Washington and Lee University School of Law Office of Career Planning

USE YOUR BREAK EFFECTIVELY TO SEARCH FOR A JOB

Thanksgiving break is almost here! Although you will be busy during your break, OCP encourages you to use your time wisely to work on your job search. Here are a few ideas to make the most of your time away:

☞ Apply to those jobs you are interested in, but haven’t applied to.

☞ Develop a list of employers to contact regarding possible employment opportunities; begin to contact these employers.

☞ If you want to practice in a particular region, attend any local bar association meetings or Continuing Legal Education courses to network with practicing attorneys in the region.

☞ Set up informational interviews with local attorneys.

☞ Make follow-up calls to employers you’ve applied to, but haven’t heard from.

☞ Check to see if there is an alumni chapter in your area and network with members.

See you on FACEBOOK! The OCP Facebook page has lots of information for students. Don’t miss out!

CAREERPATHSVolume 4, Issue 3 November 2010

HELP YOUR APPLICATION STAND OUT:

ENTER A WRITING COMPETITIONYes, entering writing competitions

does take time and effort, but they can be a great way to make your resume stand out in a competitive job market when applying to employers. And if you do well in the competition, you will be published in legal journals disseminated to local attorneys, which gives you the opportunity to display your legal knowledge to practicing attorneys. This will help you stand out in a competitive job market.

If you are looking to find a writing competition you are interested in, there are several places that list competitions.

☞ StudentLawyer magazine will often list writing competitions.

☞ The ABA lists writing competitions HERE.

☞ Symplicity also lists various writing competitions.

Additionally, you maywant to consider entering a writing competition like the one below:

☞ National Law Review (NLR) Writing Competition: The deadline for submissions has been extended until Friday, November 12th. Students are encouraged to submit articles addressing Labor & Employment Law, but can also submit entries covering current issues related to other areas of law. The winner will be published online and in the NLR searchable database. For complete rules, please see the Submission Guidelines.

☞ 2010-2011 Louis Jackson National Student Writing Competition in Employment and Labor Law: The deadline for submission is January 18, 2011. For details click HERE.

Additional competitions are posted in Symplicity and bulletin board outside Faculty Services

It is incredibly hard to believe that November is already here. You are probably busy writing papers, catching up on reading, studying for exams, and eager for Thanksgiving break to arrive.

Despite the hectic nature of this time, I encourage each of you to take a few minutes to review this newsletter, the Career Blog, and Facebook, for the latest OCP updates, postings and job search and networking strategies.

If you haven’t had your application materials reviewed in a while, send it to OCP (in word format please) for another review. The last thing you want is to use your resume to network, or apply for a job, only to find it contains a typo, or that with a few minor tweaks you could have made your application stronger.

If you are a 1L and haven’t made an appointment to see your counselor, there is still plenty of time. You can even schedule an appointment now for after break. During break, review the many resources available on the OCP website and familiarize yourself with the tools needed to locate alumni in your preferred geographic area.

If you are a 2L or 3L and haven’t met with a counselor this year, we highly recommend doing so before the end of the semester. Take advantage of your breaks and maximize our resources. Join us to learn how.

Have a great Fall break!

FROM THE DIRECTOR

2 Career Paths

OPPORTUNITIES FOR DIVERSE LAW STUDENTS

The Martin Luther King Fellowship Program offers summer internships and post-graduate fellowships for culturally and ethnically diverse attorneys looking to enter public service.

☞ 3L Post-Graduate Fellowship Program: two year fellowship whereby law school graduates are hired by a sponsoring regional or specialty program as full-time staff attorneys and receive a salary and loan repayment assistance. The program is intended to support and promote new lawyers who are interested in a long term public interest career. For application instructions, and further information, go HERE.

☞ Summer Internship Program: Internships for 1L or 2L students are available at Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network programs across Pennsylvania. For application instructions, and further information, go HERE.

INTERESTED IN STARTING YOUR CAREER WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT? CONSIDER THE FEDERAL CAREER INTERN PROGRAM

☞ The FCIP is a two year entry level appointment designed to bring talented people into the federal government through a streamlined process. Although not designed specifically for attorney hiring, the FCIP is a less competitive alternative to government honors for those looking to start a career in the federal government. After the completion of the two year fellowship, most agencies will convert the fellowship to full-time employment. And for many programs, completion of a law degree qualifies recent graduates for application with no additional GPA or experience requirements. How to find and apply for FCIP opportunities:

☞ Applicants should apply directly to the federal agency using www.usajobs.gov or by searching on the specific agency’s Web site. Unlike the Presidential Management Fellows Program, there is no nominating process for the program, and the intern programs are run individually by the participating agencies. Thus, agencies set individual deadlines for their positions.

☞ Many, but not all, agencies post FCIP positions on USAJobs as they become available (search keywords “FCIP” and “CIP.”) Agencies will also list positions on their websites, so you must research individual agencies in which you are interested to see whether they participate in FCIP.

☞ To get started, check out Making the Difference, which has an Excel document with links to agencies FCIP application page.

☞ For more information about the Federal Career Intern Program visit: www.opm.gov/careerintern/index.asp.

POST GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

☞ Deborah T. Poritz Summer Public Interest Legal Fellowship—Legal Services of New Jersey (LSNJ) will sponsor a paid intern program during the summer of 2011, awarding summer intern fellowships in New Jersey public interest legal organizations to rising 2nd and 3rd year law students. Application details available in Symplicity.

☞ Public Defender Corps is a new three-year fellowship initiative scheduled to launch as a pilot program in the fall of 2011. This initiative is aimed at addressing the ongoing national crisis of providing quality representation to accused persons who cannot afford counsel. Fellows will undergo a rigorous application and selection process. Once selected, they will receive outstanding advocacy training and mentoring, and be integrated into a community of defenders to help them develop the skills needed to provide the highest quality of representation to clients and imbue them with a commitment to indigent defense reform. Applications for Public Defender Corps Fellowships will be available in early November 2010 and due December 17th at 5 p.m. Please check this website often for updated information. For more information about the Public Defender Corps fellowship program contact Kamyle Griffin ’10L at kgriffin@equaljusticeworks.org.

RECENT JOB POSTINGS— CHECK SYMPLICITY FOR FURTHER DETAILS

Keep checking Symplicity regularly as new positions are frequently added. You don’t want to miss any deadlines.

☞ Lawson and Silek in Winchester, VA, 2L Summer Associate position

☞ Legal Services of Northern California, 1L internship

☞ Kentucky Supreme Court, 3L Law Clerk Position

☞ Delaware Supreme Court, 3L Law Clerk Position

☞ Maryland Office of the Attorney General, 3L Attorney Position

☞ Legal Services of Northern California, 3L Attorney Position

☞ Summer Honors Law Program, 1Ls and 2Ls

Career Paths 3

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

ABA LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT LAW PROGRAMNovember 8, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m., Classroom CPanelists include:

Paul Beers ’86L, Glenn, Feldmann, Darby & Goodlatte (Roanoke, VA)

Bayard E. Harris, Woods Rogers PLC and faculty member at Roanoke College (Salem, VA)

Melissa Wolf Riley ’95UG, Counsel, McGuireWoods, LLP (Charlottesville, VA)

There will be a free drawing for a Section hooded sweatshirt! Pizza and drinks will be provided by ABA. All classes

welcome.

JUST FOR 1LSNovember 9, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m., Classroom CResume Writing Workshop

November 11, 3:00 - 4:00 p.m., Classroom DCover Letter Workshop

JUDICIAL CLERKSHIPS: A VIEW FROM THE BENCHNovember 12, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m., Classroom G

Join us for a meet and greet with the following:The Honorable John Parkins, Jr. ’72L, Delaware Superior CourtThe Honorable Joseph R. Slights ’88L, Delaware Superior CourtThe Honorable Pamela White ’77L, Baltimore City Circuit Court

This is a great opportunity to connect with state court judges in a relaxed, informal setting and get their views on the judicial and clerkship application systems.

NEED HELP DRAFTING A COVER LETTER OR RESUME?

Watch the recently created webinars to learn tips on creating effective application materials, and to see resume and cover letter examples.

Resume Webinar

Cover Letter Webinar

GETTING TO THE HILL: INSIGHT FROM LEGAL COUNSEL TO THE SENATE BANKING COMMITTEENovember 12, 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., Classroom F Andrew Olmem ’96, ‘01L, counsel to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, will be on campus to discuss his career path with students. Join us for an informal discussion on what life is like as a senate attorney, and how you can prepare for a career on the hill. All classes welcome! Come with questions!

VIRGINIA BAR ASSOCIATION’S EDUCATION LAW ROUNDTABLENovember 15, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m., Classroom CMeet seasoned practitioners in the field, join us for a roundtable discussion on education law.Panelists include:

Audrey Burges, Strother Law (Richmond, VA)Margaret Sander, Thompson McMullan (Richmond, VA)

All classes welcome—Pizza provided by the VBA Sponsored by the Virginia Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division and Washington and Lee Law School Council

INFO SESSION: SHEPHERD PROGRAM ON POVERTY AND HUMAN CAPABILITY - FOR 1LS & 2LS November 29, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m., Classroom CInterested in working in the public sector next summer but fear you can’t pay the bills without a paycheck? We have an answer for you! Fran Elrod, Coordinator of Co-curricular Education for the Shepherd Poverty Program, will explain the opportunities available through the Shepherd Poverty Alliance. Attendees will learn about the application process and deadlines and the fact that four PAID internships are reserved for law students! Don’t miss this opportunity. Listen to Marianne Zawadzki ’12L and Jeremy Franklin ’04 talk about their past experience with the Shepherd program. Pizza will be served.

See law web calendar for the most up to date information on all events.

4 Career Paths

NEW LIBRARY RESOURCES OF INTEREST:

Chambers Associate: The Student’s Guide to Law Firms (Chambers & Partners 2010)

This resource includes profiles of major law firms created based on interviews with current associates and partners. These profiles include information on major practice area, firm history, future projections for the firm, culture, hours, how work is assigned, pro bono, and training. This resource also includes a section of information on what it is like to practice in various practice areas, including antitrust, intellectual property, banking and finance, and corporate.

Guide to Foreign Law Firms (American Bar Association Section of International Law 2010)

For those students interested in working a law firm abroad, this resource includes the contact information, number of attorneys, and practice areas for firms in countries around the world.

Richard L. Hermann, Managing Your Legal Career: Best Practices for Creating the Career You Want (American Bar Association 2010)

This thorough guide touches on what you’ll need to do before your job hunt, while you’re looking, as you interview, once you’ve gotten the offer, and all the steps in between. Sections include:

☞ Discerning what employers really want

☞ Interviewing: including questions to ask during your job interview and how to handle the tough questions

☞ Tapping the hidden job market, in both private and public sector employment

☞ How to network efficiently and effectively, including how to use your references

☞ Expanding your legal career horizons

☞ How to read, dissect, and respond to a job ad

☞ Identifying hidden skill sets and matching them with opportunities

☞ Keeping up—and coping—with application technology

☞ Online networking

☞ Negotiating the terms of employment

Chuck Martin, Work Your Strengths: A Scientific Process to Identify Your Skills and Match Them to the Best Career For You.

A self-assessment tool to help you discover your strengths, and target employers that fit with those strengths.

The Public Policy Handbook provides students with resources for 235+ internships and after-graduation fellowships with legislatures, nongovernmental organizations, think tanks, advocacy organizations, federal and state agencies, and other institutions engaged in policy analysis and implementation. These positions all utilize the skills of a law student – problem identification, policy research, analysis of the decision-making process and end result policies, advocacy, and policy implementation – and develop expertise in specific policy areas such as national security, health care policy, technology and science. Appendix tables are organized by deadline date, internships, fellowships, and subject area. The Handbook is being researched, added to and updated continually.

Students can access the login information on our secure password page