What Are 1L Jobs That Pay? (Besides Firms.)

[ZooLander]

My school also has a lot of clinical programs (economic justice, restorative justice, innocence project) that are mostly awesome work and experience and pay a stipend plus give credit.  They might be available at your school as well.

[OConnorScribe]

Look for hybrid gig that combine law and business. In-house counsel internships and IP shops are good for this. I worked this summer for the lab that invented priceline.com doing IP and entrepreneurial business research and summary writing.Paid $650 a week ... barely enough to cover my bills, gas and incidentals but not bad either. As someone mentioned, often times smaller to mid-sized firms will pay for "law clerks" which means you do as much grunt work/organizing of files and putting them together/mailings/related tasks as you do real writing, research and motion work. Also, check with your school regarding its clinics ... several of my friends got clinic jobs for the summer that paid $10 to $15 an hour. Yeah, it's not glamorous and some of the uppity jackovs on this board would look down their nose at such a thing, but those folks are getting GREAT practicial experience, attending court hearings, meeting with clients, lots of memo writing etc. 

[AssaultAndBattery]

Look for hybrid gig that combine law and business. In-house counsel internships and IP shops are good for this. I worked this summer for the lab that invented priceline.com doing IP and entrepreneurial business research and summary writing.Paid $650 a week ... barely enough to cover my bills, gas and incidentals but not bad either. As someone mentioned, often times smaller to mid-sized firms will pay for "law clerks" which means you do as much grunt work/organizing of files and putting them together/mailings/related tasks as you do real writing, research and motion work. Also, check with your school regarding its clinics ... several of my friends got clinic jobs for the summer that paid $10 to $15 an hour. Yeah, it's not glamorous and some of the uppity jackovs on this board would look down their nose at such a thing, but those folks are getting GREAT practicial experience, attending court hearings, meeting with clients, lots of memo writing etc. 

I agree.

This summer, my 1L summer, I worked as a legal clerk for a small law firm. The work was not glamorous, the lawyer I worked for was a rude scumbag but I got experience putting together motion binders, filing legal documents, going to court houses to file documents with the court clerk, as well as seeing all the work that goes into a clients case. The experience was valuable even though the pay was minimal $12 an hour.

OConnorScribe, how did you go about applying for you're gig?

Where does one go about applying for In-house counsel internships and IP shops gigs?

[OConnorScribe]

I found my job this summer through my school's internal career center portal ... there was a listing there. Also, local corporations with in-house counsel needs will often participate in school career fairs and in spring OCI. It doesn't hurt, though, to research what major corporations and firms are in your area and to network with them, i.e. send an e-mail to the GC introducing yourself, asking for advice about how best to land such a job and, oh yeah, I've attached a resume solely for your reference -- wink-wink. Intellectual property is a big growth area -- there are outfits known as "patent trolls," such as Intellectual Ventures, who exist for the sole purpose of licensing the IP portfolios of others and suing potential infringers. Might be worth researching that sector as well.

Will say this, though: I've learned the *best* internships after 1L are the unpaid ones. That oput me at a bit of a disadvantage, because I'm in my 30s with no parental support and bills a plenty. I couldn't afford to clerk for a jodge or take a Legal Aid type of position. My school friends that did work those jobs are so much further ahead than I am right now -- they speak of attending "Huntley hearings" and writing judicial bench memos as if it's no big deal. While I grew more sophisticated as a researcher and learned a hell of a lot about e-commerce, I did not enter a courtroom or come away with any non-confidential work product for use as a sample (I think, anyway). So I have some catching up to do on that front -- I'm working an externship in the local family court representing DV victims and, hopefully, will work either as a research assistant or for a firm doing real estate closings. My point is, if I had to do it over again, I would have at least explored the possibility of taking out a private loan or working nights bartending. But things progress the way they do for a reason -- I hope.     

[goaliechica]

Will say this, though: I've learned the *best* internships after 1L are the unpaid ones.   

I think that this, while not universally true, is a very good point. There are some non-big-firm-1L summer gigs that pay - some smaller firms, some government agencies, definitely RA gigs - but a lot of the most interesting ones don't. I think it might be sensible to try to balance the two. For example, I knew several people who did judicial externships by day and supplemented their income with an RA position.

It's true that the idea of continuing to work for free once you're in law school is awfully frustrating. But unless you have a family or a mortgage or the money is just not negotiable for some other reason, doing something that will help your career and give you good contacts and experience is almost certainly a better bet.

Just my two cents. Worth only what you value the perspective of a rising 2L, but that was my impression.