PI people who weren't sure what area they wanted as 0Ls... Forum

[EntJ]

Did not knowing this hurt you employment wise or did you have the time to decide without it affecting your ability to get a job you ultimately wanted? Hard to know exactly where I fit best in PI right now.

[spleenworship]

It only hurt me in one way: I did a DA internship 1L summer and then realized I wanted to be a PD more than anything, meaning I've had to explain this fact 40 million times in job interviews.

Other than DA/PD work though, IMO I don't think it matters at all - they just want to see some PI experience anywhere to show you are a true believer. Possible caveat - victims rights advocates and such may find that they don't work well with PDs offices, and immigration rights people may not do well trying to get into some DAs offices. I would assume similar things happen with various PI jerbs - ie working with with an org that helps rehab abusers would disqualify themselves from working for a org that does work with abused victims. Etc.

[samcro_op]

I'm only a 1L but from what I have experienced no one really knows what they want to do/ half of the PI folks are also gunning for firm jobs. You might not think this would be you but most will consider doing OCI "just to see". I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do but pretty quickly for whatever reasons knew I wanted to do PD type work. I also agree with everything spleen said.

[Black Hat]

I am a 1L and the general consensus is no one really knows what they want to do. IMO

E.g. I would love to be a prosecutor, however I wouldn't turn down a firm job that paid well either. There is so much uncertainty about what is "going to be available" as a 1L everyone seems to be open to taking just about anything. However, as opportunities present themselves what you want, or what you thought you wanted, may change.

All this to say, no one really knows what they are going to be doing as a 1L, there is some time to decide once you get an idea of the flavor of all the different options.

Again, IMO.

[rad lulz]

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[Black Hat]

I am a 1L and the general consensus is no one really knows what they want to do. IMO

E.g. I would love to be a prosecutor, however I wouldn't turn down a firm job that paid well either. There is so much uncertainty about what is "going to be available" as a 1L everyone seems to be open to taking just about anything. However, as opportunities present themselves what you want, or what you thought you wanted, may change.

All this to say, no one really knows what they are going to be doing as a 1L, there is some time to decide once you get an idea of the flavor of all the different options.

Again, IMO.

If you want PI you need to build the resume ASAP

You have one summer (1L summer to try shit out)

Big firm hiring happens 2L fall so if you want to try it you gotta decide then

If you want to do PI you're gonna have to make the decision beginning of 2L yr to forego biglaw

Thanks for information!

[Ti Malice]

Did not knowing this hurt you employment wise or did you have the time to decide without it affecting your ability to get a job you ultimately wanted? Hard to know exactly where I fit best in PI right now.

There's no uniform answer for all areas of PI and all employers.

Your chances with some PI jobs will depend in significant part on some combination of the name of your law school, your prior work experience, and maybe your grades (if non-YHS). The ultra-competitive PI positions (national ACLU, HRW, other types of renowned PI organizations in NYC/SF, etc.) skew pretty strongly toward grads of top schools who have some sort of relevant work experience -- the definition of which can range from general PI-oriented work to field-specific work, depending on the area/employer. If you're from a top school and have no relevant work experience, you can still have a shot if you show genuine dedication to the work early and often in your law school career (clinic, volunteering, other relevant and substantive extracurricular stuff). Outside of "prestigious PI," school name and grades generally matter much, much less, and a combination of strong commitment to PI in law school and possibly relevant work experience -- along with demonstrated competence, of course -- are the key factors.

If you're entering law school next fall, your commitment to PI work in general should start showing up on your resume ASAP, if it's not there already, and it should continue through 1L year and summer. For the most part, you don't have to know your exact area of interest from the opening gun, but like rad said, you need to be gaining clarity pretty quickly on (1) whether you want to go into PI at all and, (2) if so, what areas appeal to you most. If you're still undecided on the kind of work you'd like to try when the time comes to apply for your 1L summer job, you could consider splitting between two different PI organizations.