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I cannot find a damned job to save my life. I am living in San Diego right now and will be attending law school in Fall of 2011. I am trying to figure out what to do in the year before law school. I was considering completing a paralegal certificate program at University of California, San Diego, so that I have something to put on my resume when I am looking for internships my first year after law school. In the mean time, I might try to volunteer somewhere. I was also considering studying for the Patent Bar (as I will most likely do patent litigation after law school), but I might do that once I finish my Paralegal Certificate program which would end in November and start in September. Does this sound like a decent plan?

Volunteer abroad.

Certifications aren't that helpful for 1L summer. You're much better off getting some real work experience, even if it's volunteer.

My understanding is that for the patent bar you need to have a hard science background, and that it's not needed for patent lit. That's based entirely on stuff I've read on TLS. You might want to ask amylachemist about that sort of thing if you're interested.

Get work. Keep trying. Find anything office-y.

Do not hesitate to beg parents, friends, family, whatever.

Get some experience. Your app will suffer without it. Until then, fill with volunteer work at a legal clinic.