law firms less likely to take interns than non-profit? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I know a couple of graduates in my class with decent/slightly below average grades from my T30.

They looked for internships to help them get their foot in the door. surprisingly, none of them was able to get an internship - even nonpaid - at a decent law firm (big or small). But they do manage to get temporary non-profit gigs.

Is it true that it is a lot more difficult to get internships with decent law firms than with non-profits? I thought offering to work free would get your foot in the door but it doesnt seem to be the case.

On the other hand, those who do manage to intern at firms got full-time offers eventually - I know a couple of people who struck out OCI worked at midlaw and small-law and are now employed with these firms.

[TooOld4This]

http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs71.htm

[Anonymous User]

well, i thought law firms would hire unpaid interns under the pretext of educating them.

but it seems that only lousy firms that post on craigslist do that.

decent firms do not - yet if they do those jobs will likely lead to something more.

[ran12]

Most firms are less likely to take unpaid interns b/c it's a waste of money for them. They have to come up with the space and resources for the extra body. The only reason that SAs even get paid as well as they do is b/c the firm is basically wooing them for after graduation. SAs are a waste of money for a lot of firms in itself.