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Rising 2L here. There's a public interest organization in my law school's city that I'd love to work for. They do a very specific kind of law, and, as far as I know, no other organization does quite what they do. I applied for a summer gig with them, but the place I ended up with (a firm in a different field I have a background in) only gave me a week to accept. The organization's intern coordinator wasn't very responsive; their website says that they take interns, and I've heard about their legal team taking interns, but I had a tough time trying to get more information from them about their internship policies.

A month ago I went to an alumni networking event for my undergrad and met an alum who's a non-legal employee there. I told her I was interested in doing a fall semester internship with them. She said I should give her my resume and a cover letter, mentioned that the intern coordinator was not very responsive, and said she'd look into whether they were offering semester internships for law students. She also mentioned that they probably were, as the organization's legal department was expanding quickly.

I emailed her my resume and cover letter the next day and, after two weeks of no response, I sent an updated resume and mentioned that I graded onto a secondary journal that covers their field. She responded saying that she'd forward it to the legal department. I emailed her thanking her and asking if she could provide the contact information of any of the attorneys, as I'd like to talk to them about their internship program and my application. When a week went by with no response, I emailed her again and offered to send any additional information if they need it.

Still no response. I've gotten the impression that their internship program isn't too competitive, but that the work is in getting enough attention from them. I'm considering dropping by the office to discuss my application and their internship program with someone, but I'm not sure if this is a good idea, and even if it was, I don't know whether I should try talking to the alum, or the attorneys (whose names I don't know).

Any thoughts?

I'd think seriously about whether I really wanted to work for an organization run so unprofessionally, even if their field does seem perfect. Busy or not, it doesn't take a lot of time to respond to an email in a timely manner. The internship coordinator--the person whose job it is to keep in contact with prospective interns--can't be bothered to reply to you? Sounds pretty bush league.

rinkrat19 wrote:I'd think seriously about whether I really wanted to work for an organization run so unprofessionally, even if their field does seem perfect. Busy or not, it doesn't take a lot of time to respond to an email in a timely manner. The internship coordinator--the person whose job it is to keep in contact with prospective interns--can't be bothered to reply to you? Sounds pretty bush league.

I can see that, as it has been pretty frustrating. But the internship coordinator doubles as a program organizer, and the group is a branch of a much larger organization that's very legit. I figure it can't hurt to keep pushing.

Any other thoughts?

Don't just show up at people's offices...

Aqualibrium wrote:Don't just show up at people's offices...

I just don't know what other options I have. Should I copy/paste the last email I sent to the alum?

Can you ask to set up a specific appointment time to meet with them in person to discuss this? Can you call and try to talk to an actual person in addition to an email? You can tell them that you only need a few minutes of their time, and then be respectful of that promise. You might make a list of a few times you know would be good for you and ask them if any of these times work for them. Pick times in the morning before work starts or towards the end of the day - unless they usually go to court first thing in the morning.

Do not ever just show up at an office unexpected- it just looks creepy and desperate.

sunynp wrote:Can you ask to set up a specific appointment time to meet with them in person to discuss this? Can you call and try to talk to an actual person in addition to an email? You can tell them that you only need a few minutes of their time, and then be respectful of that promise. You might make a list of a few times you know would be good for you and ask them if any of these times work for them. Pick times in the morning before work starts or towards the end of the day - unless they usually go to court first thing in the morning.

Do not ever just show up at an office unexpected- it just looks creepy and desperate.

I'm inclined to agree with you (and, for that matter, Aqualibrium). I know people who've pulled off the walk-in but I don't think I have that in me. I like the idea of calling them. I don't know who exactly I should ask to speak to, but I think if I explain that my application was forwarded to the legal team and ask to speak to one of the attorneys, I should be okay going from there.