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Does anyone have any insight into how the Pathways Program works? Trying to decide between Biglaw SA or BigFed internship. #1 goal of course is getting an offer after the summer.

Anonymous User wrote:Does anyone have any insight into how the Pathways Program works? Trying to decide between Biglaw SA or BigFed internship. #1 goal of course is getting an offer after the summer.

thenbiglaw

Desert Fox wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Does anyone have any insight into how the Pathways Program works? Trying to decide between Biglaw SA or BigFed internship. #1 goal of course is getting an offer after the summer.

thenbiglaw

I should note that a close 2nd is QOL & work/life balance. I've never heard of the Pathways Program before, but its paid and seems like they plan to hire those in the program?

Anonymous User wrote:Does anyone have any insight into how the Pathways Program works? Trying to decide between Biglaw SA or BigFed internship. #1 goal of course is getting an offer after the summer.

You'll have post-grad employment either way: the Pathways program allows you to intern during school, and then once you graduate, they'll convert you to a full-time, civil service employee (provided there are funds for your particular position - generally not a problem, and usually, most agencies try to find you something if they know you're about to graduate, and if they fail, you have non-compete status for other fed govt. positions).

On the other hand, biglaw will give you a much bigger paycheck. So it's up to you to determine what you value more: money or quality of life. Though, lateraling to a fed govt. OGC is always an option after 2-3 years of biglaw life, too.

ETA: My knowledge comes from friends who have been in the Pathways Program. They all went through the program while in undergrad (so none of them are lawyers) and all of them currently work for the same agency that they interned for through the program. None of them had trouble being converted to full-time employees.

I'm currently an attorney for a federal agency and I would strongly suggest taking the biglaw offer. There is zero guarantee of a permanent offer after the summer in federal government jobs. Last summer we wanted to give offers to two of the five summer law clerks (who were technically hired under the Pathways Program) and could only give one for budget reasons. You will be much better off going to biglaw and getting an offer, then applying to honors programs. For the purposes of legal internships, Pathways just means a paid summer internship that might have some potential of being a permanent job. Pathways actually consists of 3 different programs. The only one of them that actually comes with a guarantee of a permanent job is the PMF program, and that one can't be used to hire attorneys since around 2012. Note that for a lot of non-legal positions, the conversion rates from Pathways internships to civil service are much higher, as the poster above mentioned, but those are usually years long term-time internships at much lower grades then attorneys start at.

Anonymous User wrote:I'm currently an attorney for a federal agency and I would strongly suggest taking the biglaw offer. There is zero guarantee of a permanent offer after the summer in federal government jobs. Last summer we wanted to give offers to two of the five summer law clerks (who were technically hired under the Pathways Program) and could only give one for budget reasons. You will be much better off going to biglaw and getting an offer, then applying to honors programs. For the purposes of legal internships, Pathways just means a paid summer internship that might have some potential of being a permanent job. Pathways actually consists of 3 different programs. The only one of them that actually comes with a guarantee of a permanent job is the PMF program, and that one can't be used to hire attorneys since around 2012. Note that for a lot of non-legal positions, the conversion rates from Pathways internships to civil service are much higher, as the poster above mentioned, but those are usually years long term-time internships.

Thank you! This is exactly what I was looking for. Appreciate it!