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I’m starting to pair down my list of schools and one I’ve been considering doesn’t have a clinic, but may offer externships in my area of interest.
Should I be prioritizing clinics?

No. Externships are just as valuable. You want the experience, the label it’s given doesn’t matter. I think externships can be more valuable because they give the opportunity to work with people outside your school, in the actual legal community, with whom you might not otherwise come into contact.

(And this is all very much less important than cost and employment power.)

nixy wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 30, 2021 9:19 am

No. Externships are just as valuable. You want the experience, the label it’s given doesn’t matter. I think externships can be more valuable because they give the opportunity to work with people outside your school, in the actual legal community, with whom you might not otherwise come into contact.

(And this is all very much less important than cost and employment power.)

This is a solid & appropriate response in my opinion.

Would a clinic suggest interest in pro bono work?

laanngo wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 08, 2021 9:32 am

Would a clinic suggest interest in pro bono work?

Because it’s volunteer work? No, you get school credit for a clinic and it’s a good way to get experience as a student. It would suggest an interest in the clinic’s subject area (criminal defense, family law, appellate, whatever; my school had an entrepreneurial law clinic working with small startups), but can also be explained as a desire to get real-world experience in the courtroom, working with clients, things like that (so if you did a criminal defense clinic, big firms won’t necessarily assume you’re aiming for public interest).

I mean if you want to signal an interest in pro bono work you could talk about a clinic in that way, but that’s not the only conclusion to be drawn from a clinic. They’re good ways for students to get practical experience, that’s what people will think when they see one.