Field Placement Host Requirements

The LSU Law Center’s faculty permits students to participate in field placements with three general types of host organizations:

Local, administrative, state, and federal judges,
Attorneys working for local, state, and federal government agencies, and/or
Attorneys performing legal services with a public interest non-profit organization.

All potential field placements must be approved by the LSU Law Center to serve as a field placement host. In order to become an approved field placement host, a potential placement must first review and execute the Law Center’s field placement memorandum of understanding, and all attorneys who will be supervising LSU Law Center students must review the Law Center’s Field Placement Supervisor Handbook. Both documents are available for download below:

Student participation in any field placement course must be approved by the Director of Field Placements and by the placement organization, and is subject to the following Law Center-imposed limitations:

Family members: Students may not work in a placement where that student’s family member or relative is an attorney, judge, or staff member.
For-profit placements: Placements with for-profit organizations, such as privately-owned law firms and corporations, are not permitted.
Repeat placements: Students may not repeat a field placement unless they can demonstrate that the repeat placement will provide an opportunity for significant educational development through a different experience that offers greater responsibility and tasks of greater sophistication. Students should also note that they can take each of the four field placement courses only once!
No direct compensation: The LSU Law Center does not permit students to receive financial compensation for work done at a field placement; however, students may receive reimbursements for necessary expenses incurred (parking, etc.) if such is offered by the host placement organization.
No concurrent legal employment: Students cannot have any other law-related employment (e.g.; a law firm clerk position) while participating in a field placement (i.e.; two positions at the same time). Students can have a non-law-related position (e.g.; waiter, bartender) while participating in a field placement, but must have written permission from Prof. Pittman and the host placement.
Previously-paid jobs: Students may not, in most cases, convert a job that was advertised for pay into an unpaid field placement. Students may also not apply for field placement credit and also for funding by the LSU Law Center’s Public Interest Law Society

Questions should be directed to Prof. Richard Pittman, the Director of Field Placement Programs.