By Francis Rojas
A great way to gain experience in law school, besides working as a law clerk, is to participate in legal clinics and pro bono work. What fits best for you and your time really depends on your schedule and whether you need this extra experience.
In Minnesota you can find numerous clinics. These are listed as follows:
- University of Minnesota’s clinics
- William Mitchell College of Law clinics
- Hamline School of Law’s clinics
- St. Thomas University of Law’s clinics
Another way to gain experience, as you enter the legal field, is representing clients pro bono. The decision of whether to take up one of these opportunities or both depends on your goals and objectives.
Doing a pros and cons list is always a great way to make a decision. These are some of the pros:
- Engaging in pro bono and clinic work is a great way to get out there. You may get referrals, recognition from the organization or clinic you are helping at, and increase your presence in the community.
- Pro bono and clinic work is a great way to expand or narrow your career choices. If you have decided on a particular area of law, these avenues are a great way to gain experience in that area. They can be the groundwork for professional opportunities.
- Pro bono and clinic work can provide references and writing samples when applying for jobs. Fellow attorneys or law student practitioners, who have seen your work, can prove invaluable references. In addition, the work you have performed will provide you with writing samples.
- In addition, you will be helping individuals who are in need of legal services but cannot afford it.
- As an attorney, you have control over how much time and when you will volunteer. You can take up cases or volunteer when work is slow.
The cons and reasons why you may not need these experiences must also be considered.
- In some instances you may not be interested in practical experience. For example, you may already have a job giving you this same experience.
- You may not have time as a law student. In law school you may already be bombarded with homework, study and student organizations’ activities. In addition, if you are a law clerk your time will also be consumed by your job and responsibilities.
- In addition, as an Associate Lawyer you may not have time to give. You will be bombarded with deadlines, work, and billable expectations.
- Achieving work-life balance may be harder or impossible. Regardless of what stage you are in your legal career, your free time will shrink. In that regard, you may want to devote your time to your family instead of more work.
- As a lawyer you may be hesitant if your law firm does not approve of it. It pays, however, to discuss this with the law firm’s partners. The law firm’s goals and objectives may fall within the extra publicity coming from non-billable hours.
Regardless of the decision you may make right now, your situation might change in the future. It never hurts to keep these lists in mind.
