October 8-10, 2026
Minnesota's three law schools — the University of St. Thomas School of Law, the University of Minnesota Law School, and Mitchell Hamline School of Law — invite you to Minneapolis for the Externships 13 Conference from October 8–10, 2026.
This year's conference celebrates what makes externships and our externship community so impactful. Externship education is built on relationships — among faculty, site supervisors, students, and the broader legal community. These connections energize our work, sustain us as educators, and create meaningful learning experiences for students. At the same time, externships are a site of constant innovation: from new pedagogical approaches and program designs to emerging technologies and evolving practice settings. This conference invites participants to share ideas, learn from one another, and explore how strong community and thoughtful innovation together strengthen externship programs and advance experiential learning.
Minneapolis and our surrounding communities have been at the center of national attention in early 2026 following the federal immigration enforcement operation known as "Operation Metro Surge." Our community experienced significant disruption, loss, and pain during this period. We also witnessed an extraordinary demonstration of solidarity: neighbors supporting neighbors, legal professionals mobilizing to defend rights, and businesses standing with their communities.
As our community continues to heal and rebuild, we are proud to host Externships 13 in Minneapolis this October. The themes of community and innovation that define this conference are the same values that have carried this city through difficult times. We look forward to welcoming colleagues from across the country to a city whose spirit, hospitality, and commitment to justice are stronger than ever.
Thursday, October 8
Friday, October 9
Saturday, October 10
The New Clinicians Workshop, Welcome Reception, and all conference sessions will be held at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, located at 1000 LaSalle Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55402.
An evening reception on Friday, October 9 will be held at the University of Minnesota Law School, located at 229 S 19th Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55455. Bus transportation will be provided from St. Thomas Law to the UMN Law School and back to the hotel (cost included in conference registration fee).
A full conference agenda will be available on this page in August 2026.
We invite you to submit your speaker proposals by Monday, May 18, 2026. Speakers may choose to submit proposals for full 75-minute concurrent sessions, 30-minute lightning sessions, poster presentations, affinity groups, and/or works in progress. For additional details, please visit the Externships 13 Submission Guidelines.
Requests for speaker proposals will open in early February with a submission deadline in late March. Speakers may choose to submit proposals for full 75-minute concurrent sessions, 30-minute lightning sessions, poster presentations, affinity groups, and/or works in progress.
Please check back for more information about submitting speaker proposals.
Registration for Externships 13 will open on July 1, 2026. The conference fee will be $250, the same amount charged for Externships 12 in 2024. Registration for the New Clinicians half-day workshop will be an additional $50.
Please check back in July for the registration link.
Guest rooms are available at the Hampton Inn & Suites Minneapolis/Downtown, located at 19 N 8th St, Minneapolis, MN 55403. The Hampton Inn is an 8-minute walk to St. Thomas Law and an even shorter walk to restaurants, theaters, and event venues.
The negotiated room rate is $159/night for rooms with one king or two queen beds.
The cut-off date to make a room reservation is September 8, 2026. Please book early; if the room block fills up before September 8, 2026, we cannot guarantee you will receive the discounted rate.
Each individual guest must make their own reservation by using the Hampton Inn booking link or calling 612-341-3333 for Hilton Central Reservations. When prompted, press 1 once more to reach a representative. Attendees must mention the Externships 13 room block to get the group rate. The cutoff date for the room block is Tuesday, September 8, 2026. Individual guests will pay their own sleeping room rates (including any tax) and incidental charges (e.g. room service, gift shop charges and in-room entertainment fees).
All reservations must be accompanied by a first night room deposit or guaranteed with a major credit card whose brand is accepted by the hotel. At the time of check-in, each guest will be required to present the major credit card on which the hotel may place a hold in accordance with the hotel’s standard procedure or process a prepayment in the amount of the guest’s estimated charges, if prepayment has not already been made.
Reservations must be cancelled at least forty-eight (48) hours before check-in date or the hotel may charge the guest’s credit card one night’s room fee plus any applicable taxes.
Once a guest reservation begins and the guest departs before the end of their reserved stay, the guest may be required to pay an Early Departure Charge equal to one night’s room rate, plus applicable fees, taxes and assessments.
ACCESSIBILITY
Accessible rooms are available as a part of the Externships 13 room block at the same price as other standard rooms.
Coffee shops and restaurants (Britt’s Pub, Dancing Ganesha, The Local, Barrio, Caribou Coffee, Gray Fox Coffee) are all available within a 5- to 10-minute walk from St. Thomas Law and the Hampton. A Target store and Lunds Byerly’s (grocery with food) are also within a 5- to 10-minute walk from St. Thomas Law and the Hampton Inn.
St. Thomas Law and the Hampton Inn are also minutes away from sporting venues, museums, world-class dining, and even outdoor adventures.
The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) is located about 13 miles or 20-30 minutes by car from St. Thomas Law and the Hampton Inn & Suites Minneapolis/Downtown.
Average Uber prices to and from Downtown Minneapolis are as follows:
St. Thomas Law and UMN Law School have hourly parking available right next to the schools.