So, I made the decision to switch rotations.

To someone outside of the NUSL-bubble, this probably sounds like a foreign language - switching rotations? What is a rotation and who cares if you switch it?

Well, it’s a NUSL thing and it is, to some people, sort of a big deal. After a first year of standard law school classes ends in May, the 1L class splits in half. Half of the class heads out on their first co-op and the other half heads into the first three months of their 2L classes. Although not etched in stone, over the last few decades each rotation has developed its own “character.� Those who head out on co-op right away, the “Winter/Summer� rotation, are assumed to be more “traditional� law students. This is based on the fact that all other law schools besides NUSL send their students out looking for jobs in the summer months and therefore firms and certain governmental programs and scholarships have established programs for law students during the summers. Those who go on the “Fall/Spring� rotation are generally the more “public interest� minded students, thought to be so because they hold little interest in firm summers. Of course, like a lot of broad caricatures, these ideas have an inkling of truth and a lot of exceptions.

That said, I choose the Fall/Spring rotation for the same reasons a lot of people do - I didn’t want to compete with a huge group of law students from other schools, I wanted to be part of the “public interest� group of students, most of my friends were Fall/Spring, and I didn’t have an interest in working at a firm. So why am I, to the dismay of some friends and confusion of others, crossing over to the “other� rotation?

For me, it came down to choosing to be a summer associate at a firm. While I knew I could get co-op experience at a firm during another time in the year, I believed that “summering� at a firm held two unique advantages: first, most firms hire permanently from their pool of summer associates. While being hired is definitely not guaranteed (especially at a small or medium firm), being a summer associate increases your chances. Second, I have been told by many people and have seen in my own experience, that having a summer associate position on your resume greatly increases your likelihood of obtaining a clerkship.

Of course none of this would have had any bearing on me if I hadn’t found a firm that I felt was right for me and that, amazingly enough, thought I was a good fit, too. I interviewed with one firm, developed a firm crush on that firm, and was offered a summer associate position with that firm - so I was lucky. It’s a medium-sized Boston firm, with a high number of female lawyers, both a criminal and civil practice, a good reputation amongst the lawyers I talked to, and an amazing commitment to pro bono and public interest work.

Despite my enthusiasm about the job, it's not an easy switch. Honestly, some people see it as a betrayal to work at a firm - any firm - when you claim to be committed to social justice. (I have lots more to say about this). On a day-to-day basis, its hard to think about being in classes with people I haven’t seen for a year or two, and hard to think of all my friends, clubs and groups continuing without me there.

But I know why I came to law school and what keeps me going - the chance to get the best legal education possible and become the most well-rounded lawyer I can, in order to serve my clients to the greatest extent. I came to Northeastern because I knew it would give me the chance to learn all aspects of the law, if I could just seize the opportunity. So I am.

So. After three months of class this winter, and another co-op in the spring (at the Federal Defenders office in Puerto Rico, where I plan on eating pastelitos and café until I can no longer stand), I will return and begin the last part of my law school career as a member of the Winter/Spring rotation. Wish me luck.