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Careers - Interns, Law Clerks, Lateral Hires

The Erb Law Firm, PC does accept applications during the school year for part-time work as a law clerk or intern, though we are more likely to consider applications at the beginning of spring and fall. We do regularly hire a law clerk or intern as a summer associate for the summer months and, in most cases, we like to offer our summer associate the opportunity to continue to work during the school year. However, we do regularly reassess our hiring needs and act accordingly.

If you're interested in working with our firm, please read the FAQs below. If you still have questions, or if you would like to be considered for a position, please send us an email, letter or fax (please read our policy about summer positions). Please do not call.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Will The Erb Law Firm PC's internship give me any real experience?

• What kind of projects are assigned?

• Do you hire first-year law students?

• Do you hire foreign LL.M. students or foreign attorneys?

• How "part-time" is part-time?

• What specific criteria are you looking for?

• Do you have any extra advice?

• When and how should I apply? (school year and summer positions)

• How can I ensure that I won't be hired?

• Eke, I don't have a car and you're not in Center City - how do I get to your office?

• What resources are available?

• Are there scheduled events?

• Does the firm offer or support pro-bono work?

• Will I have the opportunity to travel outside of Philadelphia?

• How can I be considered for a lateral/new hire position?

topQ: Will The Erb Law Firm’s internship give me any real experience?

A: Definitely. Because we are a small firm, we are able to offer law students "hands on" experience. This includes exposure to clients and other "real world" practical legal experience.

topQ: What kinds of projects are assigned?

A: In the beginning, we try to give you a little glimpse of everything that we do at the firm. As the internship progresses, we hope to gain a better idea of the projects and areas of law that you enjoy and make assignments accordingly.

There are some projects, however, that will be dictated by the time of year. November and December are busy tax and estate planning months for corporations and individuals. February and March tend to be heavily corporate in nature, while March and April tend to be heavily-weighted towards individuals.

topQ: Do you hire first-year law students?

A: Yes and no. We do hire first-years for the summer program, but not for the school year. ABA rules!

topQ: Do you hire foreign LL.M. students or foreign attorneys?

A: Absolutely! Our international focus gives us a unique opportunity to work with - and learn from - qualified foreign LL.M. students and attorneys. To date, we have hired students from Italy, Germany and France. For more info, check out our alums page.

topQ: How "part-time" is part-time?

A: We're fairly flexible and we hope you are, too. Some weeks we are busier than others; such is the nature of the beast. That said, we would like for you to be available at least 10 hours per week, preferably a little more, depending on the number of interns we hire.

topQ: What specific criteria are you looking for?

A: First and foremost, we are looking for a well rounded student who is eager to work in the fields of tax, corporate and international law. That said, we also look for solid academic performance, "real world" work experience, and demonstrated interest in the fields of tax, corporate and international law. Foreign travel or work experience is preferred. Knowledge of foreign languages, especially German, French or Italian, is a big plus.

Be sure and note your foreign travel or work experience, as well as your language skills on your resume!

topQ: Do you have any extra advice?

A: Do your homework! We're not a litigation firm, we've never tried an environmental law case and we don't know the sentencing guidelines for grand larceny. So please don't send us rave reviews about our personal injury practice... We don't have one!

We are a full-service firm for small to mid-sized corporations, especially those with international ties (specifically inbound investments to the United States). We also offer comprehensive tax planning services, including estate planning, for individuals and corporations. If you're not sure whether we do something that you might be interested in, send us an email. Otherwise, leave it out of your cover letter. We disregard most letters that start out telling us how you want to do work that we don't do!

So, tell us what we do that's interesting to you - if it's interesting to you!

topQ: When and how should I apply? (school year and summer positions)

A: We accept resumes year round for the school year positions, provided that the cover letter note that you wish to be considered for a school year position.

We do not consider applications prior to February 1 for the summer position. Thus, it is extremely important that you indicate your availability (i.e. school year) on the cover letter.

Send a cover letter and resume to:

     Associate Program
     The Erb Law Firm, PC
     5901 Ridge Avenue
     Suite 100
     Philadelphia, PA 19128

You may also submit your information via fax (215.508.4428) or the web (hr@erblaw.com). If you submit your resume via email, please ensure that it is in text, Word, AppleWorks or .pdf format. Please do not submit transcripts, writing samples, letters from your mother or any other documents!

topQ: How can I ensure that I won't be hired?

A: Call us...When we say "Don't call us, we'll call you" - we actually mean it.

Seriously, please do not call us to verify receipt of your resume, ask if we need more information, or tell us your schedule. Do not leave messages on the voice mail extolling your virtues - the information we need should be on your resume.

That said, please do call if you have genuine concerns like trouble with the fax machine or email that gets bounced back to you.

topQ: What resources are available?

A: We?re different in that we're an "all Mac" office. Thus, we provide access to a Mac computer, word processing and spreadsheet software, email and Internet. In addition to our own office library, we are members of Jenkins Law Library; you'll receive a card with borrowing and research privileges.

topQ: Eke, I don't have a car and you're not in Center City - how do I get to your office?

A: We encourage you NOT to drive, actually. We chose to stay in Philadelphia, among other reasons, because it's so easy to get around without a car. We are incredibly accessible by public transportation and by bicycle! You could probably canoe if you really wanted, although we've never tried. Check out the directions page for details. Additionally, since the firm is a member of Philly CarShare, you can get a free account for those times when you really need a car.

topQ: Are there scheduled events?

A: We don't have any mandatory scheduled events.

We have a holiday party in early December that we would encourage you to attend. It's fun and a great opportunity to meet with clients and colleagues.

Additionally, each summer, we try to have firm events such as happy hours and outings to baseball games, so that we can socialize a bit.

We strongly support interest in organizations outside of the firm. We are members of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, German American Chamber of Commerce, the Union League of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Bar Association, Philadelphia Estate Planning Council and many other organizations. We regularly attend sponsored events, as well as community events, and hope that they interest you enough to do the same.

topQ: Does the firm offer and support pro-bono work?

A: Yes! We offer a number of pro bono opportunities at the firm, through such organizations as Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, Senior Law Project and Philly VIP. If you don't see something you like, or if you have an idea for a program, just ask us!

topQ: Will I have the opportunity to travel outside of Philadelphia?

A: Maybe, we certainly do. Opportunities are always available to attend seminars and events in cities outside of Philadelphia, including New York City and Washington, DC.

topQ: How can I be considered for a lateral/new hire position?

A: We do accept resumes throughout the year in the event that a position does become available. We are most interested in attorneys with experience in the following areas:

• Corporate

• Contract

• Business Immigration

• Internet Law

• Taxation (Corporate/Nonprofit)

Language skills are helpful. An exisiting book of business is a plus.

If you're interested in becoming a regular member of our team, please send a cover letter and resume to:

     Lateral Hire/The Erb Law Firm, PC
     5901 Ridge Avenue
     Suite 100
     Philadelphia, PA 19128

You may also submit your information via fax (215.508.4428) or the web (hr@erblaw.com). If you submit your resume via email, please ensure that it is in text, Word, AppleWorks or .pdf format.