Top Law Schools

What percentage 1Ls at your law school have paying gigs (of any kind...from $3,000 a week SA to $10/hour small firm)?

FWIW I voted 33% at my mid-tier school, but I think realistically it is probably more like 15%

That's a funny question you must be a comedian! Unless your family or very close friends own a firm or your at a top ten school and doing very well then I doubt it. The better question is how many 1ls can even find a nonpaying gig for this summer.

stintez wrote:That's a funny question you must be a comedian! Unless your family or very close friends own a firm or your at a top ten school and doing very well then I doubt it. The better question is how many 1ls can even find a nonpaying gig for this summer.

what percentage would you estimate for the nonpaying category?

it'd be helpful if people comment with their school's USNWR to see if there is some correlation. Obviously the T12 are probably going to be in the 33-50% range at least, but it'd be interesting to see the breakdown for lower ranked schools.

I assume you are not counting summer stipends from schools, right? Because those work out to be about $10-11/hour.

Unemployed wrote:I assume you are not counting summer stipends from schools, right? Because those work out to be about $10-11/hour.

I'd say don't include them.

Unemployed wrote:I assume you are not counting summer stipends from schools, right? Because those work out to be about $10-11/hour.

you mean like Research Assistants?

General Tso wrote: you mean like Research Assistants?

No, some schools give stipends to students who work in unpaid internships in PI or gov't.

So if you work for the DA's office as an unpaid intern, the school will give you $4,500.

General Tso wrote:FWIW I voted 33% at my mid-tier school, but I think realistically it is probably more like 15%

Hopefully everyone overestimates for their school, then we'll come up with some solid data.

imchuckbass58 wrote:

General Tso wrote: you mean like Research Assistants?

No, some schools give stipends to students who work in unpaid internships in PI or gov't.

So if you work for the DA's office as an unpaid intern, the school will give you $4,500.

Ah okay...my school doesn't do that. I say no, don't include it. But things like paid research assistant, go ahead and include.

bees wrote:

General Tso wrote:FWIW I voted 33% at my mid-tier school, but I think realistically it is probably more like 15%

Hopefully everyone overestimates for their school, then we'll come up with some solid data.

hey, that's the law school way! http://leiterlawschool.typepad.com/leit ... r-not.html

eternal optimism everything is rainbows and unicorns, right?

General Tso wrote:FWIW I voted 33% at my mid-tier school, but I think realistically it is probably more like 15%

I'm confused. You think the realistic number is 15% at your school, but you voted for 33%?

General Tso wrote:it'd be helpful if people comment with their school's USNWR to see if there is some correlation. Obviously the T12 are probably going to be in the 33-50% range at least, but it'd be interesting to see the breakdown for lower ranked schools.

I go to a T6, and I'm pretty sure that 50% of students didn't have a paid gig 1L summer even in the boom times. This year? I know the summer plans of 50 or so students, and only 2 have a paid summer job. Admittedly, there's plenty of summer funding available for those pursuing unpaid jobs, but still, I suspect you have an unrealistically optimistic view of paid (legal) employment for law students during their first summer.

Anonymous User wrote:

General Tso wrote:FWIW I voted 33% at my mid-tier school, but I think realistically it is probably more like 15%

I'm confused. You think the realistic number is 15% at your school, but you voted for 33%?

General Tso wrote:it'd be helpful if people comment with their school's USNWR to see if there is some correlation. Obviously the T12 are probably going to be in the 33-50% range at least, but it'd be interesting to see the breakdown for lower ranked schools.

I go to a T6, and I'm pretty sure that 50% of students didn't have a paid gig 1L summer even in the boom times. This year? I know the summer plans of 50 or so students, and only 2 have a paid summer job. Admittedly, there's plenty of summer funding available for those pursuing unpaid jobs, but still, I suspect you have an unrealistically optimistic view of paid (legal) employment for law students during their first summer.

True, but how many T6 students are willing to work at small firms? Of course big law SA gigs have always been rare.

I've downgraded my vote to 10%.

I go to SLS and based on the turnout at the public interest summer funding meeting, I'd estimate 15-20%

Whoever thinks unless you go to top 10...blah blah obviously doesn't go to a T10 and simply underestimates how bad the situation is out there for 1L employment.

legends159 wrote:I go to SLS and based on the turnout at the public interest summer funding meeting, I'd estimate 15-20%

Whoever thinks unless you go to top 10...blah blah obviously doesn't go to a T10 and simply underestimates how bad the situation is out there for 1L employment.

Are SLS people looking for small firm jobs or big firm/public interest only?

legends159 wrote:I go to SLS and based on the turnout at the public interest summer funding meeting, I'd estimate 15-20%

Whoever thinks unless you go to top 10...blah blah obviously doesn't go to a T10 and simply underestimates how bad the situation is out there for 1L employment.

+1 billion.

Action Jackson wrote:

legends159 wrote:I go to SLS and based on the turnout at the public interest summer funding meeting, I'd estimate 15-20%

Whoever thinks unless you go to top 10...blah blah obviously doesn't go to a T10 and simply underestimates how bad the situation is out there for 1L employment.

+1 billion.

+2 billion.

OP, this question sucks because a lot of unpaid summer work (judges, prestigious PI work, some DA office type gigs) is more competitive and attractive than paid summer work (RA positions) while some paid summer work (big firms) is next to literally impossible to obtain while being statistically indistinguishable from fairly mediocre summer work (hourly wage at small firm).

1L summer jobs are as hard to get as they are to count / product statistics from. At least one thing is true: It has a lot to do with where you have employment, personal, and geographic connections. Few people get 1L summer gigs solely because of hard work and academic success.

disco_barred wrote:

Action Jackson wrote:

legends159 wrote:I go to SLS and based on the turnout at the public interest summer funding meeting, I'd estimate 15-20%

Whoever thinks unless you go to top 10...blah blah obviously doesn't go to a T10 and simply underestimates how bad the situation is out there for 1L employment.

+1 billion.

+2 billion.

OP, this question sucks because a lot of unpaid summer work (judges, prestigious PI work, some DA office type gigs) is more competitive and attractive than paid summer work (RA positions) while some paid summer work (big firms) is next to literally impossible to obtain while being statistically indistinguishable from fairly mediocre summer work (hourly wage at small firm).

1L summer jobs are as hard to get as they are to count / product statistics from. At least one thing is true: It has a lot to do with where you have employment, personal, and geographic connections. Few people get 1L summer gigs solely because of hard work and academic success.

I understand the poll's shortcomings, but I still think it's a valid inquiry. Would you like to see a more general, "what % of 1Ls have any kind of job for the summer?"

Academic success seems to have very little to do with 1L hiring.

.

bwv812 wrote:

General Tso wrote:

imchuckbass58 wrote:

General Tso wrote: you mean like Research Assistants?

No, some schools give stipends to students who work in unpaid internships in PI or gov't.

So if you work for the DA's office as an unpaid intern, the school will give you $4,500.

Ah okay...my school doesn't do that. I say no, don't include it. But things like paid research assistant, go ahead and include.

I don't think RAs should be included, because these jobs are very easy to get (at least at some schools) and are often used by schools as a way to pad employments stats (along with summer school).

Who keeps 1L summer employment stats?

.

I would estimate that I know a good sized representative sample of the law student population, from HYS down through the T1. Excluding paid research assistants and people with PI awards/stipends, I know of fewer than ten 1Ls who will be paid anything for their legal employment this summer. I know of no more than three who will be at large firms in their respective cities, and one of them has an advanced degree in a technical field.

So, we've established that most 1Ls are not getting paid, what about 2Ls?

General Tso wrote:FWIW I voted 33% at my mid-tier school, but I think realistically it is probably more like 15%

Umm, what? What's the point of this poll if people aren't going to be answering accurately? Perhaps what do you want your school's 1L paying-job rates to be?

This is silly.