1L summer employment options

A panel of six second-year students on Nov. 9 discussed two job options for current 1Ls: judicial externships and law firm internships.

The students found their summer positions using a number of different job search avenues and recommended that first-year students start looking early.

Ken Kronstadt knew he wanted to extern with a judge for the Los Angeles County Superior Court and used Symplicity to apply across the board. He landed an interview, and eventually a job, with The Honorable Robert L. Hess '76.

Kronstadt suggested students clean up any memos they’ve written, as judges pay close attention to applicants’ writing samples. As an extern, Kronstadt spent most of his time researching and wrote between 15 and 20 memos, many of them informal.

“Being there, I got to watch motion hearings, I got to watch parts of trials I consider interesting,” Kronstadt said. “I also got a lot of contact with the judge.”

Paul Rigali also used Symplicity, but said it was probably his connection to a former client that gave him an edge in securing a summer position at Reed & Davidson, a small political and election law firm. There, he researched and helped draft contracts and, he said, experienced the practical side of the things he learned in class during his first year.

He advised 1L job seekers not to limit themselves to On-Campus Interviews and to market themselves to specific firms for faster results.

Kristen Brumfield, who was a summer associate at Robbins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, took a broader approach.

“I got my job because I sent a letter to every law firm in L.A. and San Francisco,” she said, adding that she “got lucky” pursuing so many avenues at the same time. She used the NALP directory and didn’t tailor the letters she sent because she began her search late in the game.

Jennifer Tsao applied to several judges and eventually externed for Ronald S. W. Lew, U.S. District judge for the Central District of California. Students considering an externship or clerkship should utilize the Career Services Office’s reference material on judges, including evaluations from previous USC Law externs, she said.

The panel was part of an ongoing series sponsored by the Career Services Office that will address summer employment options.

For more information and job-search tips, visit the CSO web site.