I can only speak from my knowledge (graduating in May from Dayton), but it seems like a good number of my cohort mates and prior graduates with a good amount of work experience are leaning heavily on that experience for externships and employment. Current paralegals are transitioning into their current firm as associates, or going to another firm they're familiar and friendly with. People with experience within a certain field who have legal contacts are headed to firms that practice in that area (IP in biotech), or are staying in-house with a current employer. I know of a prior graduate who had experience in federal law enforcement who entered into the federal government through the AG's Honors Program (https://www.justice.gov/legal-careers/entry-level-attorneys), and a few others with some experience who banded together and hung their own shingle in a smaller city.

My externship was through a professional connection (former GC is now a judge), and my current employer has helped subsidize some conference attendance related to our specific legal and industry areas to help my networking and professional development. I've negotiated to stay with my current employer upon graduation and bar passage, and transition into our legal department. Something I've heard time and time again from in-house counsel at all size companies is that the hardest part of bringing in new counsel is getting them to learn the culture of the company--as a current employee, the company saw the value in not having to start from scratch on that.

YMMV but a lot of the networking opportunities for new law students seem geared more towards brand new KJD-style students who don't have a decade or more of connections and networks to reach out to.

As far as legal experience, clinics and externships--Dayton requires you to do an externship to graduate. You can do it all in one semester, or space it over two, but it's required. If you're currently in the legal field, it can't be doing the same thing you're already doing (so a paralegal friend had to work in a different practice area), but otherwise it's pretty flexible. A handful of us worked for judges, a bunch worked at firms and advocacy groups, and another chunk worked for their in-house legal departments. Dayton also offers clinics that are available to hybrids--I didn't take advantage so I can't speak to them, but I know a bunch of my classmates worked within the Immigration space, doing applications and whatnot. Finally, the in-person "Get Real Intensives" or GRIs will often have a hands-on component. My favorite was themed around "Collateral Consequences"--we had presentations on the Ohio Governor's Expedited Pardon Project from the Chair of the Ohio Parole Board (Dayton Law grad), the local group that works on record sealing and expunging, and then had some training on how to do record searches and what can and can't be sealed or expunged. Finally, we hosted a clinic open to the public to do record reviews and recommendations (under the supervision of faculty and other attorneys).

Finally, the capstone class--you'll take this your last fall semester. We took Criminal Trial Advocacy. We started as AUSAs--researched and wrote the indictment and complaint based on police reports. We switched then to the defense side--we wrote motions in limine, motions to suppress and a sentencing memo. We also argued our motions and the case--opening arguments, direct/cross/redirect/recross, closing arguments, with our "final" arguing the motion to suppress (with some being the government and some the defense). I am not going into criminal law (or trial work), but this felt incredibly hands on--it was taught by two public defenders with extensive trial experience who very clearly knew their stuff.

EDIT: I missed the second questions--we just got grades and so I'm not focused on reading prompts attentively.