Since I probably wont get 1L SA, how to get in-house work? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Top ~35% at a T14 in my home market, applying for 1L SAs there and in NYC. I realize my chances at landing one are still bad, and I'm not particularly interested in clerking/PI/gov stuff (although I'm not opposed to it either). I'd really like to do something in house, particularly in finance/banking, and I've already applied to the legal departments of a few banks/financial firms that I found through my school. So I guess I have two questions:

1) Most banks/corporate sites in general don't have a "recruitment contact" like firm sites do, is there any kind of listing/directory for this kind of stuff? (Realized a few weeks ago that career services is useless, but I guess I could ask them if I was desperate)

2) How hard is it to get in house work as a 1L? Should I only be looking at corporate places that have relatively big legal departments to make it worth applying? (ie assuming a small local corporate office that has only 5 attorneys is less likely to hire interns than a home office with 75+ legal staff). Should I make back up plans if I don't find one of these as well...?

[dingbat]

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[sportsaholic763]

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[Lawbro]

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[rbomb]

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[Anonymous User]

Top ~35% at a T14 in my home market, applying for 1L SAs there and in NYC. I realize my chances at landing one are still bad, and I'm not particularly interested in clerking/PI/gov stuff (although I'm not opposed to it either). I'd really like to do something in house, particularly in finance/banking, and I've already applied to the legal departments of a few banks/financial firms that I found through my school. So I guess I have two questions:

1) Most banks/corporate sites in general don't have a "recruitment contact" like firm sites do, is there any kind of listing/directory for this kind of stuff? (Realized a few weeks ago that career services is useless, but I guess I could ask them if I was desperate)

2) How hard is it to get in house work as a 1L? Should I only be looking at corporate places that have relatively big legal departments to make it worth applying? (ie assuming a small local corporate office that has only 5 attorneys is less likely to hire interns than a home office with 75+ legal staff). Should I make back up plans if I don't find one of these as well...?

Here's what I have:

1.) Check for corporate counsel directories. Your CSO should have one and here's a partial one on Google Books http://books.google.com/books?id=7P60Qx ... el&f=false

Linkedin is also your friend here. Lawstudentjobs is also great for corporate counsel internships.

2.) The internships are competitive. Though listings will say they will accept resumes from 1Ls & 2Ls it's clear some want 1Ls more than 2Ls and vice-versa. You just have to wait and see. Being at a T14 helps. Also bear in mind some of these don't hire until April or May.

[Anonymous User]

Also utilize your UG alumni network by checking if any F500 GC, etc. went to your UG and contacting them directly.

[KidStuddi]

1) Most banks/corporate sites in general don't have a "recruitment contact" like firm sites do, is there any kind of listing/directory for this kind of stuff? (Realized a few weeks ago that career services is useless, but I guess I could ask them if I was desperate)

I'm a bit skeptical of this claim. I find it hard to believe that any corporation of a size to have in-house counsel doesn't have a careers / employment / jobs section of their website in 2013. Maybe the financial world is different, but traditional businesses? Seems odd. If it's not prominently displayed, just try to google the page directly.

Failing that, Linkedin is a good resource for this kind of thing.

2) How hard is it to get in house work as a 1L? Should I only be looking at corporate places that have relatively big legal departments to make it worth applying? (ie assuming a small local corporate office that has only 5 attorneys is less likely to hire interns than a home office with 75+ legal staff). Should I make back up plans if I don't find one of these as well...?

I can't speak to the market in NYC with any firsthand knowledge, but on the slim chance your home market is D.C., these opportunities are rarer than 1L SAs here. I don't know anyone who had one last summer.

I would expect them to be rarer than even 1L SAs everywhere though. In-house departments seldom direct hire students, so I'm not sure why they would want one hanging around all summer unless it's a diversity / inclusion type deal or a scholarship program.

You should definitely apply for backups at PI places. Judges don't really work all that well as backup plans. Conventional wisdom is that it's rude/futile to ask a judge to hold an offer open while you look for better options, you basically have to accept or decline on the spot.

[SemperLegal]

I googled every permutation of "General Counsel" "law student" "internship" "in house" etc. I stumbled upon 4-5.

[bdubs]

I wouldn't recommend restricting yourself to banks and finance related companies. They are probably far less relevant and interesting than you assume they will be (unless you want to work in bank regulation/compliance). Working in house at a big company is probably a better bet. Keep in mind that most corporate legal departments have no intention of hiring graduating law students, so it's not like they really need to hire interns to generate a pipeline of new talent into their group. There are still positions out there though.

I would search for in-house M&A attorneys at your local F500 if you want to do transactional work as a 2L. Find the company first and then search on Martindale or similar sites for lawyers there.

[thelawyler]

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[Anonymous User]

The old Westlaw has a directory of Corporate Counsel too that it is quite helpful.

[Shammis]

You apply. Most banks have internship programs...NY/CA has entertainment law internships...Start ups blah blah network. Insurance companies blah...look for them.

[piccolittle]

http://www.lawstudentjobs.net is a great source for in-house postings

[Marlin88]

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