Co-op

The Incomparable Co-op: Full-Time Work Experiences. Countless Opportunities.

When it comes to giving students the opportunity to learn by doing, there’s simply no place like Northeastern. Our signature Cooperative Legal Education Program guarantees you three, full-time legal work experiences. No other law school program comes close — indeed, The National Jurist recognized Northeastern Law No. 1 for practical training in its 2023 “Best Schools for Practical Training” issue of preLaw magazine.

While other law schools might give students the chance to work over the summer or experience a part-time internship or externship, only Northeastern integrates full-time employment into its curriculum, giving you opportunities to:

• Collaborate full time with working lawyers, contributing to the resolution of actual cases for real clients
• Make an impact in a professional setting just about anywhere in the world, from New York to South Africa
• Try out a variety of work environments and explore diverse areas of the law in depth

You’ll graduate from Northeastern in three years — the same amount of time as peers at other law schools. But in those three years you will do much more than study the law; you’ll gain the experiences you need to graduate with clear direction, a deep professional network and a resume that stands out from the crowd.

How it works

After your first year of study, you’ll alternate between classroom and co-op until you graduate with three, full-time professional experiences under your belt.

Where you’ll go

Clerk for a judge in Boston. Assist lawyers at a private firm in San Francisco. Conduct research for a trial in The Hague. Work for a human rights organization in Kenya. With more than 1,100 co-op employers in 40 states and co-ops completed in 55 countries, NUSL lets you tailor your experience to your professional interests and travel the world on co-op if you choose.

What you’ll get

The benefits of co-op extend far beyond graduating with an impressive resume. You and your peers will bring lessons learned on co-op into the classroom, creating a vibrant intellectual exchange that builds with each new experience. You may end up accepting a full-time position with one of your co-op employers, as a significant number of our graduates do. Most important, you’ll have the experience to know exactly where you want to go in your career and the confidence and credentials to get there.