Being an RA 1L Summer?

[Anonymous User]

I feel like I've seen conflicting advice on this, so I wanted to just get...more conflicting advice, idk.

I'm at a T10 school right now. My grades are coming back really good (A-, A-, A with one grade to go), but I have no WE at all. I'm looking to get into impact litigation after law school, but I'm also kind of checking out prosecution, too (and of course, I'd love the DOJ).

I've gotten interviews at a few places (ACLU, state Attorney General, legal aid) with no success. However, I really admire the professor who gave me the A, and her work interests me a lot (it involves crim law). I asked her if she'd like me to be her research assistant, and she said yes. I got really excited.

Pros:
I get to stay in the city this summer, which kind of appeals to me because I'm moving apartments mid-summer, and it'd just be convenient to be here to move.
The subject matter of the project she's working on particularly interests me.
She's known for being a dedicated proponent for her students when they look for jobs in the future.
I actually get paid a little!

However, now I'm getting nervous. I've read a few things on here that say that being an RA your 1L summer is detrimental when you look for public service jobs later on, since you need to demonstrate commitment. I'm pretty involved in various pro bono projects at my school so far, but considering my lack of WE, now I'm nervous.

But at the same time I'm really excited about being her RA, and if weren't for the advice I've been reading on here, I wouldn't even worry.

Thoughts?

[jtl2008]

I don't think working for a prof sounds like a problem. I was an RA for a prof last summer and because of the flexible schedule, I was also able to volunteer one day a week at a legal services organization, while making up extra RA hours during the week + a couple hrs on the weekends. It turned out to be awesome, because I wasn't spending the whole summer alone at a desk in the library and had a chance to get into the city and get some real exposure to substantive legal work. You could talk to your prof to see if you could work out something like that. Good luck!

[Renzo]

Being an RA is a fine way to spend the summer. If you're looking for public interest work, worry less about being an RA, and more about how you are going to convince the ACLU or Legal Aid you believe in their causes, when you are also interested in being a prosecutor or working for the DOJ. Organizations like these want true believers, and some of them are sworn enemies.

No one cares how much you are committed to "public service" or, as you put it, "various pro bono projects." They want to know how committed you are to their specific cause. This is what people mean when they talk about using your 1L summer to "demonstrate commitment."

[Anonymous User]

I'm in a similar situation as the OP. Same school, same grades, even in the same section (sorry you're just too easy to identify based on that info). Only difference is that I'm focused on biglaw rather than public interest.

I know that in general being an RA is fine for the summer, but will it have any effect on my ability with the most selective firms come 2L OCI?

[Anonymous User]

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[Anonymous User]

any thoughts on part-time RA while also working full-time in a gov position for 1L summer? the RA and gov position are related in subject matter. any negatives to this, other than the time commitment? fwiw, interest in biglaw w/ transition to gov at some point, top 5% first semester grades.