Law School Summer Job Search




As mentioned last week's most, it is very important to get summer jobs in the legal field during law school. Now that most 1Ls have their first semester grades back, now is time to pick up, or start, the search for a summer job. You will find that as long as you have a job in the legal field, it doesn't really matter what you do- you could work in a firm, for the government, for a public interest firm, for a corporation, as a clerk for a judge, etc. There are many options for getting legal experience during the summer, so make sure to explore all of the options.

Start your search with your school's career services office. Most, if not all, will have a list of job postings from employers. This is a great place to start. Career offices in ABA approved law schools are required to offer reciprocity with other ABA approved law schools' career offices. This means that if you attend an ABA approved school, you can request the job postings from another ABA required school. Of course, there may be some restrictions on what the other school gives you, but this is a great tool- especially if you want to practice in a different market than the one you study in. Some other ways that career offices can help you include providing a list of alumni in a given market, networking events, on campus interviews, and career exploration talks. All of these tools from career offices can help you find a job or give you a contact in a firm you may want to work with.

Network with alumni if you want to practice in a different legal market than the one you attend school in. I did this, and one alum in particular provided me with a list of websites, as well as jurisdictions to look into for my job search.

If you are interested in federal government jobs, check the Department of Justice's website or USAjobs.gov. Many different offices will post summer job/intern opportunities on these websites, so keep an eye on these websites.

Another website to check out, especially if you are interested in interning with firms or businesses, is LinkedIn. You can find a lot of summer legal intern positions by utilizing their job search bar. Googling 1L summer internships will also return some top hits, often found on Glassdoor or LinkedIn.

If you have a particular geographical area you want to intern in, a good place to look is that state's or city's bar website. Many bar associations will post job opportunities online, and you can find some intern positions here as well.

The NALP (National Association for Law Placement) also provides a Directory of Legal Employers, which can be found here. With this tool, you can search for employers that hire 1Ls and by geographical and/or practice area. It will return a page with tons of information about the employer, which can definitely help you in your search for a summer job.

I hope this guide has helped you find some resources to make the summer job search a little easier. Which is your favorite job search tool? Have I missed any? Let me know in the comments!!

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