Semester in Practice: Ruby Li

Abstract

BC Law student Ruby Li describes her placement in the law school's Semester in Practice, a flexible "real world" externship program designed to maximize students' ability to improve their lawyering skills while working with experienced local lawyers and judges.

Students may select their placement from a pre-existing pool of opportunities that includes diverse subject areas (labor, civil rights, environmental, business law, etc.) and diverse settings (government, law firms, public interest groups, in-house counsel, judicial clerkships, etc.) Students may also obtain their own placements, subject to screening and approval of the Director.

In class, students analyze the lawyering process through readings, discussion, and student presentations. Students will also keep a weekly journal. The Director monitors individual placements to ensure the supervising attorney is providing a significant educational experience including feedback on work product, planned work assignments, exposure to the various aspects of lawyering, and mini-lectures.