legal internships during the law school semester? Forum

[sonyvaio18]

What was your experience?

Any advice for getting a good experience?

How well does such an internship prepare you for law firm practice?

[A. Nony Mouse]

Do you have a specific kind of legal internship in mind? Because there are tons of options out there, with different kinds of experiences. I thought interning was great - better than taking classes - but it's going to depend a ton on the specific employer, so it's a little hard to generalize without some idea of what you're considering.

[BizBro]

I'm personally thinking of financial regulatory work. Hoping to find something for 2L fall and 2L spring. If I can't find anything, should I just stick with the same organization that I'm spending this summer with, but in a different department?

[Anonymous User]

I'm personally thinking of financial regulatory work. Hoping to find something for 2L fall and 2L spring. If I can't find anything, should I just stick with the same organization that I'm spending this summer with, but in a different department?

Depends. What city are you in now?

I worked at the SEC in New York my 2L spring, though you should be aware that the NY office offers internships in only Enforcement and Compliance Inspections (I did the former). DC will have just about everything. In New York, I don't think the regional Fed offers anything outside the summer. Perhaps the CFPB.

[BizBro]

I go to school in NY, so the internship is going to have to be in NY during the school semesters. Apparently SEC fall applications were already due at the end of June so not sure where else I can actually find a job this fall, since as you mentioned, most of the fed govt internships offer only summer/DC options.

[Anonymous User]

I go to school in NY, so the internship is going to have to be in NY during the school semesters. Apparently SEC fall applications were already due at the end of June so not sure where else I can actually find a job this fall, since as you mentioned, most of the fed govt internships offer only summer/DC options.

No problem, try for spring!

That said, if you intern outside of the core agencies, there's incidental financial regulation through the state AG's office and nonfederal bodies, or any number of bodies prosecuting financial crimes. Now's a little late for a lot of fall positions, however, due to the need for security clearance for a few.

[pancakes3]

I'm personally thinking of financial regulatory work. Hoping to find something for 2L fall and 2L spring. If I can't find anything, should I just stick with the same organization that I'm spending this summer with, but in a different department?

Depends. What city are you in now?

I worked at the SEC in New York my 2L spring, though you should be aware that the NY office offers internships in only Enforcement and Compliance Inspections (I did the former). DC will have just about everything. In New York, I don't think the regional Fed offers anything outside the summer. Perhaps the CFPB.

Technically true but most of the hiring is split between Enforcement and Corp Fin.

[BizBro]

So should I just try to continue my summer internship into the fall? I can try with a different department. Will it be worth the time effort?

[sanjola]

So should I just try to continue my summer internship into the fall? I can try with a different department. Will it be worth the time effort?

Do you enjoy the work you do at the organization? Are you getting paid or can you receive credits? If it's in the field you want to be in, and you are give viable networking opportunities, I would say yes. I found semester internships to be a great experience.

[BizBro]

There will be no pay in the fall and I don't think I can get credits from school. So it will be truly volunteer-based only.

I think it might be valuable experience since it is directly related to my field, and having a related job is better than no job. I just think govt experience would be better for my resume.

Worst case scenario is I worry that having 8 months of experience in job X won't do more for my resume than just having had only summer exp in job X, which is why I'm trying to combat this by rotating to a different department for fall.

[sonyvaio18]

Do you have a specific kind of legal internship in mind? Because there are tons of options out there, with different kinds of experiences. I thought interning was great - better than taking classes - but it's going to depend a ton on the specific employer, so it's a little hard to generalize without some idea of what you're considering.

Thanks for the questions. i'm interested in tech, lifesciences, start-ups. I'm in the boston area.

[Anonymous User]

I'm personally thinking of financial regulatory work. Hoping to find something for 2L fall and 2L spring. If I can't find anything, should I just stick with the same organization that I'm spending this summer with, but in a different department?

Depends. What city are you in now?

I worked at the SEC in New York my 2L spring, though you should be aware that the NY office offers internships in only Enforcement and Compliance Inspections (I did the former). DC will have just about everything. In New York, I don't think the regional Fed offers anything outside the summer. Perhaps the CFPB.

different anon, i'm doing the SEC this fall, do you think you could talk a little about your experience? was it enjoyable, people cool, assignments alright, does it help for future employment at the SEC or generally, etc.?

[SemperLegal]

I did three internships during law school semesters (2 for credit). IME, You definitely get a much more substantive amount of work and personalized review than during the summer (I kind of got treated like a brand new attorney who knew nothing, rather than as a student). I also was a lot better integrated into the staff, enough that we all still email each other a lot (and me and one of my supervisors are each other's job references).

However, you have to work at least 2.5-3 days a week to be anything other than a doc reviewer

[Anonymous User]

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