<p>yeah, I second what shiboing boing said...you're not the only one in your area who wants to intern, so you need to get ahead of the competition in order to secure a position. I was lucky--I met the lawyer from SB, LLP [the firm I'm working at] in late January, and so secured myself a position waaaayyy before everyone else.</p>
<p>I'm a college senior working for a medium-sized firm in Boston (in the intellectual property department). Most of my job indeed involves tedious filing and photocopying, though from time to time I do get to do research, write a report, or even help prepare a case. I even tried to rise above the tedium of filing by devising new systems of file organization/location. The partners seem to be impressed; at least I'm getting paid and will probably get a good reference.</p>
<p>The previous year I interned for a major political figure and had much more direct experience with legal matters, though the position was unpaid. It was a far more fruitful endeavor, giving me not only a resume line but endless anecdotes to use for future essays. I would recommend looking into something like that, rather than leaping at a chance to work for a firm which most likely doesn't need/want you for anything other than quotidian activities.</p>
<p>My daughter while in college had two internships. (She will be starting Law School in the fall). One was with a lawyer who she had met through babysitting her kids. The other was with someone who was in the "public interest" sector of law. The second internship was commented on by several law schools that she went to visit. By the way she got into six law schools, most of which were top 20 (and above) schools. So you might try to look for something in the "public interest" area. She did not get paid for that one, but the experience was amazing.</p>