“All of the legal jobs have been taken by the law students! Everyone wants legal experience,” lamented Sophia, a sophomore, who is a pre-law student. Summer was about to start, and she was still looking for an internship.
She is correct, in that many law firms prefer to hire law students. But not all legal employers require any prior legal experience.
Here are some tips:
–Stay in touch with your university career services office: Get to know the career counseling staff and sign up for Handshake, or whatever job search engine your school uses to post jobs. Keep checking for open positions, even during the summer. Schools keep posting jobs, even when classes are not in session. “Even midway through the summer, positions can open up,” according to Annette McLaughlin, Director of the Office of Career Services at Fordham University. McLaughlin also recommends following up with employers you have already applied to. “Keep in mind that there’s a lot of attrition and transition; therefore keep in touch with the places you’ve applied to – a last minute internship could open up.”
-Look at government jobs: Many government agencies offer academic credit to college students for internships. For example, many of the prosecutor and defender offices hire college level interns, and also hire those looking to work in between college and law school. These offices usually have an application process, which is posted on their website.
-Look at legally related jobs: There are many legally-related employers that hire students who are interested in law school. For example, the field of compliance is related to law, and many lawyers work in compliance. Political campaigns are also always looking for volunteers, which may be a good opportunity for a student interested in going to law school.
-Talk to the juniors and seniors at your school: Students who are graduating often will pass down opportunities they are leaving to their friends/classmates. Stay in touch with them and ask them to let you know if they are leaving their job. I know many students who have obtained a legal internship through this type of informal networking.
-Look to your alumni database and LinkedIn to find alumni: Usually alums of your school will be happy to talk to you, network with you, mentor you—and sometimes ultimately hire you.
-Connect with your professors: Professors can be great to network with—many are adjuncts with full-time careers outside of their academic role. Professors sometimes also need students to be research assistants, to help with research or writing projects. They also may be able to connect you with former students, who may now be in roles that interest you.
Remember that you can also intern in a different field. The primary skills used in law school are research, writing and analytical skills. Any internship that helps you develop those skills could be useful.
Hillary Mantis consults with pre-law students, law students and lawyers. She is the Assistant Dean of the Pre-Law Advising Program at Fordham University and author of career books. Admissions questions? You can write to Hillary at altcareer@aol.com.
