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I am a 0L have been offered a position as a "Community Organizer" with Opportunity for America (i.e.: the 2012 Obama campaign). It is an unpaid position and I am trying to determine if it worthwhile as a line on my resume as I look for a 1L SA (or similar) position in a few months. The position will consist of overseeing various "grass roots" volunteers in an important battleground state as well as various administrative tasks and I will report directly to staffers at the DNC. Thoughts?

I worked in a paid position for the 2008 Obama campaign. I think that it's a beneficial experience in terms of your overall professional development. Will it help with future legal employment? Who knows. I'm not sure how common it is. However, if your experience is anything like mine, it will demonstrate a certain level of work ethic. I was working 80+ hours a week.

Probably not very helpful, but good luck!

sure it'll help a bit. for an SA position though, the only line that really matters is the one that has your law school GPA (1st semester for 1L SA and 1st year for 2L SA). everything else is just splitting hairs.

DocHawkeye wrote:I am a 0L have been offered a position as a "Community Organizer" with Opportunity for America (i.e.: the 2012 Obama campaign). It is an unpaid position and I am trying to determine if it worthwhile as a line on my resume as I look for a 1L SA (or similar) position in a few months. The position will consist of overseeing various "grass roots" volunteers in an important battleground state as well as various administrative tasks and I will report directly to staffers at the DNC. Thoughts?

TLS conventional wisdom would say "probably not lead to any direct benefits"

PS, I love M*A*S*H

What's the alternative? If you're just going to be sitting around all summer, this certainly can't hurt.

Unless you plan going into elections law or something similar, I don't think so. I volunteered (organizing, phone banking, researching, etc.) with the 2008 campaign, and the DCCC, and it hasn't helped me get a legal position so far. It did help me get interviews in the public sector, but didn't have much mileage outside of that. I think they wanted to see how those experiences translated directly to the work I would be doing at the firms, if the e-mail are any indication. Keep in mind that I haven't applied to any law firms since the end of 2009, when legal work was harder to get than it is now.

Borhas wrote:

DocHawkeye wrote:I am a 0L have been offered a position as a "Community Organizer" with Opportunity for America (i.e.: the 2012 Obama campaign). It is an unpaid position and I am trying to determine if it worthwhile as a line on my resume as I look for a 1L SA (or similar) position in a few months. The position will consist of overseeing various "grass roots" volunteers in an important battleground state as well as various administrative tasks and I will report directly to staffers at the DNC. Thoughts?

TLS conventional wisdom would say "probably not lead to any direct benefits"

PS, I love M*A*S*H

So do I but I fail to see how this relates to anything written in this thread so far. Also, being in politics would be kinda cool but I suspect that there are more direct routes than this.

DocHawkeye wrote:Also, being in politics would be kinda cool but I suspect that there are more direct routes than this.

i fail to see how this relates to anything written in this thread so far

Dany wrote:What's the alternative? If you're just going to be sitting around all summer, this certainly can't hurt.

Basically this. Working on the campaign isn't going to help or hurt you really but if I were you I would try to find a job that actually pays me money.

naterj wrote:

Dany wrote:What's the alternative? If you're just going to be sitting around all summer, this certainly can't hurt.

Basically this. Working on the campaign isn't going to help or hurt you really but if I were you I would try to find a job that actually pays me money.

I have a job that pays money. It only requires that I work four hours per week in the summer. I'm looking for something worthwhile to do with the rest of my time.

I mean, I'd get another paying job to save up for 1L if I were you, but if not then go for it.

Ginj wrote:I worked in a paid position for the 2008 Obama campaign.

Ditto, me too. But OP, you should consider how much this job would burn you out prior to law school this fall. As an organizer in 2008, I was working 12 to 16 hours a day, seven days a week in a high stress environment. I loved the work and I wouldn't trade that experience for anything, but it was ridiculously taxing on my body and mind. Your job would probably be a lot less stressful since there's no election, but I'm not sure if the resume boost would outweigh the risk of pre-1L burnout.

The Gentleman wrote:

Ginj wrote:I worked in a paid position for the 2008 Obama campaign.

Ditto, me too. But OP, you should consider how much this job would burn you out prior to law school this fall. As an organizer in 2008, I was working 12 to 16 hours a day, seven days a week in a high stress environment. I loved the work and I wouldn't trade that experience for anything, but it was ridiculously taxing on my body and mind. Your job would probably be a lot less stressful since there's no election, but I'm not sure if the resume boost would outweigh the risk of pre-1L burnout.

This is what I am worried about.

Hey, what about Obama?

"Community Organizer" --> Senator --> President

Didn't hurt his resume as far as I can see.

weejonbu wrote:Hey, what about Obama?

"Community Organizer" --> Senator --> President

Didn't hurt his resume as far as I can see.

I think you missed a minor step or two:

(Community Organizer in the background) Editor, Harvard Law Review --> Lawyer --> Law Lecturer --> Senator --> President

Don't take a "volunteer position." The campaign will be hiring plenty of honest-to-god staff soon enough, and it's not going to help all that much with 1L jerb search. Law schools are filled with ex-political operatives.