Law firm internships are mainly for law students, but some undergraduates may also be eligible. Interns help manage the workload and gain experience in the company’s main line of work. Large companies use interns mainly as research support, while small businesses offer more hands-on work. Most internships are paid, but some are unpaid.
The vast majority of law firm internships are summer programs geared towards law students, usually students approaching their final year of law school. Depending on the company, undergraduate internships may also be available for undergraduates who are studying law at some point in the future. There are as many different types of internships at law firms as there are at law firms. Some allow interns to try out a variety of fields, while others are more subtle, providing experience in a much more limited range of tasks. Students often apply for internships at law firms based on their own interests in the field as well as the general prestige of the firm.
Law students often see internships as a means to obtain a job upon graduation, and many, particularly those at the biggest companies, are structured in exactly this way. Being selected for an internship at a top company is usually very competitive. Once hired, however, interns often spend the summer proving their worth and hoping for a more permanent job offer once the fall semester starts again.
All large company internships generally share this external structure, but the substance and day-to-day life of interns can vary significantly depending on the company and its needs. The interns’ main role is to help the company manage its workload while learning more about the law as a profession. Most often, interns gain work experience in the company’s main line of work. Interns at a company that deals primarily with family law issues might learn about the paperwork that goes into divorce proceedings, for example, while those at a primarily corporate company might learn about the nuances of business mergers and acquisitions.
Internships at law firms at smaller companies are often a little different. Small business work is often less prestigious and internships often pay much less. Many interns in these settings, however, do more hands-on work. They are often hired to be direct assistants to attorneys and can gain experience going to court, filing documents, and writing motions. Large companies usually hire legal assistants to perform these functions and use their interns mainly as research support for partners.
Small businesses are also often some of the only places where college students can get law firm internships. More modestly sized offices sometimes offer positions to college students interested in learning about the law as a potential career path. Undergraduate summer internships are often more administrative, with interns doing basic copying, filing, and telephone work. Most jurisdictions have rules that prohibit anyone other than lawyers, legal counsel and law students from handling lawsuits or contributing litigation material.
Most law firm internships are paid, but not all. Unpaid internships are more common in very small companies, particularly those with only one or two lawyers. Many college students also work for little or no pay. Students often consider the value of career development and resume cache of completing an internship at a law firm as well as being worth any monetary loss.
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