Cooperative Legal Education Program
Northeastern's
unique approach to training law students for a career in the legal profession
is known as Cooperative Legal Education. Under this program, students complete
a traditional first year of academic study and then, for the remaining two
years, alternate every three months between working full time as legal interns
and attending classes on a full-time basis. The successful completion of
four cooperative work quarters is a graduation requirement for all Northeastern
law students.
A work period
is referred to as a "co-op", and approximately 200 students are employed
each quarter in a variety of legal practices, including private firms (all
sizes), legal services, public defender associations, judicial clerkships
(state and federal, trial and appellate), government agencies, corporate
legal departments, unions and special interest advocacy organizations. While
on co-op, students are assigned substantive legal work under the direct supervision
of a member of the bar in good standing or a judge. Currently, more than
700 employers in over 30 states actively participate in the program with
the majority of co-op placements in the Greater Boston area.
Students
generally find their post-graduate prospects substantially enhanced through
the Co-op Program and, on average, 40 percent of students accept post- graduate
employment with one of their former co-op employers.
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