How are 1L summer jobs looking?

And we are debating between Illinois and a school in the south. My wife is exceedingly hoping to avoid the harsh winters. I have read the thread and saw your posts before. Is it manageable for a family that consists of me, a 1 year-old and a woman used to tropical climates and didnt enjoy the 40 degree SW winters? She really hates the idea of being locked in for 2-4 months, and I hate the idea of coming home to that, lol.

I love working for a judge here in ATX. I would say that most 1Ls do unpaid internships with judges, district attorneys offices, etc. for class credit during the summer. There are A FEW paid big law jobs, but many firms have stopped hiring 1Ls for the summer and stick to 2Ls because of the economy problems. Really now is the best time to be in school though bc the economy will probably be on its way back up 2-3 years from now.

Ok, I am a complete weenie and also HATE the cold. That being said, the winter was a bit difficult because I am a native Texan and have never REALLY experienced cold weather. BUT, it really wasn't that bad. Champaign is further south than Chicago and is much less bitterly frigid. There were ice days and days with a bit of snow on the ground, but it was manageable. I also found the fall really pretty in Champaign because we only have evergreens in Austin so I have never seen the leaves change color. It is kind of cool to actually experience seasons for the first time.

In any case, I don't find the winter in Champaign particularly pleasant, but I never saw it get worse than a few inches of snow and some ice. Buy a long North Face and you (or your wife) will be fine : )

Are you coming back to Austin?

^ No. My fiance got a job in Indianapolis that starts in November so I am going to be looking for a summer/permanent job there. : ) I am back in Austin all summer though!

Thanks, just wanted to make sure. I'll be living with a fellow Texas Ex, and have talked to a couple of guys up there that are down to watch games. I can't live without my weekly Longhorn football fix.

^ No prob. Funny enough, even though I am a Texan, I am a huge Colts/Peyton Manning fan lol.

Any chance you can elaborate on 'a FEW?' Are you talking less than 10% of the class?

^ Ok, I just wrote a huge message answering this question and it all got deleted because my internet went out when I tried to post it.

In any case, I only know of 2 people who are actually getting paid. One as a clerk for a judge and another with a "big law" firm. There are probably a few others that I don't know about, but I do know that over 150 people are doing the summer internship thing for class credit. AND, I am sure most of them are 1Ls. The thing is that "big law" firms didn't hire many 1L summer associates to begin with, and with the down turn in the economy, some have scratched the 1L associates all together or gone down to only 1 or 2. You don't have enough credits to get your temporary license to practice law until after your 2L year, so you are pretty limited in what you can actually do after your 1L year.

While you don't get paid for doing a judicial internship/clerkship most of the time, you can get up to four hours of class credit, it looks AWESOME on your resume and firms love to see it, and you get to learn all of the ins and outs of the legal system. It is really an amazing opportunity and invaluable experience. If you are really strapped for cash during the summer, you can take out summer loans and financial aid if you are enrolled in the externship program.

On-campus interviewing (OCI) takes place in August-September of your 2L year. A ton of "big law" firms come and conduct interviews for 10 week summer associate positions for the summer after your 2L year. Like I said, you get your temporary license to practice law at the end of your 2L year so you are actually really useful to them by then lol. Generally, at the end of the 10 weeks the firm will offer you a job that will begin after you have finished your 3L year and taken the bar. I also know people who have done clinics (domestic violence, civil litigation, etc.) during their 3L year and represented real clients.

Anyways, hope that somewhat answers your question.

P.S. I am completely in love with your avatar (Riggins from Friday night lights... *sigh*)

Thanks for your response. 1L (paying) summer associate placement (or lack thereof) is something I would like to factor into the cost of attendance when it comes time to choose a school.

^ Right, but fyi: same applies for all law schools. The big firms just don't hire that many 1Ls (if any) so it is hard to find a highly paid summer associate position after your 1L year no matter where you attend. You can just look at the big firm websites and see their lack of 1L hiring. It is still possible, but just not something I would count on no matter where you go to law school. We had some big firms from different cities come and do some "meet and greet" luncheons and when asked what their response was to the sliding economy and how that would effect their hiring, they said they cut their (already slim) 1L summer associate hiring.

I guess most of my information about 1L hiring came from friends who landed these gigs 2-3 years back when times were better. I think my work experience (agent with patent prosecution experience) makes 1L employment a tad more likely than for me than the average 1L. However, I do worry that even that little advantage might be eroded if I am at a school where firms don't both look at 1L candidates . I'd like to count on my current employer for a summer position, but I'd feel horrible about jerking them around since I have no desire to practice where I live right now.

EDIT: Not singling out Illinois. That list could including most, if not all schools.

Don't get me wrong. The firm 1L summer associate positions do exist. They do interview IL students. Like I said, just go and look at big firm websites. It is really just the numbers. Example, direct quote from DLA Piper U.S. division summer associate website:

"For our 2008 summer program, we hired 126 talented and motivated second-year law students and 4 first-year law students."

I am sure having patent experience will put you at a HUGE advantage when applying to IP firms. They are pretty much exclusive to people with science backgrounds and having patent experience is a huge plus. So yes, I am sure you would be at a significant advantage landing a well paid summer job with your background.

BUT, I would also encourage you to just look at the numbers. It is not that they don't hire 1Ls from school x or school y. It is just that they really only hire VERY few 1Ls period.

Thanks for your reply. I appreciate it. I didn't think to look at summer associate pages for the firms in Chicago or the Bay Area (my two preferred destinations) that I might be interested in.

Sure. ^ I would definitely talk to the career services people (if you end up at IL) about IP firms to apply to. They are incredibly helpful and I am sure they could point you towards some good IP firms. Once you upload your resume to the symplicity job/employer database you can look at all of the job openings for summer jobs. There are A TON (especially in Chicago). I think most people submit their resume right before or right after finals first semester and start applying for 1L summer jobs. Honestly, I got a job on my own in TX and didn't even really look too much at the job postings. I know a few people who got jobs in Colorado and random different places, but the majority of them are definitely in the midwest.

(another rising 2L here) also check out the NALP directory - http://www.nalpdirectory.com/ - they list the exact number of summer 1L and 2L's for most firms across the US for the past few years, how many of the 2L's were offered permanent positions, and also sometimes have their predicted numbers for the next year listed as well - very useful guide

Is there a disc golf course on the U of I campus? My friends and I are huge disc golfers and I'm trying to convince one of them to come with me when I take the long drive to visit the campus. The promise of playing a new disc golf course would get him to come. Thanks!

Urbana Park District has a nine-hole course at Lohmann Park. http://www.urbanaparks.org/facilities/15.html

Thank you

Are we able to buy our first semester books online? I know the school bookstore provides a bundle of books for purchase, but I was hoping to save some money by buying online. Do you remember if you were given your book list before the semester started?

Thanks so much!

The bookstore has a "bag of books" for each section which is really convenient but you can also buy them online if you'd like. The bookstore usually posts a list of 1L books close to the beginning of school but you won't get your section assignment till the week before classes start so you won't know what you need until then (I can't remember exactly when we found out but I think it was a couple days before orientation). If you're trying to save some $$ Amazon is great - also if you do end up buying a new book from the bookstore, don't write it it for a week and keep an eye out for emails from 2L's selling the book. The bookstore will take returns so long as they still look new. (and feel free to PM me when you find out your section -I have a couple casebooks I'm going to need to sell).

One thing every section will need is a Bluebook (18th ed) - you can definitely buy that in advance.

Great, thanks for the information!

havnt been on the forums for a while, but Timmybb13 are you going to be coming to champaign in the fall??
i'm looking forward to sporting my Marleau and Thornton jersey's around campus throughout the year haha , cheers

I was just wondering what to expect from orientation at U of I? We haven't received any information about it so I was just wondering what topics were covered, whom from the faculty would be speaking with us, and if there was time to get to know other classmates? Any info would be great! Thanks

There will be a lot of time to get to know your classmates during orientation. From what I remember orientation includes a tour, mock class, barbecue, different student/faculty panels targeting common questions/concerns, community service events, a student activity fair and your first legal writing class. I think the student bar association hosted events at the bars the first two nights of orientation.

Also, every student will be put into groups of four(ish) and given a student advisor who can hopefully answer any questions or concerns you have.

Is everyone ready for orientation tomorrow?! Archie ^ and I will be peer advisors so keep your fingers crossed and you may be in our awesome group! haha. j/k. But seriously, you guys should come say hi to us if you see us and EVERYONE should come to the "night out" events at the local bars... where free beer (and possibly food as well) will be provided. Look forward to meeting everyone! (Or look forward to seeing you again if I met you at the Open House).