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BY DONNA GERSON

Part-time work during school has its rewards

AS A MATTER OF COURSE, many part-time law students combine their studies with full- or part-time law-related work. But students who carry a full course load also choose to work at paid jobs during the academic term for a variety of reasons. You should carefully weigh the advantages and disadvantages of paid work during law school before embarking on a job search.

Let me begin by saying that it's a very bad idea for full-time first-year law students to do anything except attend classes and study. First year is crucial for establishing your credibility and learning the basic foundations of a legal education. While grades are not everything in the job search game, good grades will create opportunities that might not otherwise exist. First-year grades are particularly important with larger firms when making their hiring decisions for the summer following second year.

After a grueling first year, though, some students feel they understand the school routine and can balance it with part-time work. There are several reasons full-time students choose to work part time. First and foremost is the money. If you work as a clerk at a firm, hourly wages will differ depending on the firm's size and region. In my hometown of Pittsburgh, for instance, small firms will pay anywhere from $10 to $25 an hour for a part-time law clerk. Your career services office should have information on hourly wages in your area.

In addition to the money, working part time offers you the chance to develop real-world lawyering skills that you can add to your résumé. After studying about jurisdiction, venue, and causes of action, you actually get to apply your education in practice, and it can be an energizing revelation. You might draft complaints, formulate and respond to discovery requests, and do some nuts-and-bolts legal research. In some situations, you could go to court, observe depositions, and file legal documents. Some of the work may seem dull and repetitive, but you will be learning the system and gaining experience that will help you down the road.

Should a full-time opening occur at your firm, you are in the unique position of being an instantly credible candidate because the firm knows your work product and character. Smaller firms that can't afford to stage elaborate summer programs will typically hire through their part-time ranks.

Another advantage of part-time employment is the opportunity to develop a mentor relationship with a lawyer, to learn the inner workings of a law firm, and to hone your research and drafting skills. In addition to mentoring opportunities, part-time work is an entree into a larger world of networking. Knowing a lawyer and having him or her know the quality of your work will enable you to meet other lawyers in the community and extend your circle of professional acquaintances. Finding full-time employment is part "what you know" and part "who you know."

If this all sounds too good to be true, beware of some common pitfalls associated with part-time employment. First, understand that you need to set boundaries and hold your employer to them. In its "Standards for Approval of Law Schools," the American Bar Association mandates that law students enrolled in more than 12 class hours may not work more than 20 hours per week.

Time-management skills are, therefore, essential to successful part-time work and your academic success. If you have a difficult time balancing your workload, think long and hard before you jump onto the part-time bandwagon. You could create a bad impression with your employer and jeopardize your academic performance as well. On the other hand, some law students (myself included) have found that part-time employment coupled with academic obligations forces you to prioritize assignments and work efficiently under time constraints, which are both excellent professional skills to develop.

Make sure the employer for whom you work is ethical and well-regarded in the legal community. Working for an unscrupulous legal employer may mar your résumé and teach you poor work habits. Watch out for high law clerk turnover (you're the third law clerk they've hired this fall and it's only October), and listen to the word on the street. Career services offices are a good source of information about employers; so are your classmates. Beware of employers who ask you to use your student passwords to access Lexis and Westlaw. At most law schools, students sign a contract promising to use their accounts for educational purposes only. If you're caught misusing your online research, your law school can lose its account privileges, and you might suffer repercussions that will affect your eligibility to take the bar.

If you decide to pursue part-time employment this year, the best place to start is your career services office. Typically, openings for part-time jobs are posted for all to see. Your school might also post part-time jobs on its web site, on the law school e-mail distribution list, or via a weekly student newsletter. Employers usually will ask for a cover letter and résumé to be sent or faxed. Sometimes employers use a "blind" posting system, either because they don't want to tip off their colleagues that they're hiring or because they don't want to be inundated with phone calls by anxious job seekers.

Instead of simply waiting for jobs to be posted, you can initiate your own job search by seeking out smaller and mid-size firms that practice in your areas of interest. Some students consult the Yellow Pages for smaller firms, but you should also consider using the Martindale-Hubbell library on Lexis. That database allows you to search by various "segments," including firm size, practice area, law school, and city. If your local bar association offers a membership directory, use that resource for listings of local practitioners. Consider attending local bar association events for small-firm practitioners as a means of meeting lawyers.

Another way to find a part-time job is to network with your classmates. Many small-firm law clerk jobs are like inheritances, passed on from one law student to the next. In fact, many smaller law firms will ask their current law clerks to find their replacements. So, let your law school classmates know your interests and keep your ear to the ground for leads.

Part-time employment enables law students to earn money, gain valuable experience, network, and establish a foothold within a small firm. For students with good time-management skills who seek practical experience, part-time employment can be a great deal. But always beware of unscrupulous employers who might interfere with your academics or compromise your professional development.

Donna Gerson (gerson@law.pitt.edu) is director of career planning and public interest opportunities at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.