The Future of Legal Education in Korea: introducing American-style externships

As Korean law schools prepare to enter their second decade of training the nation’s lawyers, they will need to find ways to both compete for the best students and also help their students compete for the best jobs domestically and internationally. American-style externships should be considered by some, if not all, Korean law schools as a model to adapt to their curriculum. This article introduces and discusses the key part that experiential education methods, including externships, play in American law schools. Then it discusses elements of various American externship programs and their place within the curriculum at various American law schools, as well as positive and negative elements of externship programs therein. Finally, this article discusses how well aspects of American-style externships might be transferrable to Korean law schools in light of their varying traditions, differences in legal systems, bar exam pressure, law school faculty backgrounds and Korea’s post-bar exam mandatory skills training. Ultimately, the conclusion is made that, despite such differences, there is room for at least giving the opportunity to some students, particularly those aiming at landing international careers that demand skills not emphasized in Korean law schools, to earn academic credit while working under the tutelage of attorneys.