How to Find Law Internships

Are you a law graduate planning to start your career? If so, your next step might be a law internship. It’s not easy to get accepted to a law firm, but with persistence and planning, you’ll find the right internship for you. Here are the steps you should take.

Each year, out of hundreds of applications, only a few law students interns are selected. The application process can be frustrating; even though you’re an intelligent, hard-working person, there just aren’t enough internships for everyone. But they’re worth the time spent trying to get one.

Most internships are not just short-term learning opportunities. They’re opportunities to perform and show off your skills, your dedication, and your knowledge. It’s a big opportunity for final year law students to prove what and who they are.

After thorough research, GradSiren came up with the best ways for law graduates to get internships in the US. Follow these tips to help you get your legal Internship more easily.

List the Legal Areas You’re Interested in

Like other fields, a law has different categories of internships available in federal, corporate, non-corporate, profit, non-profit, and more. Every sector offers different internships and career benefits based on your interest. Maybe you’re interested in real estate law, personal injury, or legal issues in the work environment. Or maybe some areas just aren’t your cup of tea, so don’t rush. Be Choosy.

Before applying for a summer internship or part-time program, be selective about your interests, passions, and where you’re going to excel. It’s not complicated, but you do need to know yourself, your strengths, and your weaknesses. Take notes, and follow your aspirations to build a solid foundation for your future law career. And be sure to choose an area that strengthens your knowledge and skill sets.

Showcase Your Skills

When applying for law internships in the United States, you’ll find they’re not that easy to get. A company’s legal department or chosen partner (even an intern) sifts through hundreds of applications for each position and reviews skills before choosing a few for interviews.

They’re selective because, of course, they want a mutually beneficial situation: an intern who will benefit most from the company’s or partnership’s efforts plus, in return, benefit the company or legal practice with their hard work. Moreover, they may want a candidate who’s highly qualified and interested in becoming a full-time employee when the internship ends.

So be sure to prepare a professional resume or CV that highlights your academic achievements, activities, and experience, even if that experience is volunteer work. Write the best-customized cover letters you can, and have a friend who’s good with grammar review them. And remember that your CV is an invaluable marketing tool—treat it accordingly.

Find the Internship Opportunities

The most important task as you prepare for a law Internship is finding the best resources for entry-level job and internship opportunities.

If you’re not quite finished with law school, explore resources at your college or university career centers. Find the companies that interest you, check their requirements, and note their website URLs and contact information. Explore the company thoroughly, and learn as much as you can about the people you might be working with. The more information you have, the better match you’ll be able to make.

Register with GradSiren, and upload your resume. Review notes you may have made, then browse all the law internships, externships, and other opportunities in one place. Pay close attention to the internships that look interesting based on your preferences, and keep them in mind. But don’t apply too quickly. Compare each possibility with others until you’ve found a few that truly look promising. Remember, you may be lucky and get a job offer at the end of the internship, so choose carefully.

Cultivate Your Professional Network

After graduation—and even long before—you should spend time developing your professional network. Stay in touch with your peers, professors, mentors, friends, and family members who might have  contacts in the field of law. Check your university career center for contacts. Ask everyone you know for names of lawyers and law offices they’re familiar with because you never know who is offering internships.

Don’t forget social media. By this time, you should already have a professional profile developed on LinkedIn. Spend time browsing potential contacts, and invite people you know and those who look interesting based on your own area of legal specialty as well as your passions or hobbies.

The bigger your network, the better, but your best chances are usually with the people you’re closest to. And as you’re searching for the right internship, think of networking as a job, and take it seriously.

Be Sure to Follow up

This is a step that many of us don’t prioritize though we should, since it’s important. First, follow up with every contact you make during your search. Thank them for their time, remind them briefly of what was discussed, and offer to return the favor, if appropriate.

And after each internship interview, be sure to thank the person who interviewed you.

It doesn’t matter if you call them, email them, message them, or text them. Get in touch in the way that’s most convenient for them (not for you). In other words, use your best judgement and what you have learned about the person to be considerate and get the best results.

Lots of people skip this step because they don’t recognize the value of follow-ups. But other candidates have also been interviewed, and those who show their interest after the interview are far more likely to make a favorable impression than those who don’t.

The follow-up with the interviewer(s) is yet another opportunity to show that you’re the best candidate. It’s also a chance to clarify information or something you said or to ask questions. The focus and devotion you’re showing now is a reason for them to believe you’ll be the same later, on the job.

Last Rememberable tips!

your contact person may be very busy. So if you’re not contacted by employers after some agreed-upon time has passed, it doesn’t mean you didn’t get the position. Follow up once again (unless you had specific instructions about the post-interview process). Polite persistence is a positive quality that will serve you well in your career, so don’t be afraid to use it.

As a final note, remember that you may have to apply for 10 or more internships before you can celebrate. That doesn’t sound so bad, does it? But to get one internship, you may have nine rejections, and that can be difficult.

To get accepted at the best legal firm possible, you also have to be rejected by those who aren’t the best match on either side. And in the process, you’ve made many contacts. No hard feelings! Don’t forget to send them a LinkedIn or other social media invitation.

We hope these points will help you find the best law internship for you. Don’t forget to register at GradSiren for constantly updated internship opportunities.