1L Summer Jobs that End Early July? Forum

[Veil of Ignorance]

Hello there,
I already know that I will not be able to work during most of July and August of my 1L summer (I've got something productive and interesting, but not directly legal-related, to do). Are there some jobs that one could do just during May and June? I'm assuming splitting my summer like that will make OCI during 2L difficult, but not impossible, if I get good grades from my T14.
Thank you

[cavalier1138]

Maybe you shouldn't be so coy about what you're planning to split the summer with. It makes it seem like you know most people would advise you to drop the non-legal commitment...

At any rate, no. I've never heard of a 1L job that ends in Early July, because that would be barely over a month at most jobs. I've heard of people doing part-time RA positions split with another internship, but those aren't split into separate chunks of the summer break.

[UVA2B]

There are jobs that allow splitting your summer for something else, but you need to really think whether this non-legal job the second half of the summer will help in hiring down the line. If it does (assuming some sort of PI-related focus in the field), then go for it. If it's a personal passion project and/or you want a law firm or other non-PI job, at least think twice about it.

You can look at interning with judges as your best bet. For 1Ls they are generally more open to letting you work with a different schedule since you're not getting paid.

We can't give better advice without knowing the nature of the job and how it fits in with your job goals, but yes it's theoretically possible in the abstract.

[Veil of Ignorance]

OK, thanks for the responses. I think I was underestimating the importance of working the 1L summer. Are summer school programs, like the one offered by Duke in Geneva, also a bad option then (in addition to costing $$)?

[UVA2B]

OK, thanks for the responses. I think I was underestimating the importance of working the 1L summer. Are summer school programs, like the one offered by Duke in Geneva, also a bad option then (in addition to costing $$)?

Your biggest concern for 1L summer is getting substantive legal work experience that you can talk about at OCI. It might look bad if you don't have anything legal-related (and summer school programs aren't exactly legal generally because it's closer to more school than it is experience in the field). I don't know much about Duke's Geneva program, but most abroad opportunities aren't particularly substantive in getting experience.

I would strongly suggest getting some legal work experience, even if it's just doing RA stuff for a professor (this is probably the least legal field-related anyone would recommend doing). It won't definitively kill your chances at 2L employment if you did something academic like summer school, but it could definitely hurt you with some interviewers. That's just not something I'd want to risk.

*Caveat: 1L here who hasn't gone through OCI yet, but that is the advice I've gotten from literally everyone from CSO to 2L and 3L students

[mjb447]

cavalier and UVA2B are right: the type of legal work that you do during your 1L summer isn't immensely important (people don't really get pigeonholed that early on, and "I just wanted to try X" is an acceptable reason to take a 1L summer job), but doing something that isn't legal work starts to create the impression that you're not that interested in doing legal work, particularly if you're K-JD or close to it. If nothing else, you'll have less to talk about during interviews than people who worked during 1L summer, which puts you at a disadvantage. What you're doing could be worthwhile, but consider the risks carefully.

(W/r/t the Geneva thing, I'm mostly being facetious, but if it's https://law.duke.edu/internat/europe/, it's probably not a good sign for the seriousness of the endeavor that the third paragraph describing your summer experience discusses "sailing, rafting, Alpine hiking, wine-tasting, and exploring in neighboring environs." )

[totesTheGoat]

I think I was underestimating the importance of working the 1L summer.

Probably not. I know people who got Biglaw without any 1L work experience. I know people who got Biglaw with 1L work experience and lower grades. 1L work is a buffer for your resume. It separates you from all the other students who have nothing to show but a GPA.

I split my 1L summer, working until 4th of July weekend at the first place and until school started at the second. It gave me a ton to talk about at OCI.

[Veil of Ignorance]

I think I was underestimating the importance of working the 1L summer.

Probably not. I know people who got Biglaw without any 1L work experience. I know people who got Biglaw with 1L work experience and lower grades. 1L work is a buffer for your resume. It separates you from all the other students who have nothing to show but a GPA.

I split my 1L summer, working until 4th of July weekend at the first place and until school started at the second. It gave me a ton to talk about at OCI.

Thanks for the input. Did you just happen to find two jobs that lined up like that, or did you schedule one around the other?

[totesTheGoat]

Dallas is a split friendly market. The first one I accepted was specifically advertised as a first half of summer job that could be extended to full summer upon request. After I got that one, I tweaked my cold-calls to say that I was looking for 2nd half jobs.

OTOH, I know some people who negotiated with two biglaw firms in their 2L to allow them to do half summers instead of full summers. I don't know how successful that would be outside of Dallas.