THE 1L SUMMER

Editor's Note: this entry is mainly aimed at people who are looking to work at a firm during their 2L summer and, most likely, after graduation.

First off, I prefer not to call it a summer job hunt because it really doesn't necessarily have to be that: you don't have to look for a job, per se. I'm sure the CSO has harped on this enough, but as long as you're doing something law-related for a good part of the summer, you should be good to go for Fall OCIs. This includes externships, public interest work, volunteer work, or even studying abroad. In fact, the vast majority of first-year students will not work at a firm during their first summer. For example, the breakdown for the Class of 2007 was as follows:

Judicial Externships -- 27%
Government -- 21%
Public Interest -- 12%
Small Law Firm -- 11%
Academic Position -- 10%
Large Law Firm -- 10%
Business -- 9%

But, that doesn't really tell you all that much. I think what's important to note is that even though a slim minority of first-years do not have a firm job during their first summer, the vast majority of second-year students do get a firm job. Which obviously means that getting a firm job during your second summer does not require that you have one during your first summer.

For example, for the class of 2006, there were 116 people who worked at a firm during their 2L summer. Of these people, only 30 worked at a firm during their 1L summer. Many students externed for a judge (29), did academic research (13) or did public interest work (12). Others worked ih-house, studied abroad or found government positions. And many students combined two positions, such as externing and academic research, or did something else.

The point is this: don't put pressure on yourself to get a firm job this summer on the theory that failing to do so will affect your chances of working at a firm in 2007. If that's your reason, find a better one. This applies across the board regardless of where you want to be at after your second year -- top firm, mediocre firm, big firm, small firm. Someone who externs their first summer does not hurt their chances of working at even the biggest law firm.

Coming Soon: Guerilla Tactics -- Spring OCI Tips