Volunteering

During my gap year, I found that I had a large amount of extra time on my hands (when I was not studying for the LSAT). I took it upon myself to find activities that were personally fulfilling and beneficial to my career. If you are wondering how to spend some of your extra time while benefiting your future legal career, here are a few suggestions.

• Immigration rights organizations. In some regions, there are organizations dedicated to helping immigrants through the legal process for free. These organizations usually need a lot of help to get through their work load and could use volunteers to ensure free services for clients.
• Public defense offices. Volunteering your time at a public defense office is a great opportunity to catch a glimpse of a legal career in public service. I would highly suggest your county’s public defense office because their office will always need help getting through the huge workload attorneys are given. Even if you would rather be a prosecutor, experience at the public defenders office will give you great perspective.
• Court advocacy. Some courts have programs that allow volunteers to be an advocate for somebody. If you have background with certain underprivileged populations and passion, this would be a great opportunity to look into. For example, you could volunteer to advocate for a foster child.
• Tutoring in a relevant subject. This is a great opportunity to brush up on skills necessary for a future legal career and law school. I would suggest tutoring in writing, philosophy, political science, or any other pre-law subjects.
• ANY PUBLIC SERVICE VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY. Regardless of your interests, volunteering your time to help others (animals too!) is a win-win situation. I have learned countless lessons and gained valuable perspective through my own experiences. Public service might be a great way to show future law schools or employers that you are a well-rounded individual. I would highly recommend spending your extra time volunteering because it affects you and those around you in more ways than you can imagine.
• Volunteer matching websites. I used a volunteer matching site to find various volunteer opportunities in my area that fit my interests. I’m sure there are many other similar websites on the internet. Always make sure to volunteer with organizations that are credible, get all the relevant information through contacting the organization, and do your research before dedicating your time.

Make it a life motto to always give back! You’ll never regret it.

Featured Image Credit: Australian Institute of Business