Top Law Schools

Posted this to a different forum earlier but realized this forum is more suitable. Unable to delete the original post but I hope it's alright if I post here too. Copied and pasted from original post:

By the end of Summer 2018 (summer before junior year), I'll have completed internships at 3 law firms. My goal was to intern at around 4-5 additional law firms between junior year and senior year, checking out multiple practice areas, and to take a few years off after undergrad to work full-time, either as a compliance analyst or as a paralegal.

I have an upcoming Fall 2018 internship interview at a law firm, but I'm starting to worry that I'll be seen as one-dimensional for only having worked at law firms before applying law school (instead of doing some work for a senator, a nonprofit, a consulting firm, etc.). The general consensus here seems to be that softs like these don't matter much. Could you guys weigh in on whether this means I don't have to worry about my pre-LS activities being in the same field and can just continue doing what I enjoy instead of worrying about diversifying?

A lot of people are one dimensional when they apply to law school because they are only in their early 20s. I don't think that would be a problem, but only admissions knows for sure.

I would strongly consider you try something else before law school not because it will help you with applications but because you might enjoy something else. I know several people who were considering law school, tried something else for what they thought would be a short-term thing, and decided they didn't actually want to take on insane debt, sacrifice three years of work, and enter a profession with all sorts of problems. I'm about to graduate from HYS and know several people who regret going to law school or have realized they could do what they want to do without getting a JD. Most, however, are happy with their decision, at least for now. We'll see what they think in after a couple of years of BigLaw.

From my understanding, law schools don't really care what you did before law school. However, it helps to have experience that backs up why you want to be a lawyer and why you'd be a successful law student. I've worked in two private firms, for a state attorney general, and in lobbying. So instead of saying "policy was always just so interesting to me," I can use my experience to back up why I plan on going into policy and how I know I'll be good at it. Also, I know a lot of kids who started law school without any foundation of civil procedure, and they eventually caught up, but I think it definitely gives you an advantage to understand basic legal terminology and the administration of a law firm. If you're taking time off after school, definitely pinpoint some areas you'd want to go into and find something related. And if that's in a law firm, great.

peege wrote:I've worked in two private firms, for a state attorney general, and in lobbying.

I'm interested in interning for a state attorney general, but the application process seems pretty competitive. I might give it a shot. Did you summer there (as an undergrad or law student?) or work there full-time? And how did the work you did for the attorney general compare to the work you did for the private firms?

effervescence18 wrote:

peege wrote:I've worked in two private firms, for a state attorney general, and in lobbying.

I'm interested in interning for a state attorney general, but the application process seems pretty competitive. I might give it a shot. Did you summer there (as an undergrad or law student?) or work there full-time? And how did the work you did for the attorney general compare to the work you did for the private firms?

I interned there for eight months during undergrad. Luckily my state wasn't too competitive. It was a way different experience than working in a private firm. You aren't constantly trying to recruit and maintain clientele, which is a positive. The negative for me was that it was very repetitive, you don't have a lot of flexibility in the work you do, and depending on the division you can work with some less-than-successful attorneys and staff. In some states working for the government is prestigious; in my state it's where people who can't get hired at private firms get their first job. Another positive though includes the fact that a private attorney may have a case in the court of appeals/supreme court once every couple of years, the AG's office is always going, so you have a lot of opportunity to witness that.

effervescence18 wrote:Posted this to a different forum earlier but realized this forum is more suitable. Unable to delete the original post but I hope it's alright if I post here too. Copied and pasted from original post:

By the end of Summer 2018 (summer before junior year), I'll have completed internships at 3 law firms. My goal was to intern at around 4-5 additional law firms between junior year and senior year, checking out multiple practice areas, and to take a few years off after undergrad to work full-time, either as a compliance analyst or as a paralegal.

I have an upcoming Fall 2018 internship interview at a law firm, but I'm starting to worry that I'll be seen as one-dimensional for only having worked at law firms before applying law school (instead of doing some work for a senator, a nonprofit, a consulting firm, etc.). The general consensus here seems to be that softs like these don't matter much. Could you guys weigh in on whether this means I don't have to worry about my pre-LS activities being in the same field and can just continue doing what I enjoy instead of worrying about diversifying?

You should not worry about this at all. If you enjoy what you're doing keep doing it.

Worry about your grades and LSAT. No number of internships will make up for those.Making contacts and trying to see what you might like is smart, don’t worry about your softs that much.

I think it's a strength. It shows you're committed to practicing law and you have some idea of what lawyers actually do and what the expectations are of you as a lawyer.