You`re in law school, so you should focus on legal internships, right? Not necessarily. As I said earlier, your time as a student is a time to explore. Many lawyers pursue non-legal careers or work in careers that draw on their legal experience, but are not strictly legal. For example, if you feel that your talents are better used as consultants, practice your case interviews and try to do an internship at a consulting company. If you think you might try to use your legal experience to become a sports agent one day, contact an agency and spend a few months getting a glimpse of this professional life. Some graduate programs expect students to have an existing knowledge base at the beginning. Law schools do not. A solid writer with excellent analytical thinking and communication skills is the ideal law student. Whether you have developed these skills through the study of English literature or music composition or the human genome, you can be a strong candidate, law student and lawyer. If you know that your writing skills require work, use campus resources such as courses in the university writing program. The same goes for work history – if you haven`t been to university for 2-3 years and had 2-3 jobs that weren`t promotions within the same company or industry, applying to law school may seem dishonest – it may seem like you`re stumbling.
As a first-generation student, I didn`t have the family support and guidance on the law school application process, but I eventually managed to navigate the process. I am now Associate Dean of Admissions and Financial Support at UC Davis Law School, King Hall, and I love my career. Nevertheless, I look back and think about what I wish I had known when I applied to be admitted to law school. Let me share my list of six things you should know, based on my own professional and personal experiences, in no particular order. No. Law schools do not expect candidates to have ever had a legal job, and they generally do not prefer candidates who have completed legal internships. If you choose a legal internship, you should do so for the other personal benefits, not for the misplaced hope that it will help you get into law school. At first, don`t assume that your experiences are more amazing than someone else`s.
Choose to highlight your internship in a personal statement only if you have learned something specific in a unique situation or if you have been able to make a significant contribution, or – alternatively – if you have learned something essential through a negative experience during an internship. Think about what makes the experience interesting, as simply having the internship on your resume probably isn`t impressive enough for a law school admissions officer or law school member. If you go to law school, you can expect that just going to class will be enough to prepare you to become a lawyer. Classes can teach you the law and change the way you absorb and analyze information. However, sitting in a classroom will not allow you to gain hands-on experience that can take your education to the next level. One of the most valuable tools to develop and build your career is the professional network you develop. As a law student, you are somewhat isolated in your school with your classmates and professors – all of whom are important contacts to maintain. Internships offer you your first connection to the wider legal industry. And if you decide to take a path regarding one of your internships at some point, the relationships you`ve built can open doors for you.
2. On the other hand, an internship in a law-related field shows that you`re not just applying to law school to avoid looking for a job. Although many law students have studied social sciences and humanities, the legal profession – and law schools – also require majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Having students from a range of majors benefits the discussion in class, and some areas of law, such as intellectual property, often require technical and scientific training. The tech companies and law firms they represent are actively looking for law students with a STEM degree, such as computer science/electrical engineering and life sciences. Regardless of your major, be sure to take courses to strengthen your writing, research, and analytical thinking skills, which brings me to my second point.
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