Welcome to the latest installment of Law Admissions Q&A, a feature that provides law school admissions advice to readers who send in questions and admissions profiles.
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I absolutely love reading the articles you’ve published on U.S News. I do not have any family members or friends who are lawyers, so your blog is amazing for information. I am currently a first-year college student planning to apply to law school. I was wondering what internships I should take to help my application. Do you need to complete a four-year degree to apply for law school or is an associate degree sufficient? – MM
Thank you! I absolutely love writing the Law Admissions Lowdown blog, so I’m pleased when readers find it helpful!
Naturally, law schools appreciate internships or work experience that showcase law-related skills. Examples might include working at a law office, interning in government, doing advocacy work for a nonprofit, researching for a professor or analyzing intelligence as a ROTC cadet.
However, what law schools care about most is that you are using your time well, demonstrating your maturity and capability to handle rigorous work. The specifics might depend on your personal situation, which is one reason law schools look beyond your resume to personal and diversity statements and letters of recommendation to see you as a whole person.
An applicant who spends every summer as a Justice Department intern may look better on paper than one who delivers pizzas, but what if the latter applicant is a caregiver who needs a flexible schedule and steady paycheck? Perhaps that pizza deliverer practiced relevant skills like time management, client relations and handling stress while the Justice intern sat in a back office doing sudoku.
Rather than obsess over landing an elite summer internship, focus on making the most out of your summer plans. If you thrive in your position, your boss may give you a stellar recommendation letter. Ideally, a law school candidate should have at least one recommendation letter from a direct supervisor or employer outside of school.
You may also get some great anecdotes and reflections for a personal statement, to show how you handled unexpected challenges. For example, imagine you start an internship for a local state legislator by sorting mail, but by summer’s end you are trusted to meet with constituents and write policy memos. Include such achievements on your resume and consider writing an essay about your takeaways from the experience.
But what if your internship doesn’t go well? What if you are stuck with the world’s meanest boss? Maybe skip the recommendation letter, but you might still write a personal statement about how you handled the situation without getting steamrolled. After all, lawyers often deal with prickly people. Or you could write a candid and clear-eyed essay about messing up, making things right and moving forward with some hard-earned wisdom.
As for applying to law school with an associate degree: In general, most law schools allow you to apply without a bachelor’s degree, and most states allow you to qualify for the bar exam without a bachelor’s degree.
There are some exceptions. For example, the patent bar requires a bachelor’s degree either in a scientific field or supplemented by classes or experience that demonstrate knowledge of science or engineering. To be safe, check the requirements of your state bar and your target law schools. If you can’t find an answer online, call or email the law school admissions department to confirm.
Note, however, that even law schools that claim to accept applicants with associate degrees may worry about such applicants’ ability to handle the demands of a legal education. Look to show relevant academic skills like reading, writing, reasoning and oral communication through your coursework, recommendation letters and other application materials.
Consider taking on extra classes or transferring to a four-year college to complete a bachelor’s degree with a strong academic performance, to quell any concerns about your capabilities.
One day, after graduating from law school, you may find yourself supervising interns. Remember how it felt to be one. Give them meaningful work, go easy on their mistakes and help them find their stride!
