Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School (AJMLS) has established an externship pipeline with the City of Atlanta Department of Law, giving students a competitive opportunity to gain direct experience in government and in-house legal practice.
Three AJMLS students, Erica Castaneda, Zemzem Lemma, and Azikiwea Green, will participate in the inaugural Fall 2026 cohort.
The program gives students firsthand experience with municipal law and the work of an in-house legal department. Through the placement, students will develop practical skills in litigation, legal research and writing, client counseling, legislative drafting, and strategic problem-solving.
For students interested in in-house counsel, the experience offers an opportunity to explore that career path before graduating from law school. While many law students begin their careers in law firms or other traditional legal settings, working within the City’s Department of Law allows AJMLS students to experience the day-to-day work of an in-house legal team and see how legal advice is applied within a government organization.
The competitive application process also gives students an opportunity to strengthen their professional materials. Throughout the process, AJMLS’s externship department staff, Professor Mecca Anderson and Allyn Haynes, worked closely with applicants to review and refine their application materials before submitting them to the City.
Professor Anderson notes that the partnership reflects AJMLS’s commitment to creating meaningful opportunities for students:
“This partnership represents exactly the kind of opportunity we strive to create for our students. The City Attorney, Marquetta Bryan, has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to mentoring the next generation of lawyers by opening her office to AJMLS students and providing meaningful, hands-on experience in one of the region’s most respected public law departments. Municipal law offers an unmatched opportunity to develop litigation, legal writing, client counseling, legislative drafting, and strategic problem-solving skills while serving the public. We are proud to partner with the City of Atlanta Department of Law to create a pathway for our students to learn from exceptional attorneys, gain insight into the practice of in-house government law, and graduate better prepared to lead, serve, and succeed in the legal profession.”
The partnership was intentionally developed by AJMLS and the City of Atlanta Department of Law as a structured opportunity that can grow over time. The long-term goal is to establish a pipeline through which the City can identify, mentor, and develop strong AJMLS students interested in government and in-house practice.
Each cohort will build on that relationship. As students gain experience and demonstrate their abilities, the partnership can create additional opportunities for future AJMLS students while giving the City access to emerging legal talent.