1L summer opportunities for Part Timers?!

[Danielle]

Hi.  I am new to this discussion board.  I am making a decision right now between a FT program and a PT program.  I am wondering what y'all think about the opportunites for work experience as a PT/Evening student.  I suppose I could ask the schools, but their answers will be such that they will put the best spin possible on it.  What really happens?  Please be honest, even if it is brutal!  Thanks for your input. 

[ruskiegirl]

Hi.  I am new to this discussion board.  I am making a decision right now between a FT program and a PT program.  I am wondering what y'all think about the opportunites for work experience as a PT/Evening student.  I suppose I could ask the schools, but their answers will be such that they will put the best spin possible on it.  What really happens?  Please be honest, even if it is brutal!  Thanks for your input. 

Good question.  While I do not have anything but my gut instinct to back this up, I would guess that it shouldn't work to your detriment as long as you have good grades, your school is accredited and you interview well. 

It may be worthwhile to place a call to the recruitment offices of a couple of organizations that you may be interested in and ask them.  If anything, they ought to give you a more honest answer than your school's career services office.

[zemog]

I am a 1L PT evening student, working full time.  Most of the places I interviewed at were for full time summer programs from June - August and were not flexible at all, but there were several which were.  These were all government/state type jobs, like Public Defender, Attorney General, and DA's office.  I will be taking one of these which allows me to volunteer one day a week. 

[Danielle]

good suggestions and information. . . thanks a lot! 

I am really leaning toward the PT program. 

[Danielle]

I am a 1L PT evening student, working full time. Most of the places I interviewed at were for full time summer programs from June - August and were not flexible at all, but there were several which were. These were all government/state type jobs, like Public Defender, Attorney General, and DA's office. I will be taking one of these which allows me to volunteer one day a week.

zemog, are you saying that you will work your regular job during the summer and volunteer one day a week at a government/state type job?  Or, will you take a leave of absence from your regular job for the summer and work the legal job? 

[zemog]

I will continue to work a standard 40 hours a week at my regular job, and then work an 8 hour day at the legal job. I will make up my 8 hours from my regular job either on the other 4 days or on the weekend.  So essentially I will work 48 hours a week.  (I just told my regular job that I have a class one day a week which will last for 3 months. That it will only last a summer, and that I will go back into the regular schedule, 40 hours a week, M-F, after that).

You will find that even if the gov/state jobs you interview at don't offer you a part time gig in the summer, they all have part time programs throughout the Fall and Spring semesters. 

On a side note, don't feel that PT is any less advantageous than FT.  There are many advantages to it.  The obvious is, you are making money to support your family, to pay off tuition, etc., but you are also gaining a lot of real life work experience which normally you would not, and you have a backup when you graduate.  If you don't find a law job, you still have the one you are working at until you do find a law job. The disadvatages are, you don't get a chance to participate in a lot of full time summer gigs which most big private firms want, and I feel that, at least my school, gears a lot of effort toward FT students, like guest speakers and club meetings, so you miss something there. 

[law543]

Hi.  I am new to this discussion board.  I am making a decision right now between a FT program and a PT program.  I am wondering what y'all think about the opportunites for work experience as a PT/Evening student.  I suppose I could ask the schools, but their answers will be such that they will put the best spin possible on it.  What really happens?  Please be honest, even if it is brutal!  Thanks for your input. 

I am going the non-traditional non-ABA distance education route and I thought there were *no* opportunities for me...for anything. Not even an internship. I do work full time in my corporate position...and raise my son, so I really cannot take a summer to "clerk", even if I had the opportunity. However, today I secured a part time internship with a San Diego law firm...who took me on even with my law school status. I applied directly to the senior partner...who today accepted me on any schedule I can maintain. He said he'd make sure I get all the experience I needed during law school.

He liked the fact that I was pursuing my legal degree any way I was able...loved my writing, and liked my grasp of the first year material. He said that it was a noble route that I was taking and that he wanted to do all he could to give me a "leg up" in experience. I was completely floored by his generosity.

I feel terribly fortunate...because I realize the stigma that exists with the distance education route...realize the odds that are stacked against any kind of traditional success...and it's truly encouraging to see that there are legal professionals out there who support people who seek to get an education any way they are able.

Needles to say...I'm going to have a great weekend.

Law543

[Danielle]

Wow!  That's amazing.  Congratulations!  How did you get your foot in the door? 

[StatuteOfFrogs]

Zemog's note about many summer legal opportunities being full-time-only-no-exceptions-even-volunteer-stuff is important if you plan to hold a job during law school. I just learned about that a few weeks ago, to my disappointment, and wish I'd known sooner.
I'm a part-time student, working 25-30 hours a week at a paid nonlegal job and dealing with an ailing, elderly parent 800 miles away. (I also have some business interests in another state.) I need to take summer sessions at law school to graduate on time. So piling 40 hours of volunteer legal work on top of the existing structure simply was not an option.
Thankfully, the part-time government agency route is still open.

[law543]

Wow!  That's amazing.  Congratulations!  How did you get your foot in the door? 

Thank you! I had been toying with the idea of interning...but didn't know how realistic the possibility was...or is for my law school route. So, I was just milling over the idea...trying to gain the courage to even visit a local San Diego law firm.

A colleague at the office was in an auto accident where the other driver was tailing her very closely and caused the accident. He was actually cited at the scene for tailing too closely...there was a witness. Turns out the man was ininsured and was driving his mom's car *with* her permission and she knew he was not insured. My colleagues expenses were nearly $3000 and the car owner's insurance was refusing to pay (I have no idea on what grounds...but they were talking about arbitration or something). Anyway, my friend was making plans to go to small claims court and thought I could advise her. I told her that I was not qualified to do so...but I did give her my take on the entire thing...then strongly enouraged her to consult with an attorney before she made the final decision to handle it in small claims. I don't know what future limitations small claims might place on her options if she loses.

Well, she said she'd look into it and I offered to make some calls on her behalf. I met with our general counsel and asked if he knew of a reputable firm who might want to handle her case. He gave me a number and I called and explained her situation. After passing on the information and giving the firm's number to my friend...on a whim, I called the attorney back and explained that I was a law student (I explained it was non-traditional and told him what school and how I was attending) and asked if I could submit a resume for an internship. Long story short...he took me on and even said that "who knows where this might lead".

Again, I feel I am very fortunate...I really didn't expect to have an opportunity like this. At the very least, even if I could secure an internship...I thought it would take a lot of work, finding a firm willing to pass on others to take on a distance education student...or count me among their other traditional law student's. It's very cool because I get to travel downtown San Diego...right in the heart of the business district with the tall buildings and everything.

Now...if I could just find information about what interns do. *laughs*

Law543