1L "Summer Internships" (not 1L SA's) Forum

[Anonymous User]

A few of the offices of biglaw firms that I am interest in (mainly overseas) offer what they deem as "Summer Internships," but they specifically mention that they do not usually hire from these programs, and many of them are unpaid. How will these be viewed during 2L summer OCI by employers? Is it the equivalent of a 1L SA as far as the work content goes, or are these viewed almost like a paralegal job before coming to law school? (I am cool with the no pay aspect because I'd rather do one of these gigs with no pay than do something else with little-to-no pay over the summer; I am just worried about the implications of such a position during OCI.)

[Cicero76]

It seems preposterous to me that a for profit law firm could offer unpaid "internships." If that's even legal, which I doubt, it's beyond scummy and you shouldn't work for them.

[apartius]

It seems preposterous to me that a for profit law firm could offer unpaid "internships." If that's even legal, which I doubt, it's beyond scummy and you shouldn't work for them.

+1

[A. Nony Mouse]

If they're overseas, it might not be illegal there to offer these kinds of internships (though I totally agree that for-profit entities should pay their labor).

OP, as long as the position involves legal work (or can be spun as involving legal work), you'll be fine. You'll probably get more helpful information if you name some of the firms or at least where overseas, though, since I don't think anyone here can generalize just based on the label "internship."