high cost of housing in D.C., the University of Kansas has arranged a more affordable option for students in the 6th Semester in D.C. Program: the Summit Hills Apartment Complex in Silver Spring, Maryland. Silver Spring is just outside the District line and very close to a Metro stop. Apartment costs run approximately $2,900 for the semester with utilities included. Commuting by the Metro system averages $150 per month.

Tuition Cost

There are no additional tuition costs or program fees for the 6th Semester in D.C. Program. Students are responsible for housing and living expenses.

David Gottlieb is a professor emeritus of law. He joined the KU Law faculty in 1979 and retired in 2014. In retirement, he continues to teach an Asylum and Refugee Law course. He is nationally recognized for his leadership in clinical legal education and has served as a consultant on clinical legal education in the United States and abroad, most recently in Ukraine, Bulgaria and Turkey.

Glenn Jewell is the director of bar preparation and the director of the Field Placement Program, including the 6th Semester in D.C. Program, at KU Law. He also teaches the Extended Bar Preparation and Employment Law classes at the law school. Prior to joining the law school, Jewell was in private practice on Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, focusing primarily on employment law, civil litigation, and general corporate matters. He also practiced employment law in Kansas City for four years. 

Full faculty list