Accepted volunteer internship / interview with fed judge?
Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 4:12 pm
I'm a 1L...top 10% (based on fall grades, for whatever they're worth) at a T30 school. No luck with firms...I had a few OCI interviews and one SA callback--but they turned me down.
Anyway, earlier this week I accepted an unpaid internship at a mid-sized legal aid organization a few hours away (in a city I like). Seems like a good learning/service opportunity.
This afternoon, I got a call from a federal district court within driving distance...magistrate judge wants to interview me.
My questions:
1) Is a 1L judicial internship with a magistrate judge significantly better (for fall OCI purposes / general experience) than a legal aid internship? I don't have a clear professional vision at this point, I just want gainful experience and--ideally--something to talk about at OCI.
2) Would it be unethical for me to even interview with the judge, given that I already have a summer commitment? And if the judge were to offer me a position (I understand it's bad form to turn judges down), would it likewise be unethical for me to back out of my preexisting commitment? It's still pretty early, I'm sure they could find someone else...but it seems tacky, and I hate to tarnish my reputation.
I would talk with my CSO, but I've found them pretty useless so far...I've met with a couple of counselors, and I've never felt that they (1) actually listen to my questions or (2) offer specific/candid advice.
Thoughts?
Anyway, earlier this week I accepted an unpaid internship at a mid-sized legal aid organization a few hours away (in a city I like). Seems like a good learning/service opportunity.
This afternoon, I got a call from a federal district court within driving distance...magistrate judge wants to interview me.
My questions:
1) Is a 1L judicial internship with a magistrate judge significantly better (for fall OCI purposes / general experience) than a legal aid internship? I don't have a clear professional vision at this point, I just want gainful experience and--ideally--something to talk about at OCI.
2) Would it be unethical for me to even interview with the judge, given that I already have a summer commitment? And if the judge were to offer me a position (I understand it's bad form to turn judges down), would it likewise be unethical for me to back out of my preexisting commitment? It's still pretty early, I'm sure they could find someone else...but it seems tacky, and I hate to tarnish my reputation.
I would talk with my CSO, but I've found them pretty useless so far...I've met with a couple of counselors, and I've never felt that they (1) actually listen to my questions or (2) offer specific/candid advice.
Thoughts?