Top Law Schools

Just curious as to how hard it is to land an internship with state gov/feds? Is this something that would look better/worse than working for a firm?

It depends on the department.

Look better or worse to... your parents? Friends? Future employers?

Not sure what you mean by "general counsel." You need to think about where you want to end up before you start asking this type of question.

Teoeo wrote:Not sure what you mean by "general counsel." You need to think about where you want to end up before you start asking this type of question.

Many government agencies have offices of general counsel that are basically kind of like in-house counsel to the agency - I assumed that was what was meant.

A. Nony Mouse wrote:

Teoeo wrote:Not sure what you mean by "general counsel." You need to think about where you want to end up before you start asking this type of question.

Many government agencies have offices of general counsel that are basically kind of like in-house counsel to the agency - I assumed that was what was meant.

Yep, same.

A. Nony Mouse wrote:

Teoeo wrote:Not sure what you mean by "general counsel." You need to think about where you want to end up before you start asking this type of question.

Many government agencies have offices of general counsel that are basically kind of like in-house counsel to the agency - I assumed that was what was meant.

This is what I meant.

And I mean, how does it look to future employers. Does gov work turn off private firms?

I mean, that's a really broad question, man. You can work in a variety of settings in state and federal government. Depending on the type of employers you're pursuing, it may be looked at differently. For example, if you want to work in biglaw and do an externship with the SEC, firms generally like that. Your class status also matters, are you a 1L? 2L?

So class and then ideal type of employer you're looking for would help in answering the question. A small personal injury firm has different needs than biglaw than an IP boutique, etc.

Anonymous User wrote:Just curious as to how hard it is to land an internship with state gov/feds? Is this something that would look better/worse than working for a firm?

It really doesn't matter because the state/feds probably won't hire you. It might be useful if you want a government job in the future, but who cares. If you can land one and it pays, then take it. It also depends on what you are doing. Your question is so broad, however. Also, at this point, firms only care about your grades and where you went to law school. If both of these things are mediocre then it does not matter where you interned.

zot1 wrote:I mean, that's a really broad question, man. You can work in a variety of settings in state and federal government. Depending on the type of employers you're pursuing, it may be looked at differently. For example, if you want to work in biglaw and do an externship with the SEC, firms generally like that. Your class status also matters, are you a 1L? 2L?

So class and then ideal type of employer you're looking for would help in answering the question. A small personal injury firm has different needs than biglaw than an IP boutique, etc.

I am a 2L (T25) and it would be with a state agency that is not in what I plan on going into later in life (upon graduation). To be honest I have enjoyed many, if not all, of my classes in law school so I do not have a particular area I am really gunning for. I am mostly (and this may sound shitty) choosing job based on salary (hourly pay). I do have a desire to go into Real Estate investing upon graduation, so gov is appealing to me as I will have plenty of time to put towards watching my investments and setting everything up. I do not want to be slaving away at Big Law with no free time to slowly change over my career to Real Estate.

A. Nony Mouse wrote:

Teoeo wrote:Not sure what you mean by "general counsel." You need to think about where you want to end up before you start asking this type of question.

Many government agencies have offices of general counsel that are basically kind of like in-house counsel to the agency - I assumed that was what was meant.

That's fair enough. My own agency has a general counsel's office. I was just concerned that the OP was unaware at how varied GC work is, depending on the agency.

no, an OGC internship is not going to make up for the fact that someone struck out at OCI.

pancakes3 wrote:no, an OGC internship is not going to make up for the fact that someone struck out at OCI.

ok..... not sure what this has to do with anything. I have offers from mid-size firms and OGC. All im asking is which would look better on a resume in the eyes of an employer. Would I look any better/worse when applying to mid-sized firms if I worked for a gov agency instead?

OP, I would choose the job that gives you the better experience you can later use in your possible real estate career. I can't assess this for you because you haven't provided details of the opportunities you're considering. If government counsel has general civil law practice, that's as good as any firm because you might likely get more skills from it (but this isn't always true!!)