Top Law Schools

I have an offer from my 1L firm that includes part-time work during 2L year for like 10 or 15 hours/week at SA pay rate. Obviously that will go a long ways to help get rid of/reduce loans 2L year, and presumably 3L year if they want me to do the same thing then. I also just received an offer for a 2L SA from a firm that I really love.

The problem is that my current firm is kind of meh. It's a good firm, and the people are all nice, but it just isn't really a good "fit" and even though I could work here and not hate myself, I really wouldn't like it. The other firm, on the other hand, I've visited/hung out with several times and everyone seems super down to earth, awesome, blah blah. I know they're putting on their best face, but the practice group is only 6 people, and I think it's easy to get a good feel from them.

Anyway, is it totally unheard of for me to ask the new firm if they would entertain the idea of me working part time during the school year? I know they've had people do part time for 3L year (who weren't 2L summers), then do full time after 3L. The firm has a set summer program, but this is a highly autonomous group (patent pros) at a satellite office (they do their own docketing, have their own SAs, and assign work separately from the rest of the firm), so that's why I was thinking maybe. I really want to take the 2nd offer, but can't get over turning down $750/week just because I like their "culture" better.

Sounds like a bad idea to me. The summer is your time to make a good impression. Doing a part time internship is not a great way to build relationships or showcase your best work.

bdubs wrote:Sounds like a bad idea to me. The summer is your time to make a good impression. Doing a part time internship is not a great way to build relationships or showcase your best work.

While true, they may simply want him to do some doc review to help them out. I don't see a problem with that as long as:

1) Your school work won't interfere with your ability to work at the firm
2) Your work at the firm won't interfere with your ability to not get shitty grades

I don't think it's THAT uncommon to do substantive work for a law firm during the school year. I see it advertised at a few places in the GW Symplicity site, even.

And, frankly, if the OP could do that at the new firm, it may even give him a leg up on other summers as he'd be able to get a bit of a handle on what the firm wants and expects from summers.