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i'm attending a t-20 this fall. how important is it to be involved in specific public interest clinics/groups (e.g. legal aid society) 1L year? or is focusing on grades the most important thing--even for public interest minded folks?

it seems that grades are all that matter for big law. whats the deal for public interest jobs? obviously a commitment to the field is important--but is that shown only through summer internships or do extracurricular activities and/or involvement in law journals matter?

thanks in advance

You'll want to be involved in those groups anyway. It is not going to take away from grades and will help with grants/networking.

im worried significant involvement would take away from grades--especially 1L year. am i wrong to think this way?

beta wrote:im worried significant involvement would take away from grades--especially 1L year. am i wrong to think this way?

Yes. You can spare 10 hours a week. Student groups tend to die down a few weeks before finals, which is the only time you really need to be busting your ass anyway. If you're PI-focused, getting involved with relevant student groups (the ones that actually get out and do stuff in the community, not just affinity groups where you'll be roped into planning three panel discussions a semester) is definitely worth the time and whatever marginal-to-nonexistent impact it will have on your grades.