Summer Programs for the DOJ Forum

[Jarndyce]

I am a law student at a school ranked between 50 and 70 (would rather not say), and I am in the top 5% of my class. In my first semester, I CALI-ed my Criminal Law class. I will be spending my 1L summer with a fairly large firm (200-ish) attorneys) in the same city that my law school is in.

I say all of that to say this- I am interested in possibly ending up working for the Department of Justice down the road. I know that the DOJ does various volunteer positions in different districts throughout the United States, and I am also aware of the paying program that is for 2Ls in Washington DC over summer (I believe this is referred to as the Summer Law Intern Program). I am curious for those of you who know, how competitive does this program tend to be? Also, is this more for people who want to end up working in Washington DC? My goal, if I choose to pursue this path, is to end up in the area where I am going to law school, which is not in DC. Assuming all three options were on the table, which would be a better way to spend my second summer if I wanted to do this- another big firm summer, a volunteer position with a local district attorney's office, or the SLIP program?

Thanks in advance for any helpful responses.