Co-Op Education Programs for Law Students

If you attend one of the many universities with a co-op education program, you'll have the opportunity to gain career-related experience by working at a full- or part-time job. It is usually possible to earn academic credit as well. The work experience is considered so valuable that on many campuses students in engineering and other technical fields are required to participate in the co-op program.

Co-op jobs are most plentiful, and most rewarding, for technical majors. Firms looking for accountants, for example, can hire upper-class students and expect them to do almost everything that college-graduate accountants can do. Although they pay the students well by student standards, they pay less than they would have to pay career employees. (One advantage of being an accounting major is that it is usually fairly easy to get an accounting co- op job.) Not the least of the values of the co-op program to such students is that it makes it easier to get postgraduate employment: a new graduate can simply apply to a firm that is already familiar with his or her abilities. Participants in co-op programs have higher placement rates than other college graduates and, at least on some campuses, higher starting salaries.

Even if you are not an accounting or business major, co-op programs often have jobs available in lawyers' offices, in the legal firms of large corporations, or in the offices of regulated businesses and industries. In fact, many businesses prefer to leave their entire college student hiring to co-op programs. One reason for this is that the co-op programs screen the applicants. You usually have to qualify for co-op by having, and maintaining, good grades, and you always have to pay a fee.

Once you are accepted into the program, a co-op counselor will provide a list of available jobs. (In addition to nearby part-time employment, the counselor will probably also have full-time jobs and jobs at remote location; if you secure one of these, you will probably have to delay your college graduation.) The counselor will help you draw up your resume and give you some tips on doing well on job interviews. On some campuses, the co-op programs run valuable not-for-credit courses on such topics as dressing for success, writing job applications, and business etiquette.

Armed with this assistance, you apply for the jobs you are interested in. You will have to compete with other co-op students in an application process that will include interviews but will largely be decided by grades. Competition may or may not be keen, depending on the kind of job, local employment conditions, and the number of students at your institution who are seeking such work. In my recent experience at Bradley, the co-op job developers turned up four or five law firm jobs each year, and some of them went begging.

Once you have the job, the firm will assign someone to supervise you and to report to your college. Try to make a good impression on this executive because he or she will be the best person to describe your work experience in a letter of recommendation, and also because co-op jobs are theoretically ongoing and you'll want to be invited back. It is common for students to keep the same part-time jobs for several years or to work full-time for the same firms for several intervals during their college years, but the firm can decline to re-hire any co-op at the end of any semester.

If you are a social science or humanities major who does not have the technical training of an accountant or engineer, and you are employed in a law firm or corporate office, you can expect your work to consist largely of general office duties. Coffee-making is standard, as is photocopying, running errands, filing, and in general, fetching and carrying. Perform this work with a good will, even after it becomes boring. It has to be done.

But remember, the co-op employer has also promised to teach you something. At a minimum you should be in a position to see what the professionals in the office actually do, and there should be someone to answer your questions. After a while you should be given at least some opportunity to do responsible work. At a law firm, this can include some rudimentary legal research or legal drafting. Expect this work to be closely supervised at first, and do not show impatience if an older employee checks every step. If you perform well, you'll be given more independence.

The best co-op jobs provide extremely good mentoring opportunities. Some firms provide regular seminars, during which the students meet informally with professionals. Others have formal programs of speakers and office tours. Smaller businesses and firms can't afford formal programs, but they may still be very good at introducing young people to the professional world.

If you feel that you're doing nothing but busywork, and not learning anything, tactfully complain to your supervisor. If that doesn't help, complain to the co-op faculty adviser. Occasionally, co-op jobs don't work out. As with any job, however, don't be in a hurry to quit unless you have a better alternative.

Internships

State and local governments, many federal agencies, political party organizations, and campaign committees offer part-time or summer internships. So do many good-government voluntary organizations and private lobbying outfits; one of my students, for example, spent an educationally valuable summer in Springfield working for a group that represented Illinois banks. Newspapers, magazines, and a variety of other businesses also offer internships. Unlike co-op jobs, which are meant to be ongoing, most internships are one-shot deals; you'll work for a semester, or a summer, with no possibility of re-employment. Also unlike co-op jobs, internships are usually unpaid.

It's usually fairly easy for a student with good grades to secure an internship in a prosecutor's or public defender's office, an urban police department, an administrative department of a city government, a state agency, or a state legislative committee. Internships with federal agencies are sometimes more competitive. These are also more likely to be too far away for part-time work.

To obtain a part-time internship, you will need to sign up for the appropriate course. On some campuses, internships are required of students in certain majors, most commonly journalism, social work, or criminal justice studies. On other campuses, they are open only to students with good grades. Some internships may be restricted to students majoring in certain subjects. Your prelaw adviser or your academic adviser can tell you about your options; your college catalog will list the appropriate course numbers, the eligibility rules, and the names of the instructors.

Most colleges require you to sign up at least a semester in advance, and you should always speak to the instructor before you register. If you have any special scheduling requirements, any handicaps, or any other conditions that may affect your employment, make sure that the instructor knows about them. Find out where you will be working (for it is the instructor's responsibility to find you an opening), what you are likely to be doing, and how much time will be required. Ask for the names of other students who have worked in the same office, and then contact them to see if they found the experience worthwhile. Before you commit yourself, make sure that you can make feasible travel arrangements if you have to travel any distance from campus.

In most cases, you will have to obtain a summer internship yourself. Allow seven or eight months for the process. Academic and prelaw advisers usually keep track of such opportunities. They post advertising handbills on bulletin boards near their offices and may make flyers and brochures available. They may also list possible internships in newsletters and on electronic bulletin boards. Your college placement center might also keep track of opportunities. Prelaw clubs and mentors also often pass along information that they receive. There are also cases where ministers and chaplains received leaflets advertising internships in law-relevant fields and passed them along to students. From whatever source you receive it, there will be an address or a telephone number. Request an application and, when it arrives, follow the instructions.

Internships with political parties, good-government groups or publications are similarly advertised on posters and flyers. They may also be advertised in political magazines or school newspapers. You may also hear about them from individuals who work for these organizations, or from older students who have held such internships in the past. You can call the local office of the Sierra Club, or any political group, and ask if they have any such opportunities. Internships with business groups are harder to find. They are often unadvertised; the group s full-time staff recruits students through an old-boy network that may include college professors but is often limited to the families and friends of people "in the trade." Ask your prelaw adviser and any professors you feel comfortable with if they know of any internship opportunities in their fields. And ask your parents, relatives, and family friends.