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My long-term employment plan has always been to clerk following graduation, then ::fingers crossed:: to go biglaw, so I can get out from under my staggering debt load and live in New York or DC. Of course, I had no idea whether I was going to get the grades I'd need to go biglaw during my 1L summer, so I began applying early for many different jobs.

Before grades were released, I secured an internship with the Chief Judge of the federal district court in my hometown. I come from a small place, but it's only a few hours away from one of those large cities. Grades have now been released, and by some unbelievable combination of blood/sweat/tears/luck, I earned a 3.87. I attend a T15 school.

My question is - what should my plan look like now? I am extremely excited about the internship, because it seems from talking to the judge and his clerks that I'm going to get a lot of great experience. But - how do I align myself for a 2L summer in biglaw? Am I at an advantage or a disadvantage? I've searched the forums for past threads on the topic, and opinion on the importance of the actual work you do during your 1L summer seems varied.

Thanks.

As long as you keep your grades in that range, you should have no problem getting biglaw. A judicial internship is considered a pretty standard 1L summer experience and will neither hurt nor help you.