Notre Dame offers new Dublin internship program for 2Ls

The Notre Dame Law School has announced an international paid internship opportunity for select 2L students beginning in the summer of 2020.

Selected second-year Notre Dame Law School students will be placed in paid internships with leading law firms and companies in Dublin, Ireland, according to the northern Indiana law school, offering them an “invaluable experience as they are exposed to transnational legal issues and the laws of Ireland and the European Union.”

“With the onset of Brexit, law firms are looking beyond London,” G. Marcus Cole, Joseph A. Matson Dean and Professor of Law at Notre Dame Law School, said in a statement. “London will remain important, but both U.S. and U.K. law firms are recognizing the need to go beyond the U.K. After Brexit happens, Ireland will be the last major English-speaking common-law jurisdiction in the European Union.”

Six partner organizations have agreed to consider hiring student interns from the law school this summer, the school said, including Dublin’s largest law firms and a human-resources company. Selected Notre Dame interns will be fully integrated into those programs while working alongside other Irish and international interns.

All first-year students are eligible to apply for the internship, but only three to five students will be selected for this summer’s placement. Applicants will be considered based on academic standing, a demonstrated interest in learning Irish and EU law, and a desire to pursue international career opportunities.

Successful applicants will receive a $10,000 stipend to be paid out in increments during the course of the internship, which will span six to eight weeks. Applications will go live on Dec. 1 and run through January 17.

“It is increasingly important for lawyers to have exposure to transnational practice,” Cole said in a statement. “Effective legal practice today requires lawyers who have a global perspective and understand how legal issues may transcend borders.”