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Is working as an RA worth it? I'm a 2L, and a professor asked me if I wanted to work for him this semester. I like the guy, and I like his work, but I don't really have any aspirations beyond my 100% offer SA firm. I also like getting paid, but I'm wondering if the time commitment ends up being too much of a pain in the ass. I'm also, uh, not very good at research, so I don't want to look like a moron and fuck some shit up.

Worth it if you want to clerk or have academia aspiration, otherwise no.

Can you do it for credit? At my school you could do it for 1 credit, and it was nice not having a final. Otherwise, only if you need the money, or want a recommender for clerking.

gregfootball2001 wrote:Can you do it for credit? At my school you could do it for 1 credit, and it was nice not having a final. Otherwise, only if you need the money, or want a recommender for clerking.

Ooh, I don't know. I'll have to ask. If I could do it for credit, that would definitely tilt the scale in favor of the RA.

It's probably a good idea. It's usually not too demanding, and you can get a good reference if you want to clerk/lateral later on in your career.

I just consulted with the registrar and it seems like credit isn't an option. I don't really need recommendations for anything in the immediate future. Would the later benefit for lateral/whatever be worth it?

^No IMO.

Jchance wrote:^No IMO.

If you can't get credit, and there's absolutely no chance you'll apply for clerkships, and you don't need the money, I agree.

gregfootball2001 wrote:Can you do it for credit? At my school you could do it for 1 credit, and it was nice not having a final. Otherwise, only if you need the money, or want a recommender for clerking.

Work dead end on-campus jobs if it's money you're after. No hassle.

I have no idea about the value of an RA, but having worked 15-20 hours all 2L year at another legal job, I just want to say that those time constraints aren't really that bad. If you want the money, go for it.

..

My prof tells me it's <7 hours/week. I think I can manage that. I'm vaguely busy with LR and a relatively full class schedule, but that doesn't seem like too bad of a commitment unless it blows up on me for whatever reason. Like I wrote earlier, I wasn't planning on clerking or anything. Still, I think it can't hurt to have a recommendation in case something falls through for whatever reason. I'm mostly loath to give up valuable time I spend sitting around doing nothing.

Thanks for your help!

Anonymous User wrote:Is working as an RA worth it? I'm a 2L, and a professor asked me if I wanted to work for him this semester. I like the guy, and I like his work, but I don't really have any aspirations beyond my 100% offer SA firm. I also like getting paid, but I'm wondering if the time commitment ends up being too much of a pain in the ass. I'm also, uh, not very good at research, so I don't want to look like a moron and fuck some shit up.

100000% yes.

here's why:

a) great way to get a good recommendation from a prof
b) more importantly - great way to find out early about any issues you have with your legal writing, and improve them before you get to your firm.

itbdvorm wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Is working as an RA worth it? I'm a 2L, and a professor asked me if I wanted to work for him this semester. I like the guy, and I like his work, but I don't really have any aspirations beyond my 100% offer SA firm. I also like getting paid, but I'm wondering if the time commitment ends up being too much of a pain in the ass. I'm also, uh, not very good at research, so I don't want to look like a moron and fuck some shit up.

100000% yes.

here's why:

a) great way to get a good recommendation from a prof
b) more importantly - great way to find out early about any issues you have with your legal writing, and improve them before you get to your firm.

Thanks! I think I'll probably end up doing it. I do my best not to be a loser striver, but I don't think there's any way I can reasonably refuse like 5 hours of work a week. Plus, I can finally get that sweet sweet $$$$ and switch from drinking Taaka to Stoli.