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Benefits of an unpaid summer associate position?

Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 9:09 am
by jle
To be a little more concise: I am deciding whether to accept a court of appeals summer internship, a internship in the AG's office or an unpaid firm internship. All are unpaid. The firms are well known locally and reputable.

I misspoke regarding a summer program. The firms have not had summer programs, however I am trying to decide if this would be more beneficial than working in the AG's office or within the state court of appeals given my interest in working within a firm and might lead more towards making connections, etc....

Re: Benefits of an unpaid summer associate position?

Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 10:04 am
by Anonymous Loser
I've not come across examples of reputable, well-established firms taking on 1L's in unpaid positions for the summer, and unless you will be working entirely on pro bono matters for the firm and receiving academic credit, I would be wary of firms engaging in this sort of practice. I'm also a bit confused by your post: you state that "the position usually pays," but also note that the firms "do not usually have formal summer programs." If the position isn't normally offered, how can it be considered one that usually is paid?

Perhaps I'm wrong, and this is becoming more common, but if a for-profit law firm can't even offer a few bucks an hour to bolster it's recruiting efforts, its just not somewhere I'm willing to work.

If you have all these options on the table, your credentials are such that you'll likely be well-situated for fall OCI regardless of which position you accept.

edit: corrected it's/its fail

Re: Benefits of an unpaid summer associate position?

Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 10:57 am
by thesealocust
n/m

Re: Benefits of an unpaid summer associate position?

Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 12:58 pm
by YCrevolution
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