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I know its early and I should be concentrating on grades but I would rather do this now as opposed to finals time. I had some questions about summer jobs (some of them are pretty stupid) and I was hoping to get some advice. (I want patent/hard IP, I used to be in engineering, and I'm at Boalt).

Do most ppl only apply to 1 office per firm and does it make you look bad if you hit multiple offices?
Do you include all your app materials (UG transcript, resume, cover letter, writing sample) in the initial email? And how long should your cover letter be? I'm having a hard time distinguishing between what goes in the email body and what goes in the cover letter.
Is it better to apply through the firm's website or through email?
What's the best way to make use of a connection at the firm? Where I used to work if someone put in a word for you, your resume automatically got bumped to the top of the pile and basically got a guaranteed interview. Do law firms work like this too?
And finally, what is the timeline for applying for judicial externships? Do most judges expect applications on 12/1? And which judges are considered possible to get? (CoA, USDC, state courts?)

thanks for the help

anyone?

Umm...all of this information is scattered throughout threads in the employment forum. Use the search function.

Also, this: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 3&t=195630 (I know it's called 2L timeline or whatever, but it covers 1L as well).

The general answer to every one of your questions is "depends." You need to do some research based on your specific fact pattern.

That said, it is considerably easier to land something desirable if you are aiming for patent work, but it also depends on ...