Law Firm Internship for Undergrad?

chrisw
Tue, 23 Oct 2012 09:09:49 +0000

I looked into law for a few years, before ultimately deciding against it, but freshman year I was in exactly your shoes… here’s what I found:

Law firms do not hire undergraduates to do anything substantial - there are PLENTY of law students they can hire, and these students know things about the law that undergrads can’t possibly know yet. At this point, given the economy, plenty of law students will also accept unpaid internships, so that means your likelihood of getting an internship at a firm is slim to none. That said, you COULD get a job (not an internship) doing clerical work, and that would at least expose you to legal briefings and writings.

Municipalities, especially big cities, sometimes offer legal internships to undergraduates. My freshman year, I was accepted to the Philadelphia District Attorney’s summer internship program (an undergraduate-specific program), but I wound up turning it down because I couldn’t afford an unpaid internship.