Public Interest

[Anonymous User]

Hello

I am an 0L and I would like to know what routes those of you that had public interest internships, and eventually jobs took. I am interested in prosecution.

I am foreign educated and don't have any voluntary experience in the U.S.

Considering that, what route should I take to make myself an attractive candidate for the State Attorney's office. I am willing to do all the work necessary.

Besides taking the appropriate classes, should I start volunteering from the beginning ( fall semester)? Considering that applications for 1L summer start going out in Dec, before grades, I am a little bit confused as to what to do?

Some people say only to focus on grades first semester, while others say volunteer as well. The school I am going to attend has a very good public service program, so there would be plenty possiblities.

Any input/advice/experiences will help.

Thank you

[ScaredWorkedBored]

First (and big question) - Are you a US citizen?

Second - Take criminal law classes, advocacy classes, mock trial and do your 1L & 2L summers with prosecutor's offices. These tend to hire for the summer a little or a lot later than private sector hiring. The career services department of your law school will know the specifics of the offices that students tend to go to.

Third - State AG is generally quite competitive. You want to do well in law school AND show you believe in the cause.

[Anonymous User]

Prosecution jobs are a lot more difficult to get than most people think. Hiring for post-grad jobs won't take place until 3L year, and in many cases, not until after bar passage results roll in. Interviews are usually a multi-step process with the second round being a group of attorneys feeding you hypotheticals. Grades and/or the school you go to matter a lot for some offices. Other offices (even some large, well known ones) are more concerned with your experience and how well you perform in interviews. The process is competitive because you will be competing against hundreds, and sometimes thousands of applicants for a relatively small number of openings.

Getting an internship for 1L or 2L summer or a school year externship is a lot easier than getting a post-grad job.

Most states organize prosecution by county (ex. Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office), so you'll probably be looking at county offices, not the state AG. State AG offices deal with criminal stuff but most of the prosecution is done by county level offices.