What would look better on a law student resume, internship at a law firm or a clerkship at a state Attorney Gen. Office?

What would look better on a law student resume, internship at a law firm or a clerkship at a state Attorney Gen. Office? I am a 2L and I have 2 job offers for next summer.

The first is at the AG office and the second is at a law firm with about 60 lawyers. It is a well-known, reputable firm for the state but not a national firm. The law firm practice areas are mainly business-related which is what I am interested in.My work at the state AG office will be business-related as well.

I want to work for the AG office because eventually I want to work for the government. But I feel that the firm would allow me to explore more areas of law than the division I was assigned to at the AG office.In addition, the firm is willing to pay me more. However, I don't want to be tied to the firm - as in I don't want to feel obligated to work for them beyond next summer if they offer me a job.

At the same time, would it look bad for me to work for them in the summer and then ask them to write me a recommendation letter while rejecting their offer? Answers from legal professionals are greatly appreciated. Asked by MelioraCogito 49 months ago Similar questions: law student resume internship firm clerkship state Attorney Gen Office Politics & Law > Law.

Similar questions: law student resume internship firm clerkship state Attorney Gen Office.

You need to determine which one of the jobs is closer to the work that you would like to do in the future. It will be easier to talk about what you did on this job, if it interests you and is in your comfort zone. Experience is crucial in the job market, so don't worry about pay .

. . The money will follow.

It seems as if you have this determined already . .. Go for the Attorney Gen job and good luck to you!.

You've got a very nice problem. Take the job with the law firm. I say this for several reasons: Summer clerkships aren't the same thing as what you'll do as a young lawyer.

Having worked in law firms and in government I can tell you that law firms have the greater interest in having their students have a good experience as summer law clerks, because the summer clerkship is a way for the firm to sell itself to law students. You'll get to watch and listen to more as a summer law clerk than you will do in government agency--any agency--because of the difference in motivation. Its easier to move from a law firm to an agency than the converse.

This is because being a government lawyer is different. In a government agency, you have a hierarchical structure. Your job is to keep your boss happy and make her or him look good to the next person up the food chain.

There isn't a profit motive involved, just bureaucratic politics. In a law firm, you have all the pressure that you'll have in an agency, plus you'll have clients to keep happy as well. Clients expect premium services for free or next to free, while the firm wants you to bill out a lot more hours.

Once you've mastered working in the more complex structure of a private law firm, you'll have no trouble mastering the structure of a bureaucratic agency. Excepting federal agencies like the I.R.S. , the S.E.C., etc. Where you'll acquire very concentrated knowledge in a specialized field, you'll learn more in a law firm, since their practices tend to have more diversity. There is a prejudice amongst lawyers against government lawyers, since they aren't profit driven, don't have a chance to develop client acquisition skills and don't make as much money as their counterparts in private practice.

I'm afraid that if you work for the agency this coming summer, you might prejudice yourself in the job market. Whatever you do, remember, once you land your first job after graduation, your summer clerkship will be meaningless to interviewing lawyers. Its what you do after graduation that you'll be judging on.

Good luck! Sources: personal knowledge Snow_Leopard's Recommendations Jerry gives wonderful adivce, whether you ever want to hang up a shingle or not. How to go directly into solo law practice without missing a meal Used from: $13.39 HOW TO GO DIRECTLY INTO AND MANAGE YOUR OWN SOLO LAW PRACTICE Used from: $60.00 .

Clerkship at the ag office if you want to work for the government, try the clerkship first .

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I need a personal injury attorney in Los Angeles. The Wilshire Law Firm keeps coming up in searches. Are they any good?

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