In the fall of 2024, Cornell Law School welcomed Dena Bauman ’91 to the faculty as a lecturer of law and the director of externships and pro bono scholars program. A seasoned legal educator and practitioner, Bauman brings extensive experience in externship programs and professional development, with a career dedicated to preparing law students for the practical realities of legal practice.

Bauman returns to her alma mater with a distinguished record of academic and professional achievements. Most recently, she directed the externship program at the U.C. Davis School of Law, growing the program to more than 100 students a year. Prior to that she served for over a decade at the University of the District of Columbia School of Law, first directing the career services program and then teaching the externship class. She began her career in upstate New York in civil legal services and credits her Cornell clinical law experience as instrumental in shaping her career path.

“Dena’s commitment to legal education is matched by her dedication to mentoring the next generation of legal professionals,” said Beth Lyon, associate dean for experiential education, clinical professor of law, and clinical program director. “We are fortunate to have her return to Cornell to evaluate and build this critical opportunity for law students.”

In her new role, Bauman aims to enhance Cornell Law School’s externship programs by aligning them with best practices in externship pedagogy and satisfying ABA standards, which continue to evolve. She is also committed to evaluating and strengthening the Pro Bono Scholars program, through which third-year students take the February bar exam and then embark on an intensive externship experience providing direct services to indigent clients.

Bauman notes how changing ABA standards shape externships. “In 2016, the ABA significantly revised standards for externships, to emphasize that they are fully part of the law school’s experiential curriculum. The ABA made clear that faculty oversight is necessary to oversee both the academic work and field placements, and Cornell acted on this, by creating a faculty position for the externship director.”

In Bauman’s view, externships go beyond skill development and are a vehicle for students to learn about themselves, the profession, and their place in the profession. “One of the most important things to emphasize—above and beyond the skills that they’re learning—is encouraging the externs to think about who they want to be as attorneys and what that means for them as students. The ABA’s inclusion of ‘professional identity’ into its standards fully aligns with my learning outcomes for students.”

Bauman highlights the unique dual nature of externships, which combine “real-life” legal practice with academic oversight. “For example, when students work in a public defender’s office, students are immersed in an environment with huge workloads. Students experience how to manage their time, think on their feet, and continually problem solve. My work with them is to help them ‘process’ that experience through guided reflection.”

Bauman also described the critical role of field supervisors in externships, explaining, “We are partners in the student’s education. The placement is the student’s classroom. My role is to help them become better teachers, by troubleshooting any problems and providing training and resources.”

A native of New York, Bauman followed her father Louis W. Bauman ’56 to Cornell Law School. She is a frequent presenter at professional conferences and a thought leader in experiential legal education. She co-authored the externship chapter in the 2015 publication Building on Best Practices. Currently, she co-chairs the CLEA externship committee and was on the Planning Committee for the October 2024 Externship Conference.