Law Clerking
Many students are interested in obtaining practical legal experience while in law school, either part-time during the academic year, or in the summer. Job postings through the Career Development Office and on-campus interviews are two good avenues for obtaining a position. The ABA permits full-time law students to work 20 hours per week during the academic year after December 1 of their first semester of law school. Part-time law students may work full-time during the academic year.
Students obtain part-time or summer jobs through various means: Fall OCI, Spring OCI, job postings through the Career Development Office, networking, and self-initiated, targeted searches. The experience gained through clerking can be extremely valuable. Typical duties of a student clerking at a law firm include:
Researching and writing Editing citations
Reviewing public records Preparing exhibits
Taking statements Meeting with clients and attorneys
Assembling case files
Clerking for a large law firm, which in this market consists of approximately 90+ attorneys, may be different in significant ways from clerking for a small or mid-size firm. Summer associates with large firms generally obtain their jobs through on-campus interviews in the fall at the beginning of their second year in law school (third year as a part-time student). As a member of the summer associate class your expectation, as well as the firm's, is that if you perform well you will be offered a full-time position starting after graduation. At a small or mid-size firm, you are more likely to work part-time during the school year in addition to during the summer. Compensation for summer associates is generally handled in the form of a specified salary. Small to mid-size firms usually pay an hourly rate. With a small to mid-size firm, law clerks obtain good "hands-on" experience, make contacts, develop good references, but there may be less likelihood that the clerking job will turn into a full time position after graduation.