<p>Hey Parents,
I am a senior who is getting ready for college. This summer, I hope to land an internship at a law firm (in SF) and check out law and stuff. However, I have NO idea how to go about doing this.... if anyone have any ideas on how I should go about looking for an internship, that would be great! </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>My son did a law firm internship for an atty in private practice. He made the contact via a fairly young (37) attorney and judicial candidate - and worked for this attorney only. Because his connection and work was via an atty and not "the firm, son spent 90% of his time in court (this is probbaly where you want to be, right?). This atty was taking family court public defender assignments to supplement his income after separating himself from a large, well-known sweatshop (firm). Becuase of the nature of the family court assignments, the work involved more direct client contact and a taste of what it's like to defend people who you really don't like (crack addicted moms who want their newborns back?).</p>
<p>Anyway, do you know an attorney? Do your parents? Some might tell you that you'll build character by not using connections and should cold-call on firms with your resume in-hand. I disagree. You'll learn enough lessons on-the-job. How you get the job is important, but not as important as getting the job at all. </p>
<p>My advice: connect with an attorney. Don't try to get hired by "the firm". If the lawyer is with a large firm, let her/him work the HR end.</p>
<p>I applaud you for taking the initiative in looking into whether you'd like law so early, rather than waiting until the end of college (or the end of law school, in far too many cases!).</p>
<p>keep in mind that you don't have to be in something officially called an internship to find out about what lawyers do. Just by working inside a law firm, any job, you will meet lawyers and see what they do. Approached this way, you can see there are far more opportunities available than those labeled "internship". And if you're personable you'll have plenty of time over the summer to talk with lawyers and find out about their job.</p>
<p>I agree with Momsdream - start with an attorney - you might be able to look for either a job or internship by starting with martindale.com. </p>
<p>On this site you can search for lawyers, law firms, or both, in SF, and also by practice specialty and law school. You can read extensive detail on attorney bios, even where and when they were born, passed the bar, etc. You can even tell how they are rated - try to find one with an AV rating etc. </p>
<p>When you locate an attorney with a background of interest, you can email the attorney directly from the site, although, it would probably be better to write a formal, traditional letter of inquiry, and follow it up with a phone call in about a week.</p>
<p>thanks so much everyone. my parents don't have any connections or anything so I guess i'll be doing this by myself. I'm probably going to do what latetoschool suggested and tryt to find some international law lawyers who may be interested in a helper. = D</p>
<p>If you're interested in international practice (do you mean international trade practice, or international business, or???), consider searching Martindale Hubbel by the Washington D.C. area, where the concentration is heaviest, but then looking for those larger firms that have SF offices listed. If you simply search by SF office location for this practice area you might miss many of the larger firms, because of the way the search funtion on the site works.</p>
<p>irock-</p>
<p>Do any of your classmates have a parent who is an atty? If so, ask them to introduce you to that parent and let them know you are seeking a summer position. Even if that parent can't hire you, they may know someone who can.</p>
<p>One thing about attys is that, in my experience, they tend to do each other "favors" and take great pride in being able to re-pay the favor - even 10-20 years later. If an atty does a favor for you, repay it someday.</p>
<p>Lots of good advice here. I will suggest, though, that you will probably have a better chance looking for a sole practitioner or a very small firm. I don't know of any mid-size or large firms that would hire a high school student. Most won't even hire college students. They usually get their quota of students for summers from actual law school students. Good luck with your search.</p>
<p>depending on what type of law you're interested in, you might find you get a great legal experience working outside of a firm. For example, there are many domestic violence organizations that train "court advocates" to accompany victims to court to apply for orders of protection. Since you are so young, perhaps you would be very comforting for a young victim of domestic violence. Some states also have court-appointed guardian programs for special populations...not sure how old you have to be for those, though.</p>
<p>irock1ce, My D was in the same situation. She is a college freshman, aspiring for a career in law and wanted a summer job at a law firm. During winter break she made a simple one page resume hiliting her previous work/volunteer experience which demonstrated her interpersonal and organizational skills. She sent the resume along with a cover letter to several local law firms (about 15), as well as the local probate court, etc. Basically the letter said that she is a freshman at BC, hoping for a career in law, and was looking for an opportunity for summer employment, etc. She got a couple of responses, went on an interview during spring break, and landed an awesome summer job! </p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>