The field placement program offers students the opportunity to earn academic credit while gaining practical legal experience working in live-client situations. Students may work in courts, government entities, public service agencies, non-profit organizations or corporate legal departments.
Belmont Law students have completed field placements with over 130 different organizations, including:
U.S. Department of Justice
Nashville Predators
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Federal and State Judges
Tennessee Department of Health
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development
Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation
International Justice Mission
Disability Rights Tennessee
Davidson County Department of Children's Services
20th Judicial District Public Defender's Office
District Attorney's Office, 20th Judicial District
20th Judicial District Criminal Court
Raven Lockwood Class of 2020
Interning at the Tennessee Volunteer Lawyers and Professionals for the Arts has provided me with invaluable opportunities, such as interviewing and communicating with clients; drafting incorporation documents; researching trademark and copyright law issues; and connecting with entertainment attorneys across Nashville. I have been able to contribute to multiple artists’ creative endeavours. Interning at the TN-VLPA has been an amazing experience, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in practicing entertainment law.
Joe Stovall Class of 2018
Belmont promised to have me practice-ready coming out of school, and it followed through on that promise. Through its field placement program, I was able to gain a great deal of practical legal experience from working at a local, non-profit organization to interning with the Tennessee Attorney General’s office to eventually clerking at a U.S. Attorney’s Office, all while in school.
Joseph North Class of 2020
My experience with the Predators was invaluable. The externship not only provided me
with insight into in-house counsel's daily responsibilities, but also refined my ability to reduce bold organizational objectives into manageable legal issues. My supervisors expressed real trust in my abilities, so I was able to hit the ground running.
Continuing Field Placements
Each semester, select Belmont Law students work with the following organizations to gain real life experience:
Students must successfully complete one academic year of legal education prior to participation in the field placement program. Students may engage in field placements during the school year or during the summer. A student may apply a maximum of six academic credits for field placements (i.e., up to three field placements) toward the credits required for graduation. For a field placement, a student must work 100 hours on the job and complete the two classroom components that are offered in the respective semester. Students must be supervised at the organization by a licensed attorney. The organization must be governmental, non-profit, or an in-house counsel’s office. Students may not be paid for work performed during the field placement.
Students interested in a field placement must:
Select a field placement site, which may involve meeting and interviewing with the prospective organization. Please view Briefcase for field placement listings or see the Director of Field Placements, Kristi Arth, if you need assistance in finding a field placement.
Current students can apply for field placements through their Briefcase account.
Gain approval through the application process from Kristi Arth for the field placement.
Register for the field placement class during normal registration.
Attend the two mandatory classroom components held during the respective semester.
Contact the Director of Field Placements
Kristi Arth
Assistant Professor of Law & Director of Field Placements
B.A., University of Alabama; M.A., J.D., Ohio State University
