How long does it take to become a Legal Extern?

It takes 2 years of professional experience to become a legal extern. That is the time it takes to learn specific legal extern skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education. If you include the normal education requirements to complete a doctorate degree, then it takes 11 to 13 years years to become a legal extern.

Are externships free?

Yes, externships are free. Externships are typically free and unpaid work experience to help a person better understand the requirements of a potential career path. The simplest definition of an externship is a job shadow of an individual, typically a respected professional within an industry or workplace that a student is interested in pursuing.

Do you get paid as an extern?

No, you do not get paid as an extern. Externships are typically free and unpaid work experience to help a person better understand the requirements of a potential career path. The simplest definition of an externship is a job shadow of an individual, typically a respected professional within an industry or workplace that a student is interested in pursuing.

How To Become A Legal Extern: What It Is and Career Path

What is a legal extern and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Experts

Andrea Schneider,

Jennifer Brobst

Let's rip the Band-Aid off, shall we? As a legal extern, you're probably not going to get paid. But what you take away from these opportunities may prove more useful in the longterm. What you'll take away from a legal externship will be experience and academic credit. Which really is priceless, if you ask us.

You'll have experience right off the bat within a legal setting. This definitely will give you an edge against your other colleagues. A legal extern is very similar to an internship, but is usually much shorter. So while you're getting the experience, you don't have to commit to it for as long.

Since being a legal extern won't last very long, it's a good way to see if you even want to work in the legal industry. It'll give you a glimpse into everything you will be doing, like conducting client interviews, making a court appearance, and even some legal research and writing. Just think of it as a very in-depth glimpse into "a day in the life" of a legal profession.

What general advice would you give to a Legal Extern?

Andrea Schneider

Professor of Law, Marquette University

Take every opportunity to network and volunteer. Make connections with leaders in your local and state bar organizations and those who lead legal service organizations in your area. Think about how your skills can be used in a variety of ways, and make connections throughout the community.

ScoreLegal ExternUS Average

Salary

3.7

Avg. Salary $47,238

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

10.0

Growth Rate 10%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.31%

Asian 6.39%

Black or African American 5.56%

Hispanic or Latino 7.79%

Unknown 4.38%

White 75.57%

Gender

female 53.98%

male 46.02%

Age - 45

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 45

Stress Level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

10.0

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.9

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a legal extern

Explore legal extern education requirements

Most common legal extern degrees

Bachelor's

68.1 %

Doctorate

18.7 %

Master's

6.4 %

Start to develop specific legal extern skills

Skills	Percentages
Litigation	11.91%
Legal Intern	10.44%
Legal Issues	8.78%
Legal Memos	5.77%
Intellectual Property	4.93%

Complete relevant legal extern training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New legal externs learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a legal extern based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real legal extern resumes.

Research legal extern duties and responsibilities

Create PowerPoint presentation used to train staff on managing copyright and trademark infringement risk.
Research various aspects of criminal law; write inter-office memos defining the present juris prudence of issue research.
Train attorneys and librarians to use the Lexis-Nexis legal research system.
Proofread and edit attorney work product (grammar, usage, and content . )

Prepare your legal extern resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your legal extern resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a legal extern resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Legal Extern Resume templates

Build a professional Legal Extern resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Legal Extern resume.

Apply for legal extern jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a legal extern job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do legal externs rate their job?

What is a legal extern and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a Legal Extern?

Legal Extern career paths

Key steps to become a legal extern

Explore legal extern education requirements

Most common legal extern degrees

Start to develop specific legal extern skills

Complete relevant legal extern training and internships

Research legal extern duties and responsibilities

Prepare your legal extern resume

Choose From 10+ Customizable Legal Extern Resume templates

Apply for legal extern jobs

How Did You Land Your First Legal Extern Job

Average legal extern salary

How do legal externs rate their job?

Legal Extern FAQs

How long does it take to become a Legal Extern?

Are externships free?

Do you get paid as an extern?

Search for legal extern jobs

Legal Extern jobs by state