The school year is quickly drawing to a close. Once finals are over, what are you going to do this summer? Hopefully you have landed a summer legal job, paid or unpaid, and you can skip Section “A” below and go directly to “Section B”. But if not, proceed to Section A:
Section A
Getting a summer legal job, especially after your first year, is a daunting proposition. Law firms and public entities want law clerks with experience, but how can you get your first legal job if no one hires you? It’s the old chicken and egg problem. If despite your best efforts you do not find yourself with a legal job this summer, don’t despair: hustle!
One option is to find a nonprofit entity that appeals to your interests and volunteer. There are a lot of interesting volunteer positions at nonprofits. Even if these positions are not legal, you will gain valuable skills that will come in handy when practicing law. Dealing with challenging customers, crisis du jour and cranky co-workers will provide you with invaluable skills for the legal workplace. You may also make contacts that can come in useful. And who knows, “someone” may know “someone” who can get you a legal job.
Economic realities may dictate that you take any job so you can pay rent, food and tuition. I ran out of all my savings towards the end of my first year of law school. I maxed out my student “BankAmericard” to pay for groceries, went on public assistance and borrowed money from my parents. It was not a fun time. I cried a lot. I could not find a legal job anywhere, so I signed up with a temporary agency. I found myself working in a large warehouse with several rough and bawdy workers, testing the first generation of electronic scanning grocery store cash registers. My job was to cause a fault in the registers, an “EC 90”, so that programming could be refined. It was miserable. I was miserable. I plugged along for what seemed an eternity but was probably only a few weeks, so I could pay rent, eat and start saving for the next year’s expenses. During that time, I continued to look for legal positions. I kept checking at the SCU placement center and one day a job popped up for a law clerk position. The ad was for a law student to assist in document discovery in a large antitrust case involving Litton and AT&T. I rushed over to interview, in my one and only interview suit, and got the job. After a few weeks of work, they needed more help, so I was able to rescue my then boyfriend and fellow law student (now husband of 34 years) from his job at a moving company and truck assembly plant. Although a painful experience, that summer taught me to hustle and never give up. You just need to get your foot in the door.
Section B
So, you are very lucky and have that summer legal job. Maybe it is even paid! You have your great cowboy outfit on and look professional. You have shown up on time the first day of work. Hopefully, your employer is kind enough to give you an introduction, explain how the workplace functions and provide a mentor. But, some employers are better at this than others. You may find yourself at a desk, unsure of who to talk to or how to do your job. So, what to do? ASK QUESTIONS. Don’t be afraid to hunt someone down to help. Lawyers are very busy, but will generally help when asked. And don’t take a hurried response as any indication of irritation as lawyers usually have lots on their minds. Legal assistants, paralegals and secretaries are good people to ask for help.
No matter how prepared you think you are for the job, you will have questions. I have compiled a list of questions below, when answered, will make your experience more productive and pleasant for you and the firm. Obviously, some of these questions should be asked right away (like #1 and 16!). Others should be answered in the first day or two:
- Where do I sit?
- What are my expected work hours?
- Who do I report to?
- Do I use my own computer?
- How do I bill for my work?
- Do I process my own work or do I have someone to help?
- Is there a particular format the attorney requires for a memo, brief, etc?
- What is the firm’s policy on Westlaw or Lexis? (Check to make sure you do not run up a bill for research that is free for you while in school. This is a biggie).
- How do I approach the lawyer for help? Make appointment with her assistant? Check for an open door? Send emails?
- What is the deadline for a project?
- How many hours should I spend on any particular project?
- Can I work at home, after hours, on my project?
- Where is the copy room and how do I charge for copies? Scans? (Faxes?)
- What are lunch break policies?
- Where do I go with IT problems?
- Where is the bathroom?
- Where is the break room?
- Where do I park my car, bike?
Remember, it is much better to ask questions and risk feeling silly, rather than spend too much time on a task and produce the wrong product.
For the first week or so, wear your best lawyer outfits. But take a look around and see how others dress. If suits are standard, continue with yours. But a lot of firms are getting much more casual. You may find nice dress pants and shirts are ok, or a top and skirt. Avoid the temptation on a “casual Friday” to wear dirty or holey jeans and T shirt. And please no “club” wear.
As mentioned in an earlier post, if you are invited to lunch, GO! Take your clue as to what to order from the others. I would not order alcohol even if the others do. I know several lawyers who would disagree with me and suggest you do have a glass, if offered. But unless you would normally have a drink at lunch and function well afterwards, I would stay with non-alcoholic beverages. When the bill comes, take out your wallet and offer to pay for your own lunch. You may find, however, the firm or one of the lawyers may treat you. But do not assume that.
Enjoy yourself this summer! It will be a great learning experience and you will have lots of fun stories to tell, even if you do not have a legal job. Every time I go to the grocery store and get my items scanned, I remember all those “EC 90’s” and smile (cringe?!). When your summer employment has ended, take a moment to send a thank you note to the person who hired you and the people you worked with. And if you learned they like cats, send a cat card.
Virginia Hess offers a full spectrum of representation for the small and medium sized business. She is able to assist a business during its whole life cycle, from its formation as a sole proprietorship, corporation or LLC, to a possible sale or winding down. In addition to her background in working for for-profit business clients, Virginia’s passion extends to the non-profit world. Her experience in non-profit agencies extends beyond her lawyer skills and into the boardroom.
