Like undergrads, law students will need to build experience prior to graduation to have the best chance at competitive Hill positions. One way to build experience is to work for a few years on Capitol Hill before returning to law school. Many people interested in both politics and the law find that working for some time on Capitol Hill helps sharpen their interest in the law, and more specifically, on the area of law that they would like to concentrate on. Those law students who have not had the opportunity to serve on Capitol Hill prior to attending law school will most likely need to build experience through internships prior to graduation if they wish to pursue a position there upon graduation. Please note that even for law students, many Hill internships are unpaid or offer only a small stipend.

One popular option for those interested in a Washington career in government and law is to attend one of the local evening law programs while working full time on the Hill. There are five major law schools within the Washington, DC region offering night programs: Georgetown University; George Washington University; Catholic University, American University, and George Mason University.

Depending on the extent of their Hill experience, law school graduates can start on the Hill as a professional staff member for a committee or as a legislative aide with a member of the House of Representatives or a Senator. As with the positions in the Federal government, starting salaries will be much less than law school graduates would earn with a firm, so they will need to consider their debt load in deciding to pursue opportunities on the Hill.

With significant Hill experience, however, lawyers will find themselves much in demand in private sector government affairs positions, usually with a lobbying firm or a government relations office of a corporation.