Students interested in litigation should consider volunteering full or part-time for a state or federal judge. This is a great opportunity to earn about the inner workings of the court system, and to observe trials first-hand. You usually get an opportunity to write short memos for the judge with the judge’s clerk supervising you, and you will get to see good and bad briefs and good and bad oral presentations. You may even meet attorneys to whom you would like to apply for a job the following summer. Most positions are part-time. Applying can be as simple as preparing your resume and a cover letter, dressing nicely in a suit and hand-delivering your resume to the chambers of the judges where you would like to work. You may also mail your cover letter and resume. Interviews may be conducted, perhaps on the spot, if you have hand-delivered your resume.
These offices are responsible for prosecuting and defending persons accused of crimes at the municipal, state or federal level. 1L interns assist attorneys in preparing for trial, which may include interviewing or prepping witnesses or defendants, writing and researching short memos on legal issues, sitting second chair on trials, preparing paperwork for court, or discussing cases with attorneys and detectives. Students may apply directly to these organizations, meet attorneys through conferences, pro bono training programs, or apply through job fairs and on-campus interviewing and resume collects. Full and part-time opportunities are available. Students may also call or stop in at the office of your choice, mail or drop off a resume, interview for positions. Many of these offices do not pay 1Ls, and the jobs can be full or part-time.
These non-profit organizations are generally involved in advocating for a specific cause or population, through legislation, lobbying or directly assisting individual clients or groups. Legal Services, ACLU, Catholic Charities of Central Texas, Mexican American Legal Defense Educational Fund, Save Our Springs Alliance, and the Political Asylum Project of Austin are some of the organizations involved in public interest law. Summer interns may be trained to conduct intake interviews with clients, perform legal research and writing on specific issues, attend hearings or trials with attorneys, complete paperwork for cases, or assist attorneys in preparing cases. Students may apply directly to these organizations, meet attorneys through conferences, pro bono training programs, or apply through job fairs and on-campus interviewing and resume collects. Full and part-time opportunities are available.
These firms make up a majority of all law firms, and many students and alumni work for them. Some are progressive, some traditional. Many positions involve multiple practice areas, some firms concentrate on specific practice areas. Jobs offer hands-on experience, generally a decent salary, and an opportunity to develop strong lawyering skills. 1L law clerks will generally conduct legal research and writing assignments. They may discuss their research with attorneys, and may have an opportunity to attend hearings, client meetings or trials. An employer may list positions when they have a need; some only hire people they know. They advertise in our on-line job bank, participate in on-campus recruiting, and often seek referrals from students, staff and faculty. Students may also apply through targeted mailings, informational interviews, creative contacts, networking and cold calling. Many pay, unless you are just observing and full and part-time opportunities are available. They are somewhat more difficult to obtain as a 1L because you are competing with the 2L students.
These offices handle civil cases for governments. Cases may include employment, environmental, insurance, personal injury, tax equity, school funding, labor, community development, regulatory, and business issues, to name but a few. Summer interns generally conduct research and writing assignments relating to the area of law in which the government agency works. They may also attend hearings or trials, sit in on discovery or interviews, or go to meetings with their attorneys. To apply, students interested in specific agencies generally should contact the branch or main office in which they have an interest and then either mail or drop off a resume and cover letter to apply for the position. Following up on your application greatly improves success rates. Interviews are usually involved. Several agencies also participate in on-campus interviewing and resume collects. The majority of these positions will be volunteer, although some agencies do have funds for the summer, and may be full or part-time.
Many professors hire research assistants to help them with legal research for conferences, legal publications or books that they are writing. 1L assistants usually meet with the professor periodically and then conduct research. They then either hand over their raw research, or discuss it with the professor, or draft a memo of findings. Some students may even develop writing samples through these experiences. This is a great opportunity to get to know a professor on a personal level, which may come in handy for recommendations in the future. Students can approach professors whom they admire directly about opportunities or apply for advertised positions with a resume and letter. Most positions pay. Part- time positions are available. The Center for Terrorism Law also hires students to serve as Research Fellows for the summer and the subsequent academic year. Information about the hiring process is usually available in February.
They make up a minority of all law firms in the country but probably receive the larger amount of media attention. They are considered to be prestigious, and pay well. They require long hours, are very structured and are good places to develop strong lawyering, research and writing skills but may not allow students to get much client contact. Large firms cover all legal practice areas. 1Ls typically conduct research and writing assignments for different departments. They may also attend client meetings or trials but will spend the majority of their time in the office doing legal research and writing. Large firms have a very high set of hiring criteria, and grades are very important. A few look at additional criteria including experience, minority status, and additional qualifications. 1Ls should apply in December for these very limited opportunities. You should develop contacts in firms to learn about openings and use targeted mailings for outside of geographic area. 1 Ls may also consider applying to these firms for a temporary paralegal position for the summer, in order to make contacts and get an inside perspective on these firms for the following summer. These positions also pay, not as well as the 1L summer associate positions, but are much easier to get. NALP has an on-line directory of firms that accept applications from 1Ls. Most positions are full-time.
Some have large legal departments (technology, banking, insurance) that may be departmentalized; others, even major corporations, have smaller (5-20 attorneys) departments. 1L interns typically conduct legal research and writing assignments but may also attend company meetings or meet with outside counsel. Some companies hire students for the summer but they may require full-time hires to have two or more years of law firm experience. Students with prior corporate professional experience may forego this requirement, depending on the company. Very few advertise so students should apply directly, conduct informational interviews, and contact previous employers. Many jobs will pay, though some nonprofit companies may take volunteers, and full and part-time positions are available but are fairly limited.
Many students choose to study abroad after their first year of law school in order take advanced international coursework, meet other law students, and get a head start on upper class credits. This option is expensive and may require private loans to fund, but this can be an excellent opportunity for some students. Some programs even offer legal work experience as part of the program, which are unpaid.
Yes, but they are a long shot given the number of positions for the first summer. Some students do get positions though so you may want to apply and see. They are, however, a good shot for your 2L summer if you have done well academically and receive a spot on one of the law journals. You will apply for 2L summer jobs the summer and fall after your 1st year. The Office of Career Services will provide information about the recruiting opportunities, such as job fairs, in the spring and summer.
The answer to this depends on your goals and aspirations. All experiences can be good and can offer skills development, an opportunity to learn about legal careers and hands on experience in the law—which option you choose will depend on your goals. As far as value and prestige, it does not matter if it is volunteer or paid as some options just do not pay but are very valuable. Also, the entry on your resume does not reflect if the experience was paid or volunteer. Part-time is slightly less valuable than full-time because you get slightly less time to experience the job but any legal experience is still significantly valuable.
Most positions are volunteer or pay between $9-$15 per hour. Only a very small number of legal positions for 1Ls pay very high salaries.
Timing varies depending on the options listed above but generally consider:
December through May-- prepare resumes and apply for positions
February through May--interview and receive offers
February through May--accept offers
Applying and interviewing can be a little different but not measurably more difficult. If you are not local, you should apply around trips to your desired location, including in-person applications, direct contact mailing and following up with phone calls, making sure that potential employers know when you will next be in the area. If you will not be in the area during the semester, see if employers will conduct phone interviews. Long distance job searches take a bit more planning, but can be just as successful as local searches, since direct contact is the most common way for all 1Ls to get their jobs. Be sure to attend the Conducting a Long Distance Job Search presentation by the Office of Career Services during the spring semester for specific tips.
Pro Bono opportunities exist in the local public interest community. Most involve training and then a volunteer commitment from 3 hours a week to 2 nights a semester. Some students also choose to work during their second or third academic years in legal related jobs.
Contacting employers directly, either in person, by phone, or by mail with a follow up phone call.
If you have contacts, use them! If you don’t have contacts, you can develop them through alumni, friends, family, work colleagues, fellow members of activities, classmates and professors. They can be in the law or others who know people in the law. Some may lead to jobs; others may provide advice and guidance. Check with Career Services about Networking handouts. Sometimes it is better to use a contact for your 2nd summer than your 1st summer, depending on how they might help but getting advice can be successful anytime.
Through Career Services, the Internet, occasionally newspapers, and sometimes college career centers. Check these regularly--you never know what you may find.
Every year many 1st year law students find positions through the public job fairs that occur during the spring semester of their 1st year.
If you have long-range plans, then you should use this summer to explore the options you are considering. Different experiences can help students in different ways. If you don’t have long range plans, then use the summer to get as broad an exposure as possible.
In general, your first year summer experience does not affect your future summer and/or career options, although it may make you a less competitive candidate if you do not get any legal experience. Any legal experience will help you interview and understand the legal workplace, help develop your legal skills in a real life setting, and help you learn what you like and don’t like about practicing law. For example, if you are interested in a large firm, but work for a government agency this summer, firms will absolutely still consider you, figuring that you took the government job for experience and because it was too difficult to get a firm position. If you work out of your area of interest both summers, then some options may be more difficult, but not impossible.
See the How to Create a Legal Resume Handout available in the Office of Career Services for details and samples. Some examples of differences between legal and other types of resumes include but are not limited to: 1. No objective is listed if you are applying in the legal field; 2. Education is listed first, with law school before others; 3. Honors and Activities should be grouped with the school where they were received. 4. Skills and Interests should generally be listed as Texas lawyers like to see them.
Generally, when you are applying for positions by mail or fax include a cover letter. If you are applying in person with an appointment or at a job fair, you usually do not need a cover letter unless requested. If you are dropping your resume off in person without an appointment, then use a cover letter in case the person to whom you are applying is unavailable. See the Office of Career Services for the Effective Cover Letters handout.
Attend the Interview workshop during the fall semester and participate in the Mock Interviews during the spring semester of your 1st year and the fall semester of your 2nd year. Pick up the booklet, “An Insider’s Guide to Interviewing: Insights from the Employer’s Perspective”, from the Office of Career Services.
Used with permission from, and special thanks to, Rutgers University School of Law-Camden Career Resources Office.