Editor’s note: Sheldon Sloan is president of the State Bar of California.

LAW FIRMS NOT ONLY CHOICE FOR SUMMER ASSOCIATES

It was with some disappointment that we read June 25′s “special report” on summer associates. While it may be novel that corporate firms are beginning to offer their summer associates a “more meaningful experience,” a significant number of law students have always sought � and found � meaningful summer work: those working at public interest organizations.

California has a long and proud history of groundbreaking not-for-profit lawyering. Since long before corporate firms ever sponsored split summers, law students have been devoting their summers to organizations such as The Legal Aid Society of San Francisco-Employment Law Center, Public Counsel, California Rural Legal Assistance, Equal Rights Advocates, the National Center for Lesbian Rights and two of the country’s most active ACLU affiliates, just to name a few. These organizations could not handle their dockets without the critical contributions of their summer students.

We support our classmates’ desire for a more meaningful summer experience, and we have nothing against firm-sponsored wining and dining. But the corporate firms’ No. 1 recruiting technique is far simpler: money. The only thing keeping pace with the skyrocketing cost of law school is the skyrocketing salary of the corporate associate, and until the legal community addresses that fundamental issue, we doubt the big firms will have all that much trouble finding students to fill their summer classes.

That is why we would have liked to see a mention of those students who choose to look past those salaries and prioritize the work they find most meaningful. So far this summer, we’ve represented clients in hearings, drafted motions and briefs, assisted with civil rights litigation and counseled low-income Californians in our Workers’ Rights Clinic. Our weekly happy hour at the local dive bar may not make as good a photo op as a sailboat, but we’ve got some great stories to tell.

Amos Blackman, Columbia Law School, J.D. 2008
Samantha Brown, Stanford Law School, J.D. 2008
David Coleman, UC-Davis’ King Hall School of Law, J.D. 2008
Sarah Donaldson, University of Michigan Law School, J.D. 2008
Monique Drew, Boalt Hall School of Law, J.D. 2009
Sonia Lin, New York University School of Law, J.D. 2008
Alison Ponder, Boalt Hall School of Law, J.D. 2008
Julianne Prescop, Yale Law School, J.D. 2009
Becca von Behren, Columbia Law School, J.D. 2008
Sarah Wright, Boalt Hall School of Law, J.D. 2009



Editor’s note: We did attempt to go beyond corporate law firms in this year’s special report by publishing a separate story about summer programs at public defender, district attorney and U.S. attorney offices (“Want Instant Trial Experience? Then sign up with a government program“). We appreciate the reminder that public interest firms, too, can provide good summer clerkship opportunities.

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