Aspiring to Practice Elder Law (NY) Forum

[potus]

Hello. I am a 1L aspiring to go into Elder Law. I am wondering if there is anyone with any leads about firms that might be hiring and willing to take in a 1L summer intern. While it might be early, there has not been many postings, and all firms I have researched might be small with no internship program established -- but I am not entirely sure.

There is one posting for a nonprofit that does Elder Law with a deadline next month. My dream would be Legal Aid Society, but that is only open starting in December, and not sure how competitive that is for 1L in their Brooklyn department.

Hoping for some guidance.

[champ33]

This seems really early to be worried about summer employment. From my limited understanding, Elder Law is an area practiced mostly by smaller firms, and these firms are unlikely to hire for the summer until it gets much closer. I would just worry about fall grades for now and keep monitoring your school's job board for elder-law related internships, particularly in the mid-to-late spring semester. If you feel you have time you might look for some related networking events at your school, local bar, or even meet with a professor in that area to ask advice.

[lolwat]

I don't know about NY in particular, but in general it seems like small firms tend to take on school year / summer interns and clerks whenever they feel like they have enough work to justify hiring a law student. Especially in such a niche field. It's very likely not going to be the same kind of structured summer associate BS that all the biglaw/elite boutique firms do.

I would probably start looking around for the firms and attorneys you're interested in working for, start e-mailing and setting up coffee meetings with people, and go from there.

[potus]

I don't know about NY in particular, but in general it seems like small firms tend to take on school year / summer interns and clerks whenever they feel like they have enough work to justify hiring a law student. Especially in such a niche field. It's very likely not going to be the same kind of structured summer associate BS that all the biglaw/elite boutique firms do.

I would probably start looking around for the firms and attorneys you're interested in working for, start e-mailing and setting up coffee meetings with people, and go from there.

Definitely going to start sending out emails once midterms are over this week. Pretty much excited to get started on networking and creating connections.

[lolwat]

I don't know about NY in particular, but in general it seems like small firms tend to take on school year / summer interns and clerks whenever they feel like they have enough work to justify hiring a law student. Especially in such a niche field. It's very likely not going to be the same kind of structured summer associate BS that all the biglaw/elite boutique firms do.

I would probably start looking around for the firms and attorneys you're interested in working for, start e-mailing and setting up coffee meetings with people, and go from there.

Definitely going to start sending out emails once midterms are over this week. Pretty much excited to get started on networking and creating connections.

Good luck. Networking and making connections works wonders in niche areas since a lot of those attorneys look more for people who are genuinely interested in that practice. It's only when it gets to more generic biglaw that stats seem to matter so much more. Sorry I can't help more with ideas about where to look. I know over here in SoCal our Legal Aid Society has some sort of division that does Elder Law, but it seems you've already identified the same thing over there in NY.

[killingmesoftly]

A close friend who is an attorney in a smaller city has recently gotten into Elder Law and absolutely hates it. From everything they describe it sounds horrible, pays very little and is very taxing emotionally. It's never totally clear if you are actually helping your clients or potentially screwing them over in the future. This isn't my personal experience so I could be totally uninformed --- but it does seem like a weird area to choose off the bat. What makes you interested in it?

[potus]

A close friend who is an attorney in a smaller city has recently gotten into elder law and absolutely hates it. From everything they describe it sounds horrible, pays very little and is very taxing emotionally. It's never totally clear if you are actually helping your clients or potentially screwing them over in the future. This isn't my personal experience so I could be totally uninformed --- but it does seem like a weird area to choose off the bat. What makes you interested in it?

I spent about 5 years working closely with aging services providers and managed programs that directly engaged older adults, such as increasing access to benefits and getting them involved in health and wellness and educational activities. I’m interested in age discrimination, or anything advocacy-related, so that I could provide direct representation for older adults. But I don’t mind also helping them with wills and benefits, and I do like just generally helping them find whatever support they need.

I wanted to do criminal/immigration law, but I just never got any practical experience in that field. I feel that I have a strong network in the aging community and confident that I’ll be better equipped to serve them outside of law school.

Of course, I’m not looking to make a boatload of money. But I do want to have some kind of direct service and impact with clients. While it’s not the criminal trial litigation that I was preparing myself to do, it just might involve civil litigation and negotiations.

I think the next step is just to find mentors or connections who are in the field. I’ll have to admit – I’m not too knowledgeable about Elder Law. I do believe that Elder Law is essential, there’s novelty, and my background ends up aligning well. If I could fit in the advocacy and litigation component into it, I'd be ecstatic.