Eligibility to Participate in Co-op

To apply for a co-op, students must be in good standing and:

• Successfully complete the first year curriculum.
• Satisfy any placement-specific requirements, such as specific coursework, a GPA requirement and/or experience in a particular industry.
• Submit to the co-op program director an application packet, which includes an application form, resume, transcript, writing sample and signed acknowledgment of Co-op Participation Guidelines.
• Participate in the law school’s matching process or pursue a self-created co-op position.

Co-op Participation Guidelines

The Thomas R. Kline School of Law (“Kline Law”) Co-op Program offers students substantial lawyering experiences that are reasonably like the experience of a lawyer advising or representing clients or engaging in other lawyering tasks while working in the field under the supervision of a licensed attorney. The field experience and the contemporaneous faculty-guided seminar provide multiple opportunities for performance, feedback, and self-evaluation to help students progress toward their individualized and programmatic learning goals.

Co-op placement is for the primary benefit of the student in that the placement provides the student with experiential training as an extension of the education provided by the law school. The student earns significant credits for the training received during the placement.

As a partner with the law school in the student's academic training, co-op placements should assign students a variety of substantive legal work that helps the student build practical skills and form values. Further, co-op supervisors are expected to be involved in supervision and training by reviewing the student’s work and progress and providing meaningful feedback on a regular basis.

In accordance with ABA Standard 304, Kline Law, Co-op Student (“Student”) and Co-op Field Placement Organization (“Co-op Partner”) agree to the following responsibilities to ensure a quality legal education for students.

Responsibilities of All Participants

• All participants agree that Student will perform fieldwork in person, remotely, or on a hybrid basis on a regularly set schedule designed to meet the required minimum fieldwork hours for the credits awarded. The set schedule should also accommodate the needs of Co-op Partner and Student’s other curricular and co-curricular commitments.
• All participants understand and agree that:
  • Students are permitted to receive pay for co-op work and accept reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses such as transportation and parking. Any payment arrangement is solely the responsibility of Co-op Partner. Kline Law will not become involved in any negotiations or disputes regarding compensation or reimbursement of expenses.
  • Students on co-op are expected to gain a new learning experience. Therefore, a student seeking a co-op with an organization where the student is currently working (or has previously worked) must seek approval from the Director of the Co-op Program and demonstrate to the satisfaction of the program director that the student will have a substantially significant new learning experience during the proposed co-op.
  • To justify the credits awarded for co-ops, all co-ops must be centered around the education of Student and Student’s learning goals. Non-legal tasks should be kept to a minimum. Examples of non-legal tasks include document management, event planning, database management, translation services, and repetitive tasks (tasks in which very few skills are learned after the initial assignments have been completed).
  • Students may be asked to record their co-op work hours, but their time should not be billed to any clients of Co-op Partner unless Student is paid for the co-op work.
  • Students are permitted to use their law school-issued passwords to conduct online research at their placements.
  • Students may not participate in a co-op under the supervision of any immediate family members or for organizations owned or managed by any immediate family members. "Immediate family" is defined as a spouse, domestic partner, persons committed by civil union, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, aunt, uncle, first cousin, corresponding in-law, "step" relation or any member of the student’s household. For the purposes of this policy, “Immediate family” also includes someone with whom the student is involved in an amorous relationship. “Amorous relationship” is defined as a consensual romantic, sexual, or dating relationship, not otherwise included in the definition above, specifically marriage, domestic partnership, or a civil union relationship.

Responsibilities of Co-op Partner and Assigned Supervisor

• In accordance with The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Co-op Partner will treat Student information and application materials provided for placement purposes as private and confidential.
• Co-op Partner agrees to assign a Supervisor to accept primary responsibility for overseeing Student’s experience at the placement site throughout the semester and monitoring the progress of Student’s work.
• Co-op Partner will provide a safe workplace free of discrimination and harassment in full compliance with all applicable local, state, and federal laws.
• Co-op Partner agrees to notify Kline Law prior to taking any adverse employment action against Student.
• Co-op Partner will ensure that Student receives an orientation to the rules, policies, procedures, methods, and operations of the placement site.
• Supervisor will meet with Student at the start of the semester to discuss Student’s Learning Agenda, which identifies Student’s learning goals for the semester. Supervisor will suggest changes and revisions as necessary and provide opportunities for Student to achieve the identified goals.
• Supervisor agrees to assign a variety of legal tasks and provide exposure to a variety of issues regularly encountered at the placement in the context of actual cases and projects. Student ordinarily will not be assigned clerical, secretarial, or paralegal work (e.g., filing, copying, library updating) that is of little or no instructional value or is otherwise incommensurate with law school credit.
• Supervisor agrees to meet regularly with Student throughout the semester, to assign and review work, to provide opportunities for reflection on Student’s experience, and to provide meaningful feedback, including feedback from other attorneys who may have interacted with Student. In addition to these regular meetings, Supervisor will meet with Student and Student’s professor at the mid-point of the semester to discuss Student’s progress and set goals for the balance of the semester. Finally, Supervisor will provide a final evaluation of Student at the end of semester.
• Co-op Partner agrees to participate in site visits upon request of Kline Law.

Responsibilities of Student

• Student agrees to perform all assigned work in a timely, competent, and professional manner.
• Student agrees to set a regular work schedule with Supervisor and seek permission for any changes or modifications in the schedule.
• Student agrees to work a minimum number of hours as follows:
  • 298 hours for the regular co-op to earn seven (7) field credits during the fall or spring semesters.
  • 425 hours for co-op intensive to earn ten (10) field credits during the fall or spring semesters.
  • 298 hours for summer co-op to earn seven (7) field credits.
• Student agrees to comply with applicable Rules of Professional Conduct and other rules, guidelines, or policies applicable to the placement, including protection of all confidential and privileged information of the placement office and its clients.
• Student agrees not to work for (or do an internship with) another organization for the duration of the co-op without first clearing any potential conflicts with Supervisor and obtaining approval from the Co-op Program director.
• Student agrees to take Lawyering Practice Seminar I or II, as applicable, and to satisfy all requirements set forth in the seminar syllabus, including keeping detailed time records of co-op work and submitting timesheets as assigned.

Responsibilities of Kline Law

• Kline Law agrees to oversee the program to assure the educational quality of Student’s experience, to evaluate Student’s academic performance, and to comply with ABA Standards and Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law Schools pertaining to experiential coursework and field placement programs.
• Kline Law agrees to provide Student a companion seminar or tutorial, taught by a faculty member who will ensure on-going, contemporaneous, guided reflection. Co-op faculty will meet with Student to assess progress toward educational goals, and will review and evaluate Student’s time records, learning agendas, other written and oral assignments, and overall educational achievement. Co-op faculty will monitor Student’s assignments and communicate with Student and Supervisor to ensure Student is receiving appropriate legal work and supervision.
• Kline Law agrees to provide Supervisor information, materials, periodic training, and regular contact to assist Supervisor in training and mentoring students.
• Kline Law agrees to administer a matching process for placement purposes that involves the following process:
  • Co-op applicants receive academic counseling from the program director and apply for co-op based on applicants’ academic goals and interests and qualifications.
  • The program director proposes applicants for open positions based on factors such as applicants’ interests, goals, and qualifications, placements’ requirements and pre-requisites and program policies and guidelines.
  • The proposed Student’s application material (consisting of Student’s resume, unofficial transcript, and writing sample) is forwarded to the designated placement representative for review.
  • Co-op Partner may accept the proposed Student based on the application material, and if requested, an interview.
  • The proposed match is considered final when both the Co-op Partner and Student accept the placement.
• A Co-op Partner may elect to waive out of the matching process. In such instances, Kline Law agrees to post the position description and application instructions so Student can apply directly with Co-op Partner.
• Kline Law agrees to support students who wish to create their own co-op by providing program guidelines to, as well as implementing a process for review and approval of prospective placements.
• Kline Law agrees to assign faculty to be available to assist students and supervisors if questions or concerns arise during the co-op.