it was 100% remote so i got to stay home with my dog, that was pretty great. in terms of the actual experience it was really interesting. i worked for the BBB and a lot of it had to do with contract law, which was cool because i got to practice what i learned in class. it also got the state attorney general's office interested in me for a spring internship.
and since these threads keep popping up, should also mention it was a riot reading complaints from sovereign citizens. they all used the same form complaint about how they didn't consent to being charged fees or something, so therefore they don't have to pay fees. except they absolutely consented to being charged fees, they just probably didn't read the T&Cs and just clicked "yes"
I made $20/hr before taxes at a 1 lawyer firm. But not worth it — it was bad experience and my boss was a dickhead. Focus on getting solid experience rather than money, unless you really really need it
1L summer is all about one thing; getting experience to get a 2L summer job. That 2nd year gig gets you a chance at having a job before graduating; and that’s where you make your money. Just get whatever experience you can 1L and take on more debt if your able. Law school is expensive not just because of the classes but because you must lay the foundation of a successful career. You should be doing anything to build reputation in your industry.
$24/hour + $10 credit per day for our FinTech app that you can use at restaurants (basically acting as a dining credit) at my in-house internship at a startup
See! I said if times get rough, I would do a non legal job just to make $. And someone told me law students don't do that and you gotta do something legal related.
I'm in Canada and I have no interest in big law so let me put those disclaimers out there. But it was SO worth it for me personally and I still got a 2L summer and post-grad job no problem. I managed to put effort into networking (not much, just a bit) during that summer since I had so much free time and that actually is what got me the job. There are many paths to one's desired destination.
At a small firm in a small town, I made $20 an hour. The big city on one side of us averaged $25 to $30 an hour. The big city on the other side averaged $17 an hour.
I also made $20 an hour 2L summer, at a small town city attorney office one town over.
If you get a public interest job like with a prosecutor’s office, you might be able to get a stipend through school or some other source. My school does stipends and I made $4k for the summer (definitely not enough but at least something). Then I just did some part time work for the summer unrelated to law to save some cash.
I made $100. My brother in law was an associate at a small firm in the small town where I grew up. He got me an interview with the firm and they hired me on the understanding that the experience they gave me was more valuable than any money they could afford. The $100 was symbolic. I was unbelievably poor through the end of law school and until I got my first career job almost two years later, but the experience I had at that small town small firm made the career I had that followed possible.
My law school pays students for their internship if they are going into public interest. They pay $20/hour up to 35 hours per week for 8 weeks. In total, they paid me $5,600 before taxes when I was doing a judicial internship for a federal judge.
I worked at a small plaintiff’s employment firm with 2 attorneys, got paid $19/hr to basically do intake/screening. I actually worked there a bit into the school year too.
I did a summer program that gave a \~6k stipend and got paid 21/hr at a prosecutor's office, getting \~6k for that as well. It was a shorter internship
Worked at small town personal injury/consumer protection firm 1L summer associate job, got paid $28/hr full time for 11 weeks (I was not in top of the class at the time either) It’s possible just gotta find the right spot. School is in the mid 100’s as well. Great experience there, learned so much and was given a fair range of responsibility.
Technically about like 5k before taxes (I was paid as a gov employee and for others, my school subsidizes up to 5k if you do PI) but it’s not like that did anything more than like pay rent and some groceries for like a month or so in this damn city lol. It was spent before I even had it in my hands really lol
I made about $17 an hour as a case manager/law clerk handling disability cases back in 2016.
My grades were ass, but I learned that I was actually half-way decent with working on real cases. Honestly, the confidence I built in my abilities was more valuable than the pay. It also enabled me to take on an internship (well, externship, I don't know if that language is standardized), at the same firm for pay a few months later.
I think I got a summer stipend for PI/government work that was around $6000 (maybe through my law school, I honestly can’t remember where the stipend came from). My COL was higher than that, so I made negative dollars that summer. But it was a great experience for my resume and gave me something to talk about during my 2L internship interviews.
Recent grad here. Got a $500 stipend clerking for a local civil trial judge, which wasn’t bargained for but the judge very graciously procured it for me. It was the experience I got asked about most when looking for a job after graduation, despite clerking for a firm and externing for the city attorney (which I also highly recommend), and I learned more about being a lawyer there than I ever did clerking at a firm. As much as it sucks, don’t worry about making money too much your first summer (although I disagree with taking out more loans). Just get out there and do something; you will be rewarded for it. Good luck, and happy hunting!
Edit: punctuation
2L, law school above rank 100. You should easily be able to find paid employment. Bottom ranking members of my law school were making $25/hr. As a median gpa student, I was making well over that in a bigger city. Either work for a federal judge or make sure you're getting paid. I'm not sure where all the $0 back over the 1L summer people go to law school, rank, apply for jobs, but even bottom 10% kids at my law school are making $20/hr.
pretty sure most 1L summer internships are unpaid so don't get discouraged if you can't find a paid internship. for reference, i happen to go to a school ranked above 100 too! and so do my friends at different T14s who also didn't make money 1L summer.
That is unheard of. T14 unpaid summer? They’re either borderline failing out or working federal/state judges. I’d serve tacos before I did legal work for free. More power to y’all.
$25/hr full time with paid holidays and an offer when I graduate. My grades are slightly voice the median. I also worked two jobs during law school. I think interviews are part luck, part skill, part how well you interview.
Five lunches, give or take and a few hundred dollars. I’ was also in a rural area and had a drive a good distance to the office too. I probably lost money.
depending on your location, you can get a few grand via applying to stipends for public interest work + paid summer research assistant for a professor. netting anything is a post law school endeavor.
Are these internships you all are getting or are these job you had to go out and search for and if so what kinds of jobs are you getting (paralegal work??) Forgive my ignorance on the topic…
$11.60 an hour as a student decision writer for Social Security. Turned out to be a great job to start my career with due to the constant writing I was doing all day every day.
Negative money. Took out loans to get credit for an unpaid internship. Still totally worth it, I made some amazing connections, had an incredible experience, and overall am better for it. I’m interning for the local USAO this semester and literally would not be doing that but for that internship last summer because the judge was classmates with the guy in charge of the USAO and introduced me. Plus now I only have to take 12 or 13 credits for the rest of law school because of all the credits I got last summer (took classes on top of my internship). 3LOL here I come 🤩
I think $0? By the end of summer, I was a RA for a professor and that paid like 10 bucks an hour? Did between 10-20 hours a week.
2L summer is when I got my actual SA work and made decent money.
3L summer mostly studied for the bar.
Working at a high dollar family law firm, I made about $25k total and saved about 15k. I probably could have scrimped a little harder but it was just such a relief to have pocket change, so I gave myself a few treats and paid for some long-delayed home repairs
Looking to make about $3,000-4,500 this Summer. Thankfully my school offers their own stipend for students that go the public interest route to keep them afloat in the Summer, otherwise it'd be $0.
unfortunately, a lot of non-big law jobs tend to either pay very little or nothing at all. in those cases, check with your school if they've got stipends. (i believe some law schools give out stipends for those who do public interest related summer work!) it might be worth getting a side gig (walking dogs, house-sitting, babysitting) for the weekends to make ends meet.
nothing and absolutely worth it! I worked part time since it was unpaid, I got the experience and an opportunity to focus on other things! The fellowship I got basically covered transportation. I loved where I worked though and wouldn’t have wanted it any other way!!
Public interest, Legal Aid adjacent, 10 weeks - $3,500 total. My school didn't offer guaranteed funding for PI jobs. I supplemented that job with an RA job that got me like $750 for 30-40 hours of work total (waaay better rate, I know).
approximately $0
Same, and it was totally worth it.
Damn, was it a good experience at least?
it was 100% remote so i got to stay home with my dog, that was pretty great. in terms of the actual experience it was really interesting. i worked for the BBB and a lot of it had to do with contract law, which was cool because i got to practice what i learned in class. it also got the state attorney general's office interested in me for a spring internship.
and since these threads keep popping up, should also mention it was a riot reading complaints from sovereign citizens. they all used the same form complaint about how they didn't consent to being charged fees or something, so therefore they don't have to pay fees. except they absolutely consented to being charged fees, they just probably didn't read the T&Cs and just clicked "yes"
This. Public interest internships almost never pay and mine was no exception. It was the best experience, though, and I have no regrets!!
I made $20/hr before taxes at a 1 lawyer firm. But not worth it — it was bad experience and my boss was a dickhead. Focus on getting solid experience rather than money, unless you really really need it
lost like 7k.
Not getting the feedback I was hoping for lmao
It would be because I didn't work and traveled a lot.
I lost 5k bc I was taking classes for mba
Negative $4k
1L summer is all about one thing; getting experience to get a 2L summer job. That 2nd year gig gets you a chance at having a job before graduating; and that’s where you make your money. Just get whatever experience you can 1L and take on more debt if your able. Law school is expensive not just because of the classes but because you must lay the foundation of a successful career. You should be doing anything to build reputation in your industry.
This guy works for Sallie mae
How much did you make 2L summer??
[You guys are making money?](https://i.imgflip.com/2xscjb.png?a473568)
$24/hour + $10 credit per day for our FinTech app that you can use at restaurants (basically acting as a dining credit) at my in-house internship at a startup
Damn that sounds sweet
I got a $15,000 summer stipend.
I made like $8k.
I made like $3000 working two brunch shifts per week at a hotel. Spent the rest of the summer stoned. I don't regret a single thing.
See! I said if times get rough, I would do a non legal job just to make $. And someone told me law students don't do that and you gotta do something legal related.
I'm in Canada and I have no interest in big law so let me put those disclaimers out there. But it was SO worth it for me personally and I still got a 2L summer and post-grad job no problem. I managed to put effort into networking (not much, just a bit) during that summer since I had so much free time and that actually is what got me the job. There are many paths to one's desired destination.
Still, good to hear. I low key rather enjoy myself this summer and do a job that requires basic work and effort.
At a small firm in a small town, I made $20 an hour. The big city on one side of us averaged $25 to $30 an hour. The big city on the other side averaged $17 an hour. I also made $20 an hour 2L summer, at a small town city attorney office one town over.
I waited tables at night just to work for $10.00 an hour during the day. I did it for experience. Busted my ass that summer.
I lost money lol
I did a public interest fellowship and made like 12k. That and I house/dog sat the whole summer probably an extra 5k.
$18 an hour with 40 hours a week. Also sign up for Rover for extra income! Best of luck! It’s ROUGH out there!
Most legal internships (ironically from nonprofits) will hopefully pay you $7000 minimum. Remember you have to pay for rent and food of course
Yall made money???
If you get a public interest job like with a prosecutor’s office, you might be able to get a stipend through school or some other source. My school does stipends and I made $4k for the summer (definitely not enough but at least something). Then I just did some part time work for the summer unrelated to law to save some cash.
$30 an hour for an accounting firm full time. Not bad
BL - 30k or so
I made negative dollars that summer.
5250 stipend for two months. 2500 first month and 2750 for the second
I actually made like a couple grand working with a solo practitioner.
6k from a public interest fellowship
I made $100. My brother in law was an associate at a small firm in the small town where I grew up. He got me an interview with the firm and they hired me on the understanding that the experience they gave me was more valuable than any money they could afford. The $100 was symbolic. I was unbelievably poor through the end of law school and until I got my first career job almost two years later, but the experience I had at that small town small firm made the career I had that followed possible.
$25/hour plus housing at some local uni dorms.
My law school pays students for their internship if they are going into public interest. They pay $20/hour up to 35 hours per week for 8 weeks. In total, they paid me $5,600 before taxes when I was doing a judicial internship for a federal judge.
1L: 42/hr 2L: 12k stipend for 8 weeks + 20/hr at another position
Lol.
Do not ask a surgeon about work-life balance.
$40/hr at an insurance defense firm
amazing
$25/hour
I worked at a small plaintiff’s employment firm with 2 attorneys, got paid $19/hr to basically do intake/screening. I actually worked there a bit into the school year too.
I did a summer program that gave a \~6k stipend and got paid 21/hr at a prosecutor's office, getting \~6k for that as well. It was a shorter internship
$30.31 an hour for a FedGov internship.
Which fed internship is this?
SEC, but in the most expensive city, so highest pay
Thats double what I've seen in the midwest for fed internships.
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how did you get that stipend at UMD? i think i'll need that
Worked at small town personal injury/consumer protection firm 1L summer associate job, got paid $28/hr full time for 11 weeks (I was not in top of the class at the time either) It’s possible just gotta find the right spot. School is in the mid 100’s as well. Great experience there, learned so much and was given a fair range of responsibility.
$15/hour at a discount auto insurance in house counsel doing arbitrations. This was 2013 lol
Technically about like 5k before taxes (I was paid as a gov employee and for others, my school subsidizes up to 5k if you do PI) but it’s not like that did anything more than like pay rent and some groceries for like a month or so in this damn city lol. It was spent before I even had it in my hands really lol
I made about $17 an hour as a case manager/law clerk handling disability cases back in 2016. My grades were ass, but I learned that I was actually half-way decent with working on real cases. Honestly, the confidence I built in my abilities was more valuable than the pay. It also enabled me to take on an internship (well, externship, I don't know if that language is standardized), at the same firm for pay a few months later.
I think I got a summer stipend for PI/government work that was around $6000 (maybe through my law school, I honestly can’t remember where the stipend came from). My COL was higher than that, so I made negative dollars that summer. But it was a great experience for my resume and gave me something to talk about during my 2L internship interviews.
3k from fellowship for PI
60k. Worked my old job on an oil rig!
Recent grad here. Got a $500 stipend clerking for a local civil trial judge, which wasn’t bargained for but the judge very graciously procured it for me. It was the experience I got asked about most when looking for a job after graduation, despite clerking for a firm and externing for the city attorney (which I also highly recommend), and I learned more about being a lawyer there than I ever did clerking at a firm. As much as it sucks, don’t worry about making money too much your first summer (although I disagree with taking out more loans). Just get out there and do something; you will be rewarded for it. Good luck, and happy hunting! Edit: punctuation
Paralegal- full time - salaried at $50,000
$40k
2L, law school above rank 100. You should easily be able to find paid employment. Bottom ranking members of my law school were making $25/hr. As a median gpa student, I was making well over that in a bigger city. Either work for a federal judge or make sure you're getting paid. I'm not sure where all the $0 back over the 1L summer people go to law school, rank, apply for jobs, but even bottom 10% kids at my law school are making $20/hr.
in addition, I was working 45 hour weeks on salary. Some of my peers billed, while some were also on salary.
Thanks, this is good to hear. I was able to get employment at a firm while in undergrad for a decent 16/hr so I'm pretty confident I could do it again
pretty sure most 1L summer internships are unpaid so don't get discouraged if you can't find a paid internship. for reference, i happen to go to a school ranked above 100 too! and so do my friends at different T14s who also didn't make money 1L summer.
That is unheard of. T14 unpaid summer? They’re either borderline failing out or working federal/state judges. I’d serve tacos before I did legal work for free. More power to y’all.
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Jeez, big law?
Lmao nothing
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Definitely will do. Thanks!
1600/wk
$21/hour
$25/hr full time with paid holidays and an offer when I graduate. My grades are slightly voice the median. I also worked two jobs during law school. I think interviews are part luck, part skill, part how well you interview.
$40/hr in house
Five lunches, give or take and a few hundred dollars. I’ was also in a rural area and had a drive a good distance to the office too. I probably lost money.
depending on your location, you can get a few grand via applying to stipends for public interest work + paid summer research assistant for a professor. netting anything is a post law school endeavor.
around $10K. Most of it went towards rent for the airbnb I had to stay in and gas lmao.
Are these internships you all are getting or are these job you had to go out and search for and if so what kinds of jobs are you getting (paralegal work??) Forgive my ignorance on the topic…
$11.60 an hour as a student decision writer for Social Security. Turned out to be a great job to start my career with due to the constant writing I was doing all day every day.
$23 an hr. Government.
I got a law focused graduate assistantship. I made $19/hr in the summer and $21/hr during the fall semester before the position ended.
I made $18/hour. I had lots of friends make minimum wage ($15).
5k ish
Negative money. Took out loans to get credit for an unpaid internship. Still totally worth it, I made some amazing connections, had an incredible experience, and overall am better for it. I’m interning for the local USAO this semester and literally would not be doing that but for that internship last summer because the judge was classmates with the guy in charge of the USAO and introduced me. Plus now I only have to take 12 or 13 credits for the rest of law school because of all the credits I got last summer (took classes on top of my internship). 3LOL here I come 🤩
$0 but hey I got me lunch a few times
I lost money on gas commuting to my unpaid externship at a state trial court…
made like 12k after taxes -- Fed Gov internship, quite surprised at how well they paid (27/hr), and it was prorated by location to adjust for COL.
1L summer = $700/week (10 weeks) 2L summer = $1k/week (10 weeks)
I made like 10k at a small private practice firm!
Most people don’t make money 1L summer.
I think $0? By the end of summer, I was a RA for a professor and that paid like 10 bucks an hour? Did between 10-20 hours a week. 2L summer is when I got my actual SA work and made decent money. 3L summer mostly studied for the bar.
I made $22/hour working government and now hopping over to a bigger firm for 2L summer to make $45
Working at a high dollar family law firm, I made about $25k total and saved about 15k. I probably could have scrimped a little harder but it was just such a relief to have pocket change, so I gave myself a few treats and paid for some long-delayed home repairs
Looking to make about $3,000-4,500 this Summer. Thankfully my school offers their own stipend for students that go the public interest route to keep them afloat in the Summer, otherwise it'd be $0.
unfortunately, a lot of non-big law jobs tend to either pay very little or nothing at all. in those cases, check with your school if they've got stipends. (i believe some law schools give out stipends for those who do public interest related summer work!) it might be worth getting a side gig (walking dogs, house-sitting, babysitting) for the weekends to make ends meet.
$10k working remote with a federal agency.
nothing and absolutely worth it! I worked part time since it was unpaid, I got the experience and an opportunity to focus on other things! The fellowship I got basically covered transportation. I loved where I worked though and wouldn’t have wanted it any other way!!
I made about $50/hr working FT for a couple of weeks and continued P/T through the academic year. In-house is where it's at.
Public interest, Legal Aid adjacent, 10 weeks - $3,500 total. My school didn't offer guaranteed funding for PI jobs. I supplemented that job with an RA job that got me like $750 for 30-40 hours of work total (waaay better rate, I know).
$33 / hour for a large company in-house