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Written by S. Colin Mabrito
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Thursday, 18 October 2007 06:11 |
A law school education is more than a random assortment of unrelated classes and jobs. It is a process whose value can be maximized through the selection of the right summer internship.
One of the ultimate goals of attending law school is, of course, to be employed after its completion. The summer internship is the most practical way to discover what interests you, as well as to land a job you want. After all, many employers view this time as an extended interview process. Therefore, students should treat this as an opportunity to show employers their legal prowess, willingness to work diligently, and interest in the position.
If a student’s goal is to pursue a career at a large firm, the best way to get a foot in the door is through a summer associate position. Because these firms understand this reality, most will allow students to “split” the summer into two parts. This is a great way to explore two different firm cultures, as well as two different legal practice areas. Many of the larger firms hire new associates almost exclusively from their summer associate programs. Because of this, students aspiring to work at large firms should pursue summer opportunities aggressively. These firms are generally most accessible for interviews through the fall recruiting process conducted by a law school’s career services office.
However, big firms are not for everyone. Other alternatives include smaller firms, government agencies, companies, and consulting groups. Many individuals also find it insightful to intern with judges. This kind of position affords a student the opportunity to see the inner workings of the court system. This is especially advantageous for someone interested in litigation.
Government agencies such as the SEC, EPA or FCC offer students the opportunity to learn about a specific area of law. Often such agencies will have an honors program for pay, or will work with a law school’s externship program for class credit.
There are also many non-traditional legal careers that can be explored during a summer internship. These include working in real estate, tax consulting or title examination. With these positions, a student should remember that traditional legal employers will not want to see more than one on a resume. For that reason, it may be best to limit your exposure to these kinds of positions if you have not fully decided between a traditional or non-traditional career. However, if a non-traditional legal career is your goal, it is helpful to have at least one of these kinds of positions on your resume. This will abate the fears of a potential non-traditional employer that you would jump ship if offered a traditional legal position elsewhere.
The good news is that, as a law student, you have two opportunities (two summers) in which to hold full time positions. Students should take advantage of this by using the first summer as a way to explore practice areas. This can be an excellent way to figure out what areas interest you most, and what practice areas you can remove from your list of potential career paths. You can then use the second summer to try to secure a job for after graduation.
Another less traditional way in which many students get a foot in the door at a firm, agency or company, as well as gain valuable experience, is to maintain a position during the school year. The ABA requires that positions for full time students be limited to less than 20 hours per week while classes are in session. However, over a semester, this can still be terrific exposure to the practical side of the legal issues that are discussed in class. Of course, working during the semester should be limited to that amount of time that does not interfere with the academic study of law. That being said, many students find that their grades actually improve because of the practical exposure. Courses in procedure become much more intuitive for students who are working at a litigation firm. In the same way, an internship at a government agency like the IRS helps to clarify courses like federal income taxation and administrative agency law.
Above all, the integration of practical experience and academics is key to a successful law school experience. Students should start searching for a job, and communicating with their career services office, early to take full advantage of all the opportunities their school has to offer.
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