EXTERNSHIPS
When it comes to the law, nothing can replace the knowledge and skills gained through hands-on experience.
At Villanova Law, externships give students the opportunity to observe and work directly with an experienced legal practitioner in a semester-long, real-world learning environment. Rigorously supervised, you’ll be paired with and meet regularly with a Villanova faculty adviser who has expertise in the area of your placement.
You will also work under the guidance of an on-site supervising attorney, allowing you to observe and work with an expert who can guide you through their work, strategy and choices. The collaborative approach to externships—a supervising attorney, faculty adviser and you working together—allows you to reach your learning objectives and finish the program with valuable skills and invaluable contacts for your professional network.
Externships are credit-earning and tailored to individual career interests. In our extensive externship program, you can choose from one of our many recurring externships or design your own learning experiences through an independent placement. Placements expand beyond the Philadelphia region and across all areas of law—from judicial to corporate to non profit—so you can focus on where and what you most want to learn.
OUR TEAM
Matthew McGovern
Director of Experiential Learning & Legal Research Instructor
Biography
Matthew McGovern currently manages the Law School’s Externship Program. He also teaches Legal Research in the first-year Research and Writing course as well as the Advanced Legal Research elective. McGovern joined the Law School in 2007 as a librarian and legal research instructor. He was appointed director of experiential learning in 2015. Before pursuing a career at Villanova, McGovern was a staff pharmacist at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. He also practiced law with the Maryland Attorney General’s Office where he represented the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. McGovern holds a JD from the University of Maryland and an MS in library and information science from Drexel University.
Practice Experience
- Maryland Attorney General's Office
- Library Intern at the University of Pennsylvania's Law and Engineering Libraries
- Joined Villanova Law in 2007
Contact Information
Office: Rm 158, John F. Scarpa Hall
Phone: 610-519-3893
Fax: 610-519-7033
Publications
Courses and Seminars
- Advanced Legal Research
Education
- University of Maryland, JD
- Drexel University, MS (LIS)
- University of Maryland, BS (Pharmacy)
Matthew McGovern
Director of Experiential Learning
90%
of the Class of 2024 participated in an externship
“I competed in Tulane Law School's Professional Basketball Negotiation Competition, where I connected with a Villanova Law grad. This connection led to an externship with Seigel Sports & Entertainment, where I worked within basketball operations. The firm handled national and international clients, but I primarily focused on free agency preparation for our NBA clients, which heavily involved analyzing the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement, doing a market analyses the current free agency class and of comparable player contracts, and using basketball analytics and traditional statistical measures to create player comparisons. My summer externship was extended through the fall semester, so I was able to see all of my hard work pay off when it came time for the NBA draft."
–Arun Thottakara '21
