Pepperdine Caruso Law Hosts Externships 11 Conference

On October 7 and 8, Pepperdine Caruso Law hosted the Externships 11 conference, the first major, in-person clinical conference held in three years. The externships community has met for these conferences every other year since Externships 1 in 2001. Representing over 100 law schools, 108 professors and administrators gathered in person, and another 50 joined online. Professors from Australia and a large delegation from law schools in the Philippines joined the conference to share, learn, and further develop their programs. 

The substance of the conference is the formation of excellent, ethical lawyers and public citizens. The plenary and concurrent sessions addressed practice, pedagogy, and professional formation. Several sessions specifically focused on implementing the new ABA Section 303 standards on cultural competence, bias, and racism. Experienced professors led sessions for new clinicians, and multiple professors presented scholarly works in progress for comment and critique. 

The experience of the conference was a long-awaited return for a dedicated community. True to the values of externships and clinics, the conference raised $1200 in donations for the Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County and Bet Tzedek to support field supervisors who assist Caruso Law students in critical public interest placements.