<p>I am going to apply to law school this fall. I have a 3.8 GPA and currently am getting ready for LSAT, taking online class and studying on my own. I have a full time summer job, construction manual labor. Also, a couple of time a week I volunteer. I don't have any legal internship experience to include in my law school application, which concerns me. In order for me to intern for a lawyer, I will have to quit my job. I am willing to do that if having legal internship improves my chances of getting into one of top 50 law schools, otherwise I would rather keep my job and make money before school starts in a month. I would greatly appreciate your advice and input.</p>
<p>You definitely need money for law school.</p>
<p>You also can ask around and see if someone is willing to let you intern or clerk at night for some of these law firms. </p>
<p>Attorneys work extremely long hours and when the regular staff goes home, there’s still work to be done. </p>
<p>Maybe you can intern from 3 pm to 10? The courts are still open at that time and instructions can be left for your shift.</p>
<p>No need to quit your job IMO. You have an awesome GPA. Just prepare as much as possible for the LSAT. Do timed sections (as opposed to working individual questions here and there) of actual past tests. Best of luck!</p>
<p>You do not need an internship in a law firm to be accepted. That is not that common. It is very common to get internships while IN law school. </p>
<p>A great LSAT will make a difference, on the other hand. Edited to add: practice doing the whole sitting (3 hours or whatever, I forget) to build stamina. </p>
<p>The benefit of interning before law school, however, is so that you can see if the law is really “all that.”</p>
<p>Remember: don’t be so set on law school that you have to go deeply in debt. There is a glut of lawyers now. See the law school threads. Best.</p>
<p>Yes, agree that having an internship does almost nothing to increase the odds you will be admitted by a top school. It MAY be helpful in figuring out if you want to be an attorney in the first place.</p>
<p>Internships can’t hurt, unless it prevents you from studying for the LSAT or something. Anything that sets you apart from the competition can only be a good thing.</p>