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Maybe the anon is a bit too much for this but better safe than sorry.

Anyway, I have two 1L summer offers between which I'd like help deciding. First, there's a research assistant position for a somewhat prestigious criminal law journal. Criminal law interests me the most and while I'm not set on it, the subject is a plus. That said, it's RA work and pretty boring stuff. The real advantage is that I can do this at my leisure from anywhere, so I could go home avoiding rent for the summer. I also would be able to attend a summer session my school runs in Europe which would be fun and take care of some credits.

The second is an in-house gig at a Fortune 500 company near my school. It offers the opportunity to work in all sorts of different stuff (regulatory, litigation, corporate, etc.) as interests and needs dictate, which is really cool. That said, it'll require staying in my school's city and working 9-5 all summer. The company's industry does interest me and touch on some cool issues, but it's a long way from criminal stuff which, see above, I find the most interesting.

Both positions pay pretty similar, but the in-house is better. If I'm home doing the RA thing I can make more money writing for other people and if I do the summer session thing I'll come out about even for the summer. I don't know if I'll have the energy for that if I do the in-house.

Am I crazy to even thinking about turning down the in-house thing? Part of me says I am. Are employers going to laugh at an RA job come OCI/Honors/whatever interviews? Are people going to find plan A evidence of laziness? Anyone do anything like either of these and willing to comment on what they're like? Thanks in advance.

Take the in house if it leads to any chance of post grad employment. If not, don't sweat it and take whichever you prefer.

ImNoScar wrote:Take the in house if it leads to any chance of post grad employment. If not, don't sweat it and take whichever you prefer.

I should address that. The in house job expressly does *not* lead to any post grad employment.

In-house is the superior job.

In-house...It could also lead to opportunities doing the school year where you can work. You can gain criminal experience next summer or doing the school year by doing clinicals or externships.

When you say you are interested in criminal work, I assume you are talking about prosecution or public defense? If so, I would actually lean toward the RA gig, especially if pd is on your mind. As much as grades, those jobs want to see a commitment to the field. Since the money sounds like it will be about the same (especially if you can live at home rent-free) and the in-house job cannot lead to future employment, I don't see anything wrong with choosing the RA gig.

Think of it this way. Firms don't give a shit what you do for your 1L summer as long as you do something law related. RA'ing for the journal vs. working in-house will make no difference to them as long as you came away with some legal experience and can talk about it. Public interest criminal law jobs, however, do care that you have a demonstrated interest. The RA gig will allow you to begin to paint that picture for them.

My two cents.