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Hello there,

I'm a recruiter for SEO Law and I am here to answer any questions you might have. Our program has been revamped this year, so all of the information you all have here from alumni may not be accurate; rather than have you all trying to guess what is going on, we decided to come on here directly to answer questions.

You can of course also email seolaw@seo-usa.org.

EDITED TO ADD: If I'm not here "live", I will come back to this thread and answer questions often, so post away!

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On the application I cannot select 2016 as the year of my LSAT. I can only select 2015.

BrainsyK wrote:Are Canadians eligible for the internship program?

Only US citizens, permanent residents, and DACA students are eligible for the law program. This is not a restriction on SEO's part, but rather, an immigration restriction-- you have to be eligible to work in the U.S.

poptart123 wrote:On the application I cannot select 2016 as the year of my LSAT. I can only select 2015.

Thanks. I've seen several applications with 2016 as the LSAT year, so it must be a glitch on your application. Please email seolaw@seo-usa.org so that I can look at your file individually.

Just to clarify, though the program is targeted to Black, Hispanic, and Native American applicants, anyone can apply given that they will be attending law school immediately after? Is being a part of other minority groups (or being of mixed races) taken into consideration?

clueless801 wrote:Just to clarify, though the program is targeted to Black, Hispanic, and Native American applicants, anyone can apply given that they will be attending law school immediately after? Is being a part of other minority groups (or being of mixed races) taken into consideration?

You are correct. We do take other minority groups and mixed races into consideration, but most of our class is made up of Black, Hispanic and Native American students. Most years we do have a few Asian and South Asian students as well.

EDITED TO ADD: Hispanic students of all races and background are eligible.

SEOLawRecruiter wrote:

poptart123 wrote:On the application I cannot select 2016 as the year of my LSAT. I can only select 2015.

Thanks. I've seen several applications with 2016 as the LSAT year, so it must be a glitch on your application. Please email seolaw@seo-usa.org so that I can look at your file individually.

This issue has now been fixed by our tech team!

Can you provide some more details about how the program has been revamped this year?

dietcoke1 wrote:Can you provide some more details about how the program has been revamped this year?

I can, though some of it is still a work-in-progress, so more details will be announced as they are confirmed.

We have changed from an internship program to a fellowship. The reason for the change is that we feel that there is a strong academic component to the program (which is the part we are currently re-vamping, with a working group consisting of law firm partners and former SEO interns who are currently in law school, to make the program as relevant as possible for this year's class). We also want to make it clear that all incoming law students are eligible-- not just those coming straight from undergrad (hence, the change from "internship" to "fellowship").

We are starting the program on May 22nd, and from May 22 until June 2nd, you will be with us at the Law Institute in New York, regardless of where your firm placement ends up being. During those two weeks, you also have the SEO Law Seminar series, when our partner firms participate in different seminars covering different areas of law, and then you get the chance to network with and meet people from all the participating firms, regardless of placement. At the end of the two weeks of the Institute, you go to your firm, and you are fully at the firm, no SEO Events or anything, for the last 8+ weeks of the program (the end date is between each participant and each placement firm). This allows Fellows to be more fully integrated during the summer, as there will be no conflicts with SEO programming, and also for those placed outside New York to make more contacts.

We are also offering scholarships for the first time.

You still get placed at a top firm. You still get paid for at least 10 weeks (2 weeks of training and 8+ weeks at least of firm work). All the benefits will still be there, the tweaks should make the program even better, though.

We have a new website, seolaw.org. I recommend checking that out.

Thank you for taking the time out to answer questions! It seems as if the program is geared towards those that are interested in corporate BL. I'm interested in international law/human rights/govt. Given this, should I still apply? And does the program have components that cater towards more PI focused law students?

If we submitted the application without attaching the scholarship essay, will we still get considered for the first round?

When we update our application, is it checked each time or just after each application cycle?

i am a mixed race (half Hispanic and White) with a, for lack of a better word, 'white' last name. Does this put me at a significant disadvantage w/r/t getting into the program?

20171lhopeful wrote:Thank you for taking the time out to answer questions! It seems as if the program is geared towards those that are interested in corporate BL. I'm interested in international law/human rights/govt. Given this, should I still apply? And does the program have components that cater towards more PI focused law students?

A lot of our alumni go on to do things outside of corporate law. As it is, once you get to law school, you will see that many, many students decide to go to a firm first and then pursue their public interest/government interests. There is amazing training at law firms that you just cannot get in other organizations, and many, many, public interest organizations do not hire entry level; they prefer law firm alumni. Same with government positions. Some of our partner firms are feeder into prestigious government programs (ie. Paul, Weiss feeds into AUSA positions, as an example). A lot of our program is focused on law school success, which is applicable regardless of what you end up doing. We also have programming focused on life after law firms, judicial clerkships and other topics of interest to all.

ac8876a wrote:If we submitted the application without attaching the scholarship essay, will we still get considered for the first round?

We don't work on rounds in the law program. We look at the applications as they come in, starting in December, but applying early does not mean that we will interview you earlier necessarily. We do not consider applications complete until all the elements are attached.

ac8876a wrote:When we update our application, is it checked each time or just after each application cycle?

We only look at complete applications. If you mean when you update your schools, we check that periodically. We are not notified when students update their applications, so it really depends where your application is in the process. If you've been invited to interview or are in the interview pile, your application will likely only be checked right before your interview. If we have yet to decide on your file, then it's checked approximately once a week.

ggnobbq wrote:i am a mixed race (half Hispanic and White) with a, for lack of a better word, 'white' last name. Does this put me at a significant disadvantage w/r/t getting into the program?

No. You self-identify on our application. If you are concerned, I would recommend attaching your diversity statement rather than your personal statement to your application.

The application asks for UG transcripts... Would this include courses taken at community colleges during high school like the LSAC requires? If so, follow up: There's only three spaces available for uploading them. What if you have more than three transcripts?

brinicolec wrote:The application asks for UG transcripts... Would this include courses taken at community colleges during high school like the LSAC requires? If so, follow up: There's only three spaces available for uploading them. What if you have more than three transcripts?

We do not need high school transcripts, only transcripts from any undergraduate institution you attended. So, if you attended community college and then transferred to your four-year institution, then we need those. If you just took some classes during high school, then we don't need them. Upload using your best judgment, and if we see our file and think we need more information, we will contact you directly.

I'm working abroad on a project that would not finish before mid-June, which would prevent me from participating for the entirety of the program. Is it still possible to apply?

20171lhopeful wrote:I'm working abroad on a project that would not finish before mid-June, which would prevent me from participating for the entirety of the program. Is it still possible to apply?

You have to be available from May 22nd. In limited instances, we can work with people who are graduating from quarter system schools, or finishing TFA commitments, for example; they typically attend our training and then we work with their placement firm to see if they can start a bit late if necessary, or we work with their current employers/school to have them finish early. You would have to finish your project early, though. Every year we have people finishing Fulbrights or Peace Corps obligations who speak with their supervisors and leave early.

Does the program cover accommodation or would we have to pay for those ourselves? And do we apply for scholarships and fellowships separately?

Rosa Parks wrote:Does the program cover accommodation or would we have to pay for those ourselves? And do we apply for scholarships and fellowships separately?

The application has detailed instructions on how to apply to the fellowship and the scholarship. The scholarship application requires an extra essay, but otherwise it's the same form (you just need to click a box).

You're responsible for your own housing. You're paid for every week you're either at work or in SEO Law training, so you're responsible for finding and paying for your own housing, just like when you are a summer associate.

The only exception is for students placed at firms outside New York. Their housing is covered for the training weeks. Since it is hard and very expensive to find short-term housing in New York in the summer, we do find shared dormitory housing for those students, and the firms pay for just those two weeks of housing in New York.

SEOLawRecruiter wrote:

Rosa Parks wrote:Does the program cover accommodation or would we have to pay for those ourselves? And do we apply for scholarships and fellowships separately?

The application has detailed instructions on how to apply to the fellowship and the scholarship. The scholarship application requires an extra essay, but otherwise it's the same form (you just need to click a box).

You're responsible for your own housing. You're paid for every week you're either at work or in SEO Law training, so you're responsible for finding and paying for your own housing, just like when you are a summer associate.

The only exception is for students placed at firms outside New York. Their housing is covered for the training weeks. Since it is hard and very expensive to find short-term housing in New York in the summer, we do find shared dormitory housing for those students, and the firms pay for just those two weeks of housing in New York.

How likely are we to get placed in our #1/#2 choice cities? If accepted into SEO, being able to live at home during the program would save so much money and stress.