aclu or doj civil rights? Forum

[gvegls]

hi all, need to decide between 2 summer offers by monday - aclu democracy prog (ny) and doj. the people at both seemed nice, was pretty surprised to get offers. the doj internship seemed more structured, for whatever that is worth. the appeal of aclu is that it seems the more progressive of the organizations, but i wonder if doj would be better for long term job prospects. in terms of doing public interest work again next summer as well as into the future, which would be preferable? also, i hope this is the appropriate way to post--very sorry if not. was just doing some internet research and came across this website.

thanks!

[charliep]

those are awesome offers. congrats

[Eirhoff73]

hi all, need to decide between 2 summer offers by monday - aclu democracy prog (ny) and doj. the people at both seemed nice, was pretty surprised to get offers. the doj internship seemed more structured, for whatever that is worth. the appeal of aclu is that it seems the more progressive of the organizations, but i wonder if doj would be better for long term job prospects. in terms of doing public interest work again next summer as well as into the future, which would be preferable? also, i hope this is the appropriate way to post--very sorry if not. was just doing some internet research and came across this website.

thanks!

I would have voted for the ACLU if it weren't so in bed with every whiner in the US. Can't pray in school? Call the ACLU. The city want you to remove those junk cars on blocks? Call the ACLU. ETC...

The ACLU used to stand for something. Now they fall for everything.

I used the anonymous posting feature to protect my views from costing me opportunities in the future.

[gvegls]

geez, never would have suspected that was their reputation these days. thanks for the input.

[MrKappus]

I would have voted for the ACLU if it weren't so in bed with every whiner in the US. Can't pray in school? Call the ACLU. The city want you to remove those junk cars on blocks? Call the ACLU. ETC...

The ACLU used to stand for something. Now they fall for everything.

I used the anonymous posting feature to protect my views from costing me opportunities in the future.

Why don't you shut the hell up? I posted non-anonymously because I wanted to make sure you knew who is telling you to shut the hell up. I am.

@OP: DOJ all the way.

[YourCaptain]

doj

[Cogburn87]

I would have voted for the ACLU if it weren't so in bed with every whiner in the US. Can't pray in school? Call the ACLU. The city want you to remove those junk cars on blocks? Call the ACLU. ETC...

The ACLU used to stand for something. Now they fall for everything.

I used the anonymous posting feature to protect my views from costing me opportunities in the future.

Your opinion is invalid because you made a Suckerpunch reference (whether intentional or not).

[Ludo!]

I think that's a John Mellencamp reference. wtf is Suckerpunch?

[Cogburn87]

I think that's a John Mellencamp reference. wtf is Suckerpunch?

A shitty movie. And if John Cougar said it first, my earlier statement is only reinforced.

[Ludo!]

It's probably just some old tired cliche that happened to be used by both shitty sources. But I agree with your point, that poster's opinion is stupid.

[vanwinkle]

I used the anonymous posting feature to protect my views from costing me opportunities in the future.

I de-anonymized your post because anon is not for spouting political opinions.

We've been more lenient on anon lately, but if you still feel the need to explain that "I used anon because...", it means you knew better.

[JusticeJackson]

//

[ToTransferOrNot]

Would take DoJ without a second thought.

[LawIdiot86]

DOJ by a wide margin. Even if your views are more closely aligned with the ACLU, any employer will view the DOJ civil rights are far more prestigious then the ACLU and no one will doubt your commitment to the causes the ACLU espouses.

[Anonymous User]

Did unpaid internship at DOJ Civil Rights this summer. Amazing experience, got to meet and learn from some great and brilliant attorneys, would do it again in a heartbeat.

Be aware that Civil Rights did not participate in Honors hiring this year, and the political climate looks bad for new hiring in the near future. The mood in Congress is one of cutting budgets, and Civil Rights is seen by legislstors as a "politicized" division. Whether you agree with that or not, it makes it a budget target, and unlikely to do significant hiring again soon.

I'm not saying don't do it. I'm just saying, don't expect a job offer from them. You wouldn't get one from ACLU either, though. DOJ will give you valuable litigation exposure/experience and a more universally favored resume line, and if that's worth it, do it.

[leobowski]

I would have voted for the ACLU if it weren't so in bed with every whiner in the US. Can't pray in school? Call the ACLU. The city want you to remove those junk cars on blocks? Call the ACLU. ETC...

The ACLU used to stand for something. Now they fall for everything.

I used the anonymous posting feature to protect my views from costing me opportunities in the future.

Yeah how dare they work for pennies to protect the civil rights of prisoners, the indigent, etc. Those dicks.

[Anonymous User]

Are you pursuing a public interest career long-term? If so, I think that the DOJ is a great place to be, although I'm sure the ACLU is great as well.

I interned at the DOJ Civil Rights Division in law school and loved it. The attorneys were amazing and, at least in my section, were very committed to mentoring the interns and giving the interns substantive work. It also seemed to be a helpful credential when I went through the clerkship application process, and was definitely helpful when I entered the public interest job market this year because non-profits looked at it as civil rights experience and government agencies looked at it as government experience.

But, as I said above, I'm sure working at the ACLU would be fantastic as well. I have friends who interned there and loved it, and also did well on the clerkship and public interest job markets. good luck with your decision!

[Anonymous User]

Are you pursuing a public interest career long-term? If so, I think that the DOJ is a great place to be, although I'm sure the ACLU is great as well.

I interned at the DOJ Civil Rights Division in law school and loved it. The attorneys were amazing and, at least in my section, were very committed to mentoring the interns and giving the interns substantive work. It also seemed to be a helpful credential when I went through the clerkship application process, and was definitely helpful when I entered the public interest job market this year because non-profits looked at it as civil rights experience and government agencies looked at it as government experience.

But, as I said above, I'm sure working at the ACLU would be fantastic as well. I have friends who interned there and loved it, and also did well on the clerkship and public interest job markets. good luck with your decision!

[snowpeach06]

hi all, need to decide between 2 summer offers by monday - aclu democracy prog (ny) and doj. the people at both seemed nice, was pretty surprised to get offers. the doj internship seemed more structured, for whatever that is worth. the appeal of aclu is that it seems the more progressive of the organizations, but i wonder if doj would be better for long term job prospects. in terms of doing public interest work again next summer as well as into the future, which would be preferable? also, i hope this is the appropriate way to post--very sorry if not. was just doing some internet research and came across this website.

thanks!

Depends on what you are looking to do in the future I suppose. I'm working at the ACLU this summer, but its because I'm nearly 100% sure I want to work in policy, and not "law." I'm also not worried about turning off conservatives, because I only want to work with liberal organizations. So, I'm really excited, and think it will give me some great experience, and hopefully will look good on my resume (again, for wanting to advocate for liberal policies or possibly work on the hill).

DOJ kind of seems like a safer bet. Legal employers, like firms and the government, would probably like it better. Public interest might prefer the ACLU a little bit though. If neither of these things impacts your decision, consider location (NY vs DC right? - and where you'd rather be long term and build connections), the type of work you do (does one let you take on your own projects, whereas the other gives you assignments?), ect. Both are fantastic opportunities though... congrats!