How Much Do Internships Matter for BigFed Forum

[Anonymous User]

I am interested in going into bigfed eventually, either at DOJ or one of the finreg agencies/IRS. My government experience is a school term undergraduate externship at a federal financial regulatory agency, a school term externship at a state securities regulator, and a summer split where I spent 4-6 weeks at a city law department. Assuming I get the relevant law firm experience and have good credentials (YHS, good grades, federal clerkships, top DC firm), is the government experience I have on my resume enough of a signaller for when I want to make the lateral move down the road? Or should I really do one more externship at a bigfed agency to show serious interest and not appear like just another biglaw refugee come application time? In a void I'd just do another externship, but it may be tough to fit with classes I really want to take and that seem more important than doing another part time externship (Fed. Courts, Admin., Evidence). Additionally, how important is it to have interned at a specific agency when applying there? Any thoughts?

[lawfan2012]

I don’t think internships matter at all. To the extent that they might have some tiny impact around the edges by signaling a prior interest in government, you’ve already achieved that. I don’t think it matters whether you’ve previously interned at the specific agency you are applying to, unless someone you worked with is involved in hiring and thinks highly of you (which would obviously be helpful).

[lavarman84]

You should be fine if you have the credentials, and it sounds like you do. You have demonstrated experience on the resume. The only question will be if you have relevant experience from your time practicing. But even that, credentials can overcome (sometimes).

[Anonymous User]

OP here, in response to lavarman, yes this presupposes relevant practice experience during the biglaw years. I would not be at a firm practicing securities enforcement and then try to lateral to the IRS or be a tax controversy practitioner trying to move from a firm to the SEC, for example. Thank you for the responses.

[LBJ's Hair]

OP here, in response to lavarman, yes this presupposes relevant practice experience during the biglaw years. I would not be at a firm practicing securities enforcement and then try to lateral to the IRS or be a tax controversy practitioner trying to move from a firm to the SEC, for example. Thank you for the responses.

FWIW I do think it'd be worth interning for the specific agency you're interested in, if you have the chance. Not necessarily to boost your application chances down the line, but to see what working at that specific agency might be like.

For example, I had two very different internship experiences at two seemingly-similar USAOs---to the point where like, by the end of the first I had decided I would rather not be an AUSA at all than do it there. (Didn't have an issue with any particular individual there, just was not a culture fit.) Totally different experience at the second. I loved every minute of it.

[Anonymous User]

OP here, in response to lavarman, yes this presupposes relevant practice experience during the biglaw years. I would not be at a firm practicing securities enforcement and then try to lateral to the IRS or be a tax controversy practitioner trying to move from a firm to the SEC, for example. Thank you for the responses.

FWIW I do think it'd be worth interning for the specific agency you're interested in, if you have the chance. Not necessarily to boost your application chances, but to see what the day-to-day work of that specific agency is like. I had two very different internship experiences at two seemingly-similar USAOs---to the point where like, by the end of the internship I decided I would rather not be an AUSA at all than do it there. (Didn't have an issue with any particular individual there, just was not a culture fit.)

OP again. None of the internships would be in main offices/DC, which is where I’d want to work unfortunately; so this rules out the usefulness of the culture and networking components of the internship. It seems like it would definitely be great to get an idea of what the day to day work is like at all the agencies, however, if what previous posters have said is TCR, I feel like it would be more important at this point to take “key” doctrinal courses than intern at any one agency’s regional office since I do not currently have any one agency strongly in mind in terms of desired long term goal and likely will not until after clerking at least.

[Anonymous User]

FWIW, if by "big fed" you mean AUSA, anecdotally, almost every AUSA I know interned at a USAO during law school, and I think USAOs like to see it, although it's not going to move the needle substantially. (But not sure if that is really what you mean by "big fed".)

In any case, if you do have

YHS, good grades, federal clerkships, top DC firm

, I wouldn't worry about doing another government internship. You'll be fine. (However, in light of

I do not currently have any one agency strongly in mind in terms of desired long term goal and likely will not until after clerking at least

I think LBJ's Hair has a point - there a ton of different kinds of jobs under the "big fed" umbrella and it might be useful to get some insight into them, even if not at the location you'd aim for ultimately. But I don't think it's something you need to fight to do if it's not working with your schedule right now.)

[Anonymous User]

FWIW, if by "big fed" you mean AUSA, anecdotally, almost every AUSA I know interned at a USAO during law school, and I think USAOs like to see it, although it's not going to move the needle substantially. (But not sure if that is really what you mean by "big fed".)

In any case, if you do have

YHS, good grades, federal clerkships, top DC firm

, I wouldn't worry about doing another government internship. You'll be fine. (However, in light of

I do not currently have any one agency strongly in mind in terms of desired long term goal and likely will not until after clerking at least

I think LBJ's Hair has a point - there a ton of different kinds of jobs under the "big fed" umbrella and it might be useful to get some insight into them, even if not at the location you'd aim for ultimately. But I don't think it's something you need to fight to do if it's not working with your schedule right now.)

Point taken. I just need time to figure out whether I like reg or lit more, and what underlying substantive law I like most. As to the USAO point, I have seen the same however my “home” district regularly hires people without USAO experience if they clerk for the “good” judges in the district/circuit