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You can't get a clerkship over the summer, so I assume you're referring to a judicial internship.

I would do work that interests you, unless there's a specific judge you really want to clerk for after school. Even then, you'll probably still have the opportunity to intern for the judge during the school year, which is not always the case for some non-profits. The only real game-changer would be if you plan on going into PI after school. If that's the case, then you want to take every opportunity to establish your commitment to public service.

^ Oops, yes. Internship. I guess I am just pressured to think like everybody else who is crazy over judicial internships and how they are prestigious... I am concerned that accepting a position in PI for this summer and not trying out for judicial internship will look bad for OCI. (please correct this misconception LOL)

Thanks!

No, judicial internships are just often the path of least resistance - you can usually find one somewhere. If there's something else you want to do, do that. Judicial internships aren't inherently prestigious.

^ Thank you! What if it is between a government agency v. PI organization? If my ultimate goal is government work, should I choose this over PI org.? PI seems to have more interesting work, but I am curious how the bureaucracy/govt. system works...

middleawkward123 wrote:^ Thank you! What if it is between a government agency v. PI organization? If my ultimate goal is government work, should I choose this over PI org.? PI seems to have more interesting work, but I am curious how the bureaucracy/govt. system works...

I think you should try anything that interests you. Your 1L summer has very little bearing on what you do for the rest of your career. Find something that sounds fun/exciting/intellectually stimulating, and do that. If you work for your local civil rights organization, it will not preclude you from working in a federal agency next year, and vice versa.