Here and there, law departments bring in interns from local law schools, either during the summer or term-time. Among the 75 cost-cutting ideas in the ACC Docket, Vol. 27, March 2009 at 45, is to evaluate whether it is cost effective to hire a third-year law student as an intern and thereby defer a permanent hire. “I get great experience and I get a part-time employee who really has a desire to learn at $15 an hour.” How can you go wrong at such a low cost?
Internships have appeared on several previous posts (See my post of Oct. 29, 2006: city law department uses intern; July 3, 2007: two-year internships; May 7, 2006: GE uses diversity interns; March 25, 2005: two law departments in NYC use third-year law students; April 23, 2006: economic and recruitment benefit of interns; and May 21, 2006: one of eight top cost-saving techniques.).