Academic Advising Center

There are over 1000 student organizations at UF. Let your own interests guide you to explore what might be a good fit for you.

To search all UF student organizations, visit Gator Connect (search “law” for a list of law-related organizations).

Organizations featured by Criminology and Law program.

Internships and shadowing are among the best ways to gain exposure to the practice of law. Internships can be full-time or part-time positions; paid or volunteer positions. Internships can be found in various legal contexts from law firms to law-related posts with organizations, companies, and government. For tips on how to pursue law internships for undergraduates, see below.

Tips for finding internships

The potentially challenging part of seeking legal internships (at least as an undergraduate) is that they are rarely advertised to the same degree that internships in other career areas are advertised (e.g., Accounting internships). Law firms more frequently advertise internships for *law students* but don’t advertise positions for undergraduates as often. In fact, the types of “internships” that undergraduates typically do at law firms tend to be much more clerical in nature (perhaps assisting at the front desk, answering the phone, making copies of files, assisting with other behind-the-scenes activities, etc.). This is definitely a great experience, nevertheless, especially for students who really want to gain additional insight regarding what really goes on at a law firm, learn about the field, make career connections, etc.

We recommend contacting law firms directly to inquire about internship/job opportunities at their firm. To do this, prepare a professional, polished resume (the Career Connections Center in the Reitz Union can offer assistance with this), use your networking contacts (take some time to brainstorm a list of any family members, family friends, friends of friends, etc. who may work in the legal field), target firms/organizations of interest by using such resources as the online phone book/directories and websites such as www.lawyers.com, etc. Many of these will allow you to look up attorney profiles, areas of specialization, etc. After identifying law firms of interest in your area, call their office to speak with them or visit in person with your resume (dress professionally), and inquire about the possibility of volunteering or doing an internship with their office.

Be sure to be prepared to market yourself effectively in your brief intro, as you want to immediately help them realize why you would be an asset to their organization. Even if they do not have immediate openings, you can likely leave your resume with them for consideration for future positions. You may also wish to see if there is an opportunity to shadow an attorney for a few hours or a few days. Sometimes after they have gotten to know you a bit more after shadowing, they may be willing to discuss internship opportunities. It may take several visits or emails to different law firms to find a good fit, but your hard work should pay off.

The Career Connections Center may have additional internship postings. In addition, you may also wish to explore internship opportunities through the Alachua County Courthouse or UF Student Legal Services, as they have a more structured programs (Student Legal Services has research positions, as well). Information is traditionally accessible on their website when applications become available.

Another excellent resource that we strongly recommend is the Bob Graham Center for Public Service. They have an experiential learning component that includes public service internships at the local, state, and federal level. Be sure to subscribe to their email updates where lots of internships are posted.

And, finally, we occasionally receive postings from law firms or other organizations who are looking to hire undergraduates for law-related positions. Whenever we receive those types of postings, we advertise them on the pre-law listserv, so be sure to join our pre-law listserv if you haven’t already.

Community service provides an opportunity to prepare students to become productive citizens and take on roles of leadership and service. It also encourages students to develop positive character traits such as respect, responsibility and citizenship, all of which are pertinent to law school. Two specific resources for opportunities in community service or service learning:

• Brown Center for Leadership and Service
• Bob Graham Center for Public Service

Study abroad is an enriching experience where learning extends to the world beyond college. As a prelaw student study abroad can help in the following areas: personal growth and development, new perspectives on world affairs, enhanced vision and possibilities in career path. Please see the Study Abroad Office to explore study abroad opportunities.

*Students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences should explore our Global Engagement section of the Beyond120 program.

According to the Law School Admission Council, the legal profession is still a relatively non-diverse profession. Minorities are still under-represented. These resources are engineered to help prospective students prepare for the first year of law school and develop adequate study habits that will ease this transition. They are dedicated to ensuring that, once admitted into law school, students will successfully complete their respective programs of study.

Some useful resources:

• American Bar Foundation Summer Research Diversity Fellowship
• Florida State Summer for Undergraduates Program
• University of Iowa – Law School Preparation Program