1L Summer Jobs: What to Expect and How to Get One

Government: District attorney offices, public defender offices, state attorney general, federal agencies (DOJ, SEC, FTC). Often substantive work with real responsibilities.

Public interest: Legal aid, ACLU, immigration organizations, environmental law groups. Mission-driven work, often unpaid but fundable through school grants.

Judicial internships: Work for a federal or state judge. Excellent for legal research and writing skills. Often called “extern” positions.

Small/mid-size firms: Some hire 1L summer clerks for research and memo writing.

BigLaw 1L diversity programs: Major firms offer paid 1L positions, often targeting underrepresented students.

October-November: Research opportunities, attend career services presentations, draft your resume
December-January: Primary application period for most positions
February-March: Follow-up applications, networking, interviews
March-April: Most offers are made by early spring

Apply early and broadly. The 1L market is less structured than 2L OCI, so persistence and networking matter more than any single application.

Regardless of the type of position, 1L summer work typically involves: legal research, writing memos and briefs, attending hearings or meetings, and learning about a practice area. You won't be arguing cases or negotiating deals. You'll be doing the research that supports those activities. Embrace it — this is how you build the foundational skills that make everything else possible.

Ask for feedback on every writing assignment. This is your chance to improve before 2L.
Meet everyone. Have coffee with attorneys in different practice areas. Ask about their career paths.
Volunteer for extra projects. Show initiative without overcommitting.
Keep a work journal. Note what you learn, what you enjoy, and what you don't. This helps you target 2L positions more effectively.
Be professional. Show up on time, dress appropriately, proofread everything, and be pleasant to work with. Soft skills matter enormously in small legal workplaces.

Not every 1L lands a legal job. If you can't find one, alternatives include: pro bono projects through your law school, research assistant positions for professors, legal writing competitions, or non-legal work that demonstrates transferable skills. What matters is that you can explain your summer productively in interviews. “I worked to support myself financially while doing pro bono research for Professor X” is a perfectly respectable answer.