If you do get an offer from your summer employer or another firm or agency, take some risks. If you can arrange it, interview with your "dream" legal employer. At this point, there is simply no reason not to do so.
Third-year law students without a job offer may also want to consider working as a contract attorney after law school. Most legal newspapers have want ads for such jobs. Usually, contract attorneys are hired to work on specific cases and for a set duration of time. After the duration is over, the job ends. However, working as a contract attorney can help you gain valuable experience. It may also get your foot in the door of a firm you want to work for on a more permanent basis. Finally, working as a contract attorney also allows a graduating student who has passed the bar, but who does not yet have a permanent job offer, to pay his bills without accepting work from an employer he is less than eager to work for.
Another option for students without offers is to work as a research attorney for state trial court judges. In this way, you can learn a tremendous amount about everyday practice. These positions are not highly sought after, particularly in comparison to the clerkships with federal courts and state appellate courts. Thus it may be possible for you to obtain such a position even if other clerkship positions are already filled.
It is also still theoretically possible for a graduating law student to immediately start working for herself after she passes the bar. Generally though, this is not a good idea because the realities of everyday practice are far different from law school. The costs of starting up a law office (for example, computer equipment, law books, rent, staff, etc.) are also quite high, especially for a new graduate with little cash. However, if you decide to work for yourself, either out of choice or necessity, you can probably find at least a few other lawyers to share the costs associated with running a law practice so as to make it economically possible for you to earn a living.
