Internships & Getting Exposure to Law

Some students work part-time in law firms or local courts. They often find work as a file clerk, runner, or process server. Law firms and district or municipal courts will usually post these job openings on their own websites. Employers often look for longer-term commitments; however, law firms occasionally hire seasonal staff to support busy work periods.

Sometimes these experiences are called "internships"; it’s important to know that you are not doing the work of an attorney. Many states regulate who can register as a legal intern and engage in the practice of law.

Any of these types of part-time work experiences can be helpful for pre-law students. Working in a law firm can help you see if you find a certain field of law interesting or decide if you want to work for a smaller or larger firm. Working part-time now may lead to a part-time job or legal internship offer as a law student. Some pre-law students have also found their current employers through these experiences. Part-time work may also lead to working full-time as a part of a gap year before applying to law school. However, it is important to remember that working for a law firm, even part-time, is not required for law school admission.

Jayhawk Pre-Law Advising does not maintain a list of law firms that hire undergraduate students, nor are pre-law advisors responsible for placing students into potential openings. KU students are responsible for identifying and applying for these opportunities if they choose to pursue them.

Volunteering and engaging in extracurricular activities are great ways to explore law while building transferable skills. Law schools and future employers appreciate seeing that students have the social and professional skills to succeed. Being able to work on a team, lead others, or engage in a professional setting, these experiences can be highly valuable.

Students volunteering typically take one of two routes:

• Law-focused volunteering, such as helping with the Douglas County District Court.
• Issue-focused volunteering: such as a student interested in environmental law volunteering with a river cleanup group or animal shelter.

Participating in extracurricular activities can help you practice these professional skills, engage in what you already enjoy doing, and show law schools are particular interests. Some volunteer opportunities may also help you explore the larger industry you hope to work in. These can be great ways to understand the future workplaces, current issues, and growing trends you might need to navigate.

Gaining exposure to the larger industry or field you want to work in can also be helpful. A student interested in a particular field of law can benefit from seeing how people and organizations work in that space. If you’re interested in a specific field, consider interning in that industry. For example:

• A student exploring sports law might intern with a college athletics office or sports conference.
• A student considering business law might intern with the Kansas Corporation Commission, a local bank, or a chamber of commerce.
• A student interested in energy law might intern with a natural gas company or local utilities commission.

Many companies and organizations also have their own legal department or in-house attorneys. Working as an intern now may be a foot in the door for a future internship as a law student. Industry internships help build awareness of the larger environment lawyers work in. These internships, even if they're not directly law-related, can help you understand how laws affect the industry, companies, their policies, and the people working in that field.

Not all exposure to law has to come from a job or internship. Short-term opportunities can help you make informed decisions about law school and future careers. Jayhawk Pre-Law Advising encourages KU students to explore even short-term ways to connect with legal professionals.

Job shadowing is typically a short, supervised experience where an attorney, judge, or legal professional lets you see their day-to-day work. This might be over a couple of hours or a few days. Because of client privacy, you may find some situations require you to step out of the room. However, even a single afternoon can give you a sense of whether you might want to work in a job like that in the future and see what lawyers actually do.

Mentorship can range from very informal coffee conversations to more structured relationships. The KU Alumni Association sponsors the KU Mentoring+ program to help current students and alumni connect. Pre-law students can benefit from their professors or current law students. Most importantly, you should feel comfortable approaching this person to ask questions, share their own experiences, and help you think about your future.

Networking through KU, pre-law, and community events, as well as informational interviews, can also be helpful. These opportunities can help you connect you with people in the field. An informal conversation may turn into a formal mentoring relationship. Networking may also help open opportunities to any of the part-time work, volunteer opportunities, or industry internships students look for.

Building these relationships helps you learn about the daily work of lawyering and can cultivate relationships for the future.