Smart to Turn down Second Judicial Internship and FIND a paying job?

[mm1405]

I'll try to give as much info in as short amount of space.  I'm a 1L, top %30 at a second tier law school.  I have a pretty good resume, which I think is helping me.  Anyways, I was granted and interview and ultimately accepted a judicial internship with a federal district judge.  Today, before I withdrew any "applications," I received a letter in the mail offering me a judicial internship with a federal magistrate judge (for the second half of the summer). 

I realize that by taking the judicial internship, I will qualify for financial aid, but will not make any money.  I originally hoped to work for a court half the summer, and a firm half the summer (partly for experience, partly for money).  However, I received the offer and now I'm not certain of what to do! I have already worked at a small law firm (as a paralegal), and although ONE firm still hasn't rejected me following their "reception," I don't have the greatest chance of BIGLAW.  Should I accept the judicial internship with the magistrate judge, in addition to the district judge internship, or start sending out more resumes to medium sized firms and hope for a paying job?  Is two judicial internships not as valuable as a judicial internship/firm experience? What about judicial internship (magistrate) v. non-profit?

As for following graduation, I have no clue what I would like to do. 

Thanks so much!

[mm1405]

I'm pretty sure I can, just because I accepted intership #1 in the same day that I received the offer for internship #2 in the mail.  I just need to do it TOMORROW, as my excuse will be "Unfortunately, I accepted another one yesterday..." I agree they discourage it, but I think they understand if you receive multiple offers (as some people receive many more than 2-3) that you cannot take them all!

[TTom]

I'll try to give as much info in as short amount of space.  I'm a 1L, top %30 at a second tier law school.  I have a pretty good resume, which I think is helping me.  Anyways, I was granted and interview and ultimately accepted a judicial internship with a federal district judge.  Today, before I withdrew any "applications," I received a letter in the mail offering me a judicial internship with a federal magistrate judge (for the second half of the summer). 

I realize that by taking the judicial internship, I will qualify for financial aid, but will not make any money.  I originally hoped to work for a court half the summer, and a firm half the summer (partly for experience, partly for money).  However, I received the offer and now I'm not certain of what to do! I have already worked at a small law firm (as a paralegal), and although ONE firm still hasn't rejected me following their "reception," I don't have the greatest chance of BIGLAW.  Should I accept the judicial internship with the magistrate judge, in addition to the district judge internship, or start sending out more resumes to medium sized firms and hope for a paying job?  Is two judicial internships not as valuable as a judicial internship/firm experience? What about judicial internship (magistrate) v. non-profit?

As for following graduation, I have no clue what I would like to do. 

Thanks so much!

I'm not understanding your situation. Would you only be clerking for the district judge for the first half of the summer? Regardless, turning down an offer after you have accepted is bad form. The legal community is smaller than you think. I wouldn't do it. Truth is, you shouldn't have accepted it when you still had offers outstanding that you were interested in.

As for the magistrate judge, what's the lure?

[Kevin.]

Having ANY job as a 1L this summer is valuable.  Getting a firm job as a 1L this summer is (from my understanding anyway) incredibly difficult.  Given that you've already accepted, it's absolutely not worth it to renege now in search of a paying firm job that you probably won't get.

[Rutgers4me]

I will add that a summer internship with a federal judge is just as good or perhaps even better than a firm job. The only disadvantage is the fact that you will not get paid, but money is not everything. Since you already have a firm experience, I think working for a judge is yet another feather to your cap. If I were you, I will not even think about it.