- Getting the Scoop on Jobs & Careers (general)
- Sample Searches for Networking & Informational Interviews (includes examples for government and nonprofit lawyers)
- Fellowship Opportunities in Law
- Government Work
- Researching Judicial Clerkship Opportunities
- Grant Resources for Law Students
Public Service Careers: Research Tips
Posted
Oct. 20, 2009.
Prepared by Mary Whisner
Preliminary Thoughts
Thinking about what sort of job you want involves at least three interests:
- the substantive area -- environmental law, women's rights, etc.
- the nature of the work -- litigation, lobbying, education, etc.
- the geographic area where you'd like to land
Your goal is to find something in the intersection of these three factors.
So far, this is the same as it is for any other sort of legal career. The challenge for students interested in public interest law is that the numbers are smaller. For instance, for any city in America (geography), there will be a lot of lawyers drafting (nature of work) estate planning documents (substance). But there will very few people in that city (geography) litigating (nature of work) on behalf of low-income LGBTQ people (substance).
As you develop your interests, think about where you are willing to stretch them to make their intersection bigger. If your substantive ideal is working on housing discrimination, would you consider landlord-tenant law? the mortgage crisis? civil rights generally? If your geographic ideal is Seattle, would you consider Tacoma? San Francisco? any city on the West Coast? any city?
Your opportunities multiply if your diagram looks more like this:
There are more factors to layer on top of these:
- timing -- an externship in two months or a job three years after graduation?
- size of office -- two or three lawyers or a hundred?
- type of employer -- government, nonprofit, private sector?
- pay (or not) -- volunteer work, externship for credit, paid work, fellowship?
Cast a wide net.
In the early stages of your career planning, remember that finding a job in the short-term is just part of what you're doing. You're also learning about the nature of the work, exploring the job market, meeting interesting lawyers (and others), and learning more about yourself. You don't have to want to work somewhere to benefit from learning about the organization and talking to its lawyers. And you don't have to want to do something for thirty years in order to get a lot out of a summer job doing it.
PSLawNet
The University of Washington School of Law subscribes to PSLawNet so that students and alumni can have access to it. Use it. Set up your own account to take full advantage of its features.
- Job postings, including law-related jobs, international jobs, fellowships.
- Organization descriptions. (Don't wait for a job posting if you find an organization that interests you!)
- Career resources -- tips on resumes, interviewing, etc.
- Customize your own homepage (saving favorites to go back to).
- Sign up for alerts tailored to your interests.
Learn about Fields That Interest You
Make the time to keep up with some of the fields that interest you.
- Visit organizations' websites to see what their posting under
"news," "issues," or "new developments."
- Sign up for newsletters or email updates. E.g., see the links in the menu bars of:
- Read relevant
blogs,
e.g.,
- Public Defender Stuff ("indigent defense news, delivered fresh daily")
- Consumer Law & Policy Blog
- Speaking of Women's Rights (Legal Voice)
- Look at the magazines the lawyers you want to work with do, e.g.,
- Clearinghouse Review (Compact Stacks and online (UW-only))
- Immigration Law Today (American Immigration Law Ass'n) (KF4802 .A54 current at Reference Area)
- Become a Facebook fan of an organization
- Some groups have YouTube channels, e.g.,
- When you're practicing on LexisNexis or Westlaw -- or surfing the Web -- try looking for news about the issues or organizations you care about.
- Attend talks on campus.
- Go to local events.
- Volunteer.
But what about the time???
You might be thinking that you don't possibly have the time to do any of this. After all, you're a busy law student.
Amazingly, it doesn't take a whole lot of time to be more informed than you are. Twenty minutes here and there can make a big difference. Go ahead, give up a couple of games of Spider Solitaire or a "Friends" rerun. (I'm not judging you: I take breaks and indulge in diversions too.)
You'll find that it makes it much easier to make conversation when you meet lawyers -- you can bring up a news item or something you came across. This sort of reading can be a great break from studying. It will remind you of why you wanted to be a lawyer!
Prepare for Networking & Informational Interviews
See the tips in Sample Searches for Networking & Informational Interviews.