What do 1Ls typically do during their first law school summer?
Few large law firms have 1L positions and even those that do only have one or two positions available. (Some students find positions (paid and unpaid) at smaller firms, but often these are obtained through personal contacts.) As a result, most students find legal work in the public interest or the public sector. These positions are typically unpaid, but there is the potential for you to secure a summer grant (in the range of $3,000 to $5,000) through Berkeley Law or one of the student organizations. Many students also find positions as judicial externs. A significant number find work at the Public Interest/Public Sector Career Fair held in February. Several serve as research assistants to law professors. To find out more about what students typically do for the summer, you can see what last year’s 1L class did by browsing the results of their evaluations available on b-Line, click on “Profiles”, then “Evaluations” and “Search” -or- click on Quick Link “Summer Evaluations”.
