Asking for paid work

[dbgirl]

Hi everyone,

I am basically in the predicament of NEEDING paid summer work, but WANTING to do public interest.

I am only a lowly 1L, but I have a lot of work experience. I am applying to various places that pay 1Ls, but I also decided to search ads for legal jobs.

I found an ad for a place I would LOVE to work. The ad is for a "real" job. There are very few paid positions for legal interns at this place and my impression is that they have already hired that crew. HOWEVER, I have all of the qualifications for the "real" job. Basically, if I weren't a law student I think I could qualify for this work on my own.

My question: Is it OK/appropriate/worthwhile to contact the organization, explain my related experience and ask for a paying job along the lines of the open position?

[tjking82]

Here's a better question:  what have you got to lose?

[dbgirl]

I guess you're right ...

It just seems that law students are expected to apply through certain avenues and I didn't want to look as if I was trying to circumvent that.

[J D]

Hi everyone,

I am basically in the predicament of NEEDING paid summer work, but WANTING to do public interest.

I am only a lowly 1L, but I have a lot of work experience. I am applying to various places that pay 1Ls, but I also decided to search ads for legal jobs.

I found an ad for a place I would LOVE to work. The ad is for a "real" job. There are very few paid positions for legal interns at this place and my impression is that they have already hired that crew. HOWEVER, I have all of the qualifications for the "real" job. Basically, if I weren't a law student I think I could qualify for this work on my own.

My question: Is it OK/appropriate/worthwhile to contact the organization, explain my related experience and ask for a paying job along the lines of the open position?

You might still be able to get paid if you do public interest work this summer, by getting summer funding from another entity.  If you secure such a source, you might also be eligible for Federal Work-Study (although I think the deadline has passed if you haven't already applied for it; and the feds are being stingy this year so you might not get that).  Try applying for a grant from Equal Justice Works (www.equaljusticeamerica.org): they'll give $3,500 for full-time summer interns who provide direct civil legal services for low-income persons in the U.S. and the deadline is usually sometime in mid-March.  Also try Equal Justice Works Summer Corps (www.equaljusticeworks.org): they'll pay $1000 for spending the summer in a qualifying internship at a non-profit, public interest organization (including state public defenders' offices, legal services corporations, civil rights organizations).  Also check your career services office for other possible sources of funding which might be available through the state bar association or through another local organization.  It's not much money, but it might be enough to get by.

[dbgirl]

Thanks JD