How do law students fund 1L and 2L summer? Forum

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californiauser

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How do law students fund 1L and 2L summer?

Post by californiauser » Thu Feb 20, 2014 5:49 pm

Obviously most people aren't getting big law gigs both summers. I know some schools provide a stipend for 2L summer to do public interest. If your school doesn't offer one (I'm not sure if all do), do people take out COL so they can work for free?

I'm trying to figure out what total COA will actually be if I end up striking out boths summers + law school.

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rinkrat19

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Re: How do law students fund 1L and 2L summer?

Post by rinkrat19 » Thu Feb 20, 2014 5:53 pm

You can't take out loans for COL unless you're earning academic credit, but at some schools that is an option. NU has judicial, business, and public interest practicum classes in the summers (in Chicago and online) so you can get credit for working an unpaid job. That's what I did last summer (I actually turned down earning minimum wage to get the loan+credit instead). It will allow me to have a light schedule one term my 3L year.

There are also public interest fellowships and grants, but those are rare enough that they're pretty competitive, and a lot require evidence of a commitment to public service (extensive PI work or volunteering, etc.)

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A. Nony Mouse

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Re: How do law students fund 1L and 2L summer?

Post by A. Nony Mouse » Thu Feb 20, 2014 6:12 pm

Most people I knew who did unpaid work during the summer did it for externship credit, which allowed you to take out loans to cover the summer. (So basically, what rink said, except my school didn't distinguish between the kinds of work - it just had one kind of externship credit.)

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