Your First REAL Summer Job

Judging by the number of students that have voiced their concerns to me about obtaining a first-year summer job already, I thought it would be helpful to post a bit of realistic information for everyone.

To start, PLEASE VISIT CAREER SERVICES! You will get to know the people in that office incredibly well for the next few years, and it starts with your first summer job search. Not only can they give you leads into potential jobs, they can help you begin to narrow down what you might actually be happy doing. So whenever you can, e-mail Doretta Sweeney and ask her if she can schedule 15 minutes or so to help you begin your job search.

As you begin your search, it would be good to know what area of the law you think you might be interested in. It is incredibly tough to know exactly what you want given that you've only had 3 full classes and two half classes at this point (for those of you who are full time), but it doesn't mean that you can't figure it out. A very helpful book is "The Official Guide to Legal Specialties." It gives you a quick look at what you can expect your duties to be, the rough salary that you may be looking at (if you choose that profession in the future... if only you could start making that money right now), and other things that should be considered.

Professors can be valuable resources as well. All of our professors have practiced law or are practicing law, and they may be able to give you leads on any internships (or research assistance positions) that may be available. This is why I've always recommended getting to know your professors beyond merely asking questions in class and the occasional hello in the hallway. They're all very eager to see us succeed, and they know just how hard it is to find an internship when you've had relatively little legal training.

Alright, now that we've got that fluffy stuff out of the way, let's get down to business. Most of you are probably scared that you're not going to find anything, right? I remember having a conversation with the secretaries at my office this past summer about how hard it was for me to find my position, but they both seemed perplexed. They said that they were hard-up for interns the year before, and they actually had unfilled positions that summer! Had I known this, I could have had at least 4 friends at the office with me to start the summer... but they wound up with nothing. When it comes down to it, what matters is HOW HARD YOU LOOK, and WHERE YOU LOOK.

As far as how much you'll be making, don't kid yourself into thinking you'll make what SOME 2Ls make... unless you know someone who knows someone who kills people, you're not going to get a big-firm job that pays big-firm money. A 1L making $1,500 per week is unheard of... even for Yale students! You're much more apt to find a place that pays between $10 and $20 per hour, and you'd be lucky to get full time at that. The reason is quite obvious... you haven't learned enough to provide a benefit yet, so their hiring you means they're actually taking time to train you, meaning they're losing money!

So where does that put you? Most likely you'll be doing something that is on a VOLUNTEER basis (where you may be compensated through the Federal Work Study program), or you may be doing PUBLIC INTEREST work (where you'll still probably get Work Study money). If you're lucky, you'll be able to get a position at a private law firm, but this isn't likely because most law firms are cutting back expenses or looking for students with more legal knowledge than a 1L. If you do wind up working at a private firm, there's a good chance you'll be doing busy-work, or even worse, you might get in over your head!

So where are these positions? One of the biggest fields to consider is criminal law, either working in prosecutors' offices or for public defenders. Fortunately you've had the benefit of taking Criminal Law if you're a full-time student, so you at least have the basics down. In addition, your Legal Skills professor has probably had you write a memo or two, and you've learned how to do statutory research, so you can be of some use while they teach you the rest. The best place to start for any criminal law positions is the CHIEF STATE'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE... which handles all interns for all State's Attorney's Offices and GAs around the state. They usually bring in about 20 students that are looking to intern, you write down where you want to work (usually a town near you or an office you know you'd like to work in), and they TRY and place you. I say try because, well, not everyone can be placed easily. Once they find you a position that you'd like to work in, you have to set up an interview with that office... so you're not home free yet. Each office usually has one or two interns that they're looking at, and it's going to come down to your personality if you're competing against another 1L (which you won't know). Positions at a GA or State's Attorney's Office are "volunteer," so you'll only be paid with Federal Work Study funds. This usually means $10.50 /hr, and you can work up to 40 hours / week if you so choose. You'll learn more about Work Study later... for now, know that it's a good thing that you need to sign up for!

Another branch that is incredibly willing to take first-year interns is the Connecticut Judicial Branch. Normally, they'll be able to place you under a Judge for the summer, and you'll get to do a lot of research and maybe help write opinions on occasion. This, too, is considered "volunteer," so you need to sign up for Federal Work Study funds early. The nice part about the Judicial Branch is that you can study in just about any field. Connecticut has Bankruptcy judges, Foreclosure judges, Family Law magistrates...etc. Just research what type of law you might want to enter into, contact the Judicial Branch, and find out if a judge in that field is willing to take an intern. With any luck, you'll get a judge that likes to mentor instead of one that likes to make you their grunt, and you'll have a great connection for after graduation.

One area that I don't know much about is the District Attorney's Offices. I know that, unlike in most states, the DA's office handles all the CIVIL suits that are filed by/against the State.the areas with the AG's offices vary, and you could be handling everything from disciplinary action against attorneys that have done something wrong to an equal rights case against the State. I believe this is funded by Work Study as well, but you'll have to check on that if you're interested. I know that the AG's office recruiter comes to the job fair that you guys can attend pretty early on, and you can set up an interview with them for that date if you apply early enough. Again, this is all stuff that Doretta Sweeney can help you with, so contact her for the details.

There are a few associations that are considered "public interest" that may help you a great deal as well. Connecticut Legal Services and New Haven Legal Assistance are the only two that come to mind at the moment. These organizations are always very understaffed, hectic, and in need of assistance. Now you would think that they'd be eager to take an intern, right? Unfortunately it's the other way around. They can't afford to spend time and energy training you where they could be spending time with the hundreds of clients that they deal with. This, however, shouldn't stop you from applying if you are incredibly eager to do public interest work and help those in need. I would advise applying early, and showing them that you are truly interested in pubic interest work with your cover letter. Just don't get your hopes up too much... they can only take one or two interns at most. A friend of mine applied last year, got all the way up to his 2nd interview, all but guaranteed that he had the job, and they called him up and said they weren't taking anyone that summer because of budget cutbacks. Oh, and that reminds me, I don't believe you can receive Federal Work Study funding for these positions because they're not through the Government... but I could be wrong.

Now that we've gone over all the volunteer and public interest stuff, what's left? Well, that leaves the private sectors. You can find ANYTHING in the private sectors, but the trick is KNOWING SOMEONE! Unfortunately, the legal field is much more about who you know than what you know. A person at the bottom of your class could be working for one of the highest paying firms in CT as long as he has a relative or a friend with connections. This is unfair, stupid, and the most backward approach to hiring an intern... but it's the way things go. So if you're really going for a private firm job, you're going to have to start networking, HARD, and get in with someone that can help you out. Joining bar organizations and attending functions, going to Quinnipiac's networking events, reaching out to anyone and everyone with ties to the legal world, and seeking out Quinnipiac Law alum that can help you out are all helpful, but don't count on this approach to get you a job unless you want to work retail this summer!

One other thing that I'd like to mention is the fact that you DON'T HAVE TO INTERN over the summer... you can always assist one of your professors with research if they need it (develop a good relationship with your professors and offer to help them if they ever need it), or take summer classes at Quinnipiac or participate in the study abroad program in Dublin, Ireland. I've heard great things about the Dublin program, so it would be a great experience and a chance to take a couple of classes that you otherwise couldn't in the States. If you decide to take classes here, you'll be able to get ahead of some of your classmates and market yourself better next summer!

If you don't find anything for the summer, don't worry... you're not the only one! The job market is pretty tough right now, and it's difficult for anyone to justify taking on an intern when they can't even hire another associate or clerk. Hopefully the market will change for you guys, and you won't be stuck searching for jobs that aren't there. Just remember... it's not what you know, it's WHO you know... so get to know somebody NOW!

... more to come this weekend... I'm going to bed!