Adviser
It's not too late
to plan a productive
summer "vacation"
BY AMY
P
the first or second year of law
school can be a daunting task.
Many law students worry that
LANNING
A
SUMMlVER
they've lost
all chancesAFTER
for a
productive summer if they're still at loose
ends in May. Here are some things you
may want to consider as you finalize your
summer plans.
What personal, financial, or
other factors should you consider?
How you spend your summer may be affected by factors beyond your immediate
control. For example, if you are a married
student with children, you'll need to consider your family's summer situation.
Does your spouse work during the summer? Will you take on child-care responsibilities to reduce costs in the summer
months? If you're offered a job for the
summer in another city, will your spouse
and children move with you for the summer? Does your spouse's income allow you
to go to summer school and not work?
You may need to work part time or
full time during the summer to meet living expenses. However, some law stu-
American BarAssociation I wwwaabanet.orgLsd
dents forgo employment to take a full
course load and graduate a semester
early, which decreases their overall law
school costs.
Students who are in joint-degree programs usually must spend their summers taking coursework in their other degree program. Such programs often have
a required course plan so that not going
to summer school would jeopardize completion of the additional degree.
Other types of personal or family responsibilities may also affect your summer plans. Perhaps you've scheduled a
medical procedure that will require recuperation time. Perhaps you're returning
to your hometown to help out with
younger siblings or ill relatives. Or you
may be working in a family business instead of being able to go to summer
school or work in a legal environment.
What if you don't have a job yet
and want one? All is not lost if you're
still jobless for the summer. There are
several options to consider that may get
some work experience on your rfsume.
Apply for your law school's summer
research assistant or teaching assistant
positions if you're eligible. The stipends
or salaries may not be huge, but the r6sum6 cachet is good. And you'll garner a
future professor reference if you excel in
the position.
Talk to upper-division law students
who've worked part time for firms or
agencies during the school year and are
either leaving town for the summer or
graduating. A law student employee who
has performed well may be able to reconmend you to the employer as the summer replacement for the position.
Talk to your career services staff about
finding a summer position even though
it's late in the semester. Local firms often
contact the law school career services office when they need help on projects or
can take on another law student
Consider applying to a legal services
temporary agency if there's one in your
city. Through this type of agency, you'll
have the opportunity to work at one or
more legal employers. The work often
May 2008 1STUDENT LAWYER I117
HeinOnline -- 36 Student Law. 17 2007-2008
deals with litigation discovery as well as
various other types of projects.
You may be able to split the summer
between more than one employer. It's not
unusual for law students to work half the
summer for an employer. A public service or nonprofit entity may not be able to
hire someone for an entire summer but
may have funding for part of that time.
Look for unpaid positions that will
provide you with experience. Internships
may not be lucrative in salary, but they
often are long on experience, look good
on a resume, and garner a positive letter
of recommendation later. Public service
and nonprofit employers often are short
on funds but have many projects they
need completed.
Law schools often have for-credit
summer externship programs that place
students with judges, nonprofit organizations, or government agencies. Law
schools also may have fellowship opportunities for public service. Check to see if
the deadlines have passed for these structured opportunities.
What about summer school
courses at your law school? Most
law schools offer a small number of summer law courses, for both required and
elective course hours. By taking summer
school classes, you can lighten your load
for a later semester, get prerequisite
courses out of the way, or possibly plan
to graduate a semester early.
Some students benefit from summer
school because they focus intensely on a
course every day for a shorter period of
time. Choose your courses wisely so you
don't have heavy hitters together in the
same summer session if possible. Five or
six weeks go by quickly if you aren't
good at managing your time and distributing your studying.
Summer classes also may be smaller
in size than the same course during a regular semester. If you learn better in such
a setting, you may want to opt for the
summer class.
Some law schools allow students to
complete their advanced writing requirement (or the equivalent at your school)
only or rarely taught elective offering in
the summer.
What if you want alternatives to
summer school at your own law
school? Most law schools have specific
limitations on courses that can be transferred for your degree. Usually you can
only take elective hours at another law
school. You'll most likely need prior approval of the course. Your law school
may require a higher grade to transfer a
course than if you were to take it at your
own law school. For example, a grade of
You may be able to take a rarely
tauaht elective offerina in the summer.
with an independent research project in
the summer. If you have this option, it
will offer some advantages: you'll be able
to focus on this major paper without
some of the distractions of a regular semester, librarians and your supervising
faculty member may have more time to
work with you, and you may be less
stressed in general over the summer
while completing the project. Check with
your law school registrar or academic
dean to find out details.
Your law school may bring in visiting
or adjunct professors to supplement its
own faculty during the summer. As a result, you may be able to take a one-time-
MyBarPrep, The Online Bar Review
D may give you credit at your home
school, but you may need a grade of C or
higher to get transfer credit.
A study abroad program may be an
option for you if spaces are still available.
If you attend a program run by your own
law school, both credit hours and quality
points will normally count toward your
graduation and cumulative grade point
requirements. If you attend a program
run by another law school, you normally
can transfer only the credit hours and
may need a higher grade in the course
than you would in your own law school's
program.
Should you have some fun time
also? Absolutely! Don't forget to include
some time to relax and be with family
and friends. Law school semesters can be
intense. Allow yourself some time on
both ends of the summer to unwind and
rest. If you are busy every minute year
round, you are likely to burn out before
the next semester is finished. A.
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Amy L.Jarmon (amyJarmon@ttu.edu), assistant dean for academic success programs
at Texas Tech University School of Law, isa
professor and coeditor of the Law School
Academic Success Blog. She has practiced
law inthe United States and the United
Kingdom.
18 1 STUDENT LAWYER I May 2008
www.abanet.org/Isd I American BarAssociation
being a law student to becoming
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found with any other cours
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