Business Externships

Business Regulation

Florida Attorney General - Antitrust

Credits: 4

Students externing in the Antitrust branch of the Attorney General's office assist in the investigation and prosecution of antitrust violations. Students engage in pretrial investigations through the division's civil investigative authority and formal discovery. Students participate in case planning sessions, and also participate in and atend settlement negotiations. Because of the complexity of the division's caseload, students are not assigned primary responsibility for cases. 

Florida Attorney General - Consumer Protection

Credits: 4-6
(Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale, Tampa, West Palm Beach)

Are you interested in fighting for consumers? The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit is mandated by Chapter 501, Florida Statutes to engage in civil litigation against companies and individuals that rip-off, defraud or mislead Florida consumers. The Consumer Protection Unit has successfully litigated against some of the world’s largest corporations and obtained hundreds of millions of dollars in restitution for Florida consumers. Students assist in the representation of the section in judicial proceedings. Students have an opportunity to develop competency in fact gathering and field investigation, identifying and applying facts to law, developing case strategy, drafting legal instruments and writing legal documents. Because of the complexity of the cases involved, students are not assigned primary responsibility for cases and do not appear in court except to assist the lead counsel. 

Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation

Credits: 3-4 

The Department of Business and Professional Regulation (BPR) regulates a wide variety of businesses and professions. Students would engage in administrative litigation in various divisions: Alcohol, Beverage & Tobacco, Land Sales, Hotels and Restaurants, Pari-Mutual Wages, or Professions. Most of this litigation involves challenges to BPR’s licensing and/or regulatory decisions. Litigation assignments include pretrial discovery, motion practice, drafting pleadings. Students may have the opportunity to conduct hearings. 

Florida Department of Health

Credits: 4-6

Students externing with the Department of Health investigate and litigate complaints against medical practitioners in Florida. Students will work closely with an experienced senior attorney, and will have the opportunity to conduct factual investigation, draft administrative complaints, conduct pre-hearing discovery, participate in administrative hearings, and prepare recommended final orders. Students will also engage in settlement negotiation. 

Florida Public Service Commission

Credits: 4

Students work in the Commission's General Counsel's office. Students duties include the preparation of legal memoranda and hearing preparation and execution. Students have an opportunity to develop an understanding of the advisory staff attorney's role and learn the law regulating utilities in Florida. 

U.S. Internal Revenue Service

Externs assist IRS tax attorneys in a variety of assignments, including conducting legal and factual research, preparing documents and exhibits, interviewing witnesses, summarizing depositions, analyzing records, and other case-related work.

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

Credit: 6
(Miami, Atlanta)

Students assist SEC lawyers with research and writing projects related to regulation of the financial markets. Students also attend seminars, workshops, and commission meetings. Opportunities exist in Washington, D.C. and 11 regional offices. In Washington DC, 11 divisions and offices participate. In the regional offices, students typically are assigned to the Division of Enforcement or the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations.

Corporate Counsel

Jabil Circuit, Inc.

Credits: 4-6
(St. Petersburg)

Jabil Circuit, Inc., is a global manufacturing solutions company headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida. The extern will assist the in-house corporate attorneys with representation of the company, with an emphasis on drafting, reviewing and negotiating contracts. The student also will work on matters related to corporate governance and compliance, mergers and acquisitions, human resources, litigation, and intellectual property.

JM Family Enterprises/Southeast Toyota

Credits: 4
(Deerfield Beach)

JM Family has six business units, each with a separate legal department located at its headquarters in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Its principal businesses focus on vehicle distribution and processing, finance and insurance, and retail vehicle sales. The extern will work directly with in-house attorneys, paralegals, and support staff, as well as have routine exposure to other departments in the company. Students will conduct legal research and provide legal analysis in a variety of subjects including franchise law, automotive regulation, advertising law, and intellectual property. Students also will assist attorneys in reviewing commercial contracts and marketing material.

NASCAR

Credits: 6
(Daytona Beach)

NASCAR is headquartered in Daytona Beach beside the Daytona International Speedway. NASCAR promotes over 100 motorsports events annually. The student will work directly with corporate counsel. In assisting the NASCAR attorneys with their work projects, the extern will gain experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating contracts related to sponsorships, vendors/operations, multimedia coverage of events, insurance loss and control, and agreements with racing sanctioning bodies.

NextEra Energy/Florida Power & Light Company

Credits: 4-6

Tallahassee Office: The student will work with NextEra Energy/Florida Power & Light Company’s Environmental and Land Use Practice Group in Tallahassee and will research and write memoranda to assist attorneys with representation of the companies in regulatory matters before the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Public Service Commission and other agencies. Students may assist with power plant siting, pipeline siting, endangered species issues, water and air regulations, and other environmental legal topics. Students typically attend teleconferences, in-person meetings, hearings, and other events with their supervisor, including a tour of the company's headquarters in Juno Beach. Juno Beach Office: Students will work with the lawyers responsible for merger and acquisition transactions, implementing and improving compliance systems, and managing corporate finance and governance matters. In addition to completing assignments, students will be invited to attend meetings with attorneys.

Office Depot

Credits: 4
(Boca Raton)

The extern will work with Office Depot’s in-house corporate attorneys who are divided into four teams: litigation; real estate; contracts, securities and benefits; and employer compliance. The student will assist attorneys with matters relating to representation of the company, with a heavy emphasis on transactional work. In addition to assisting with legal representation, the student will meet with corporate executives and will attend meetings of the litigation team.

Courts

Circuit Court/Complex Business Litigation Court Program

Credits: 6
(Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Tampa)

Complex Business Litigation Courts have been created in the Ninth (Orlando), Eleventh (Miami) and Thirteenth (Tampa) Judicial Circuits of Florida. Students are assigned to work directly with a judge in a Complex Business Litigation Court as an extern/judicial law clerk. Students prepare memoranda of law, draft opinions and orders, and observe proceedings. The externship gives students an opportunity to improve research, writing and analytical skills and to observe and critique trial and motion practice skills. Students also learn about circuit court jurisdiction and procedure and are exposed to a variety of substantive business law issues.  Students must attend the judicial externship seminar the semester before or after the externship. 

Florida Division of Administrative Hearings

Credits: 6

Students are assigned to serve as an extern law clerk for an administrative law judge at the Division of Administrative Hearings. Duties include legal research, drafting memoranda, and preparing orders. Students have an opportunity to improve their research, writing and analytical skills and to gain an understanding of the jurisdiction and procedures of the Division of Administrative Hearings. Students gain exposure to a wide variety of substantive law.

Florida First District Court of Appeal – Worker's Compensation Unit

Credits: 6

District Courts of Appeal are located in Tallahassee, Lakeland, Tampa, Miami, West Palm Beach and Daytona Beach. Students generally are assigned to work in a clerkship capacity with one of the judges. At the First DCA (in Tallahassee), students also may be assigned to the Workers Compensation Unit or the Central Legal Staff. Duties include reviewing the briefs and the record below, conducting legal research, writing case summaries and drafting opinions. Students critically observe oral arguments, which take place only during morning hours.

U.S. Bankruptcy Court

Credits: 6

The externing student is assigned to work in a clerkship capacity with the bankruptcy judge for the Northern District of Florida (Tallahassee). Students also have worked with judges in the Middle District of Florida (Orlando, Tampa), and other locations may be available. Duties include legal research, drafting memoranda, preparing orders, etc. Students have an opportunity to observe Bankruptcy Court proceedings, improve their research and writing skills and gain exposure to general bankruptcy law. Students who enroll in this externship attend the Judicial Externship Seminar the semester before or after the externship.

U.S. District Court

Credits: 6
(Tallahassee)

Externing students work in a clerkship capacity with a federal district court judge or magistrate judge. Duties include conducting legal research, drafting memoranda and preparing orders.

Government Contracting

Florida Department of Management Services

Credits: 4

Under the supervision of DMS General Counsel, the student will focus on bid protest law and the accompanying processes, including contracts and bidding. Responsibilities include attending a weekly meeting with General Counsel, coordinating with interviewing parties, and communicating with opposing counsel prior to motions.

Florida Department of Transportation

Credits: 4

This externship is for students interested in transactional work. Students assist the Department of Transportation with various transactions, including the review, analysis, and revision of Department  policies and procedures, forms, procurement documents, and the following types of agreements: professional services, purchase of commodities and contractual services, grants, local agreements, settlement agreements, intellectual property agreements, cell tower agreements, leases and other various agreements.

Florida Housing Finance Corporation

Credits: 4

Students will work with attorneys and staff to complete real property transactions and to procure and contract for goods and services and to conduct legal research for the general counsel on issues that arise in the course of the corporation’s business. Students may also participate in rulemaking and administrative hearings, if these opportunities are available.

Tax Assistance

Legal Services of North Florida Low-Income Tax Clinic

Credits: 4
(Tallahassee, Quincy)

Students assist persons with low incomes with tax disputes with the IRS, including cases resulting from identity theft, dependents being stolen, unlawful practices by tax preparers, an innocent spouse who is the victim of a disgruntled spouse, and tax consequences of foreclosure. Professor Steve Johnson will hold four hours of class with students doing this externship, scheduled with participating students.

U.S. Internal Revenue Service

Information coming soon!