Split Summer or no?

[Mce252]

During my upcoming 1L summer, I have accepted a federal district court internship. The Judge offered me a spot for the entire summer but said if anything else comes up, (s)he would be willing to split the summer. I have a potential opportunity with a U.S. Senator to work with his/her team on one of the committees of which (s)he is a ranking member in Congress. Is it worth it to take the time to go to D.C. for half the summer for that opportunity? The judicial internship is local and quite convenient. Does a Senatorial law position look good on your resume for OCI, as opposed to only a judicial internship for the full summer? Good enough to go across the country for 6 weeks?

[5ky]

I don't think it is going to matter much, so go after the committee internship if you ever want to try to work on the Hill later on.

[Stanford4Me]

I can't tell if you actually want to do the Committee internship or if you just think it'll be a resume boost.

Will it be a resume boost? Most certainly no. If you're trying to work in BigLaw, employers just want to see that you did something related to law during your 1L summer. If it's going to be inconvenient for you to travel to DC for a 6 week internship and the only reason you're doing it is because you think it will help you with OCI and you're goal is to work for a firm, I'd suggest you stick with the judge.

If, however, you truly want the experience and have a desire to work on Capital Hill (i.e. not at a firm) in the future, then maybe the experience/networking will be beneficial for you.