Tag Archives: legal employment

Lost & Found – Rebooted

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Now that I’ve officially sat for the bar, I find myself with a fair bit of time on my hands. But, as my lovely readers know – it’s not “free time.” Unless you translate “free time” to mean “time to search for jobs.” Therefore, I’ve gotten back on the horse. Below are this week’s finds:

Internship

Entry Level (0-1)

Junior (1-3) 

Mid (3-5)

Senior (5-10) 

Partner (10+)

Academic

Contract

Lost & Found (Afternoon Edition)

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Internships:

Entry Level (0-1):

Junior (1-3):

Mid Level (3-5):

Senior (5+):

Partner (7-10+):

Contract:

JD Preferred:

Lost & Found

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Sunday Spoils:

Internships:

Entry Level (0-1):

Junior (1-3):

Mid (3-5):

Senior (5+):

Partner (7-10+):

Contract:

JD Preferred:

Lost & Found

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Internships:

Clerkships:

Entry Level (0-1):

Junior (1-3):

Mid Level (3-5):

Senior (5+):

Contract:

JD Preferred:

Think Tanks – a JD Preferred Alternative

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When job hunting we all think of the usual suspects: firms and the government. Occasionally someone remembers something about non-profits. What we all tend to forget about is think tanks.

These policy institutes employ lawyers. Sometimes they even let them practice law. Yes, that’s right, there’s more than just “JD Preferred” out there.

A list for your perusal:

Happy job hunting, friends.

http://policyjobs.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=373&Itemid=436

Lost & Found

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A little late, but it’s finally up.

This Monday’s edition of Lost & Found feels a bit heavy on the mid-senior level positions. I would love any tips in regards to internships and entry level jobs. I know it’s slim pickings this close to summer, but any ideas on where to look are appreciated!

Internships:

Judicial Clerkships:

Entry-Level (0-1):

Junior (1-3):

Mid-Level (3-5):

Senior (5+):

Contract:

JD Preferred:

Lost & Found

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Alright fellow job seekers, here are a few listings to get you through the weekend. And remember, suggestions for broadening my search are welcome – just leave it in the comments!

Intern:

Entry-Level (0-1):

Junior Associate (1-3):

Mid-Level (3-5):

Senior (5+):

Contract:

Non-Legal/JD Preferred:

A (General) Guide to the GS Payscale

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I don’t know about everyone else, but when I first started perusing USAJobs for jobs to apply to I took one look at the General Pay Scale and went “what the hell does this mean”? I had no idea what I could or couldn’t apply to, other than GS15 seemed to pay pretty well for government work, so it clearly couldn’t apply to lowly entry-level me. I’m pretty sure that first time resulted in me immediately closing the window and tabbing back over to facebook. Needless to say, the job search this year has been rife with denial and emotional shut downs at the sheer prospect of educating myself on absolutely everything related to law jobs (and procuring one) overwhelmed me.

So I did what any self-respecting student born in the internet age would do – I googled. And then I googled some more. And then I came across this lovely gem of an article: The Ultimate Guide to the GS Page Scale. Complete with FAQ.

The most helpful/relevant section for budding law grads was the discussion on how to determine where you stand on the pay scale if you’re not already within the system.

The run down:

  • GS-9: MA/MS, J.D/LLM
  • GS-11: Ph.D, Equivalent doctoral degree (which arguably a J.D. qualifies as), or 3 academic years of progressively higher level graduate education

What does this translate to practically? Most newly-minted J.D.s are hired at GS-9, and then bumped to GS-11 with bar passage. Also, if you see a job listed at GS-11 and it doesn’t absolutely require bar passage to begin with, you should probably apply for it. Additionally some GS-11 and GS-12 attorney positions allow you to substitute experience in internships, judicial clerkships, and your position on things like Journal or moot court for the total years of work experience if you don’t yet have bar passage.

Lesson: Don’t discount yourself too early and read job postings carefully. Further, most postings on USAJobs have a contact name with an email where you can send questions. When in doubt, ask someone.

 

Taking Off The Blinders

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I think one of the hardest things about job searching is that we all have a vision of ourselves living and working in a particular part of the country. Except, in this economy we just can’t be that picky.

I know, it’s hard. You sit in front of your computer staring at that job posting thinking “I could move to Vegas. I’m young. Living in Vegas could be fun.” And then you click over to something else (probably facebook or gchat) and before you go back to your other tab you think “do I really want to move to Vegas?” And so the inner turmoil begins.

You begin an unintentional list of pros and cons. Pros: Sunny, Casinos, Night Life; Cons: Crime, Old people at casinos, Will I have any time to enjoy the night life? You debate just how much housing might cost (and further procrastinate by visiting craigslist to check the average price of a 1 Bedroom). You think of how far away your family will be. Because it’s April, and you’ve likely already registered for one bar exam, you bemoan the fact that you’d have to take a February bar. Or that they might not even look at your resume because you’re not taking the Nevada bar and it’s too late to switch. And, ultimately, you angst about Vegas not being the Location of Your Dreams.

As law students, we’re taught to be targeted in our approaches to things. We have goals. We reach our goals. When we’re working in the city (or even the region) of the country we want to work in is unrealistic, we just don’t know how to process it. I know “processing” for me often involves a box of cookies and some nexflix continuous streaming.

And, half the battle is that we only really know how to job search where we’re used to looking. At worst, we shy away from the unfamiliar. At best, we bumble through trying to find jobs in a region we know little to nothing about.

But, there is hope! Something that your Career Services office either forgot to tell you or glossed over – Law School Career Offices have reciprocity agreements with one another.

What does this mean? Well, you know that nifty job board that you can log into by virtue of being a student? Every other law school has one as well. And all of these job boards have unique postings. In order to help students with searches across the country, schools have set up reciprocity agreements granting students from sister institutions access.

What does this mean for you? Go, now, to your career office and get that list of sister schools. Email your career counselor requesting information on gaining access and email their career counselors requesting information on gaining access. Hopefully, with enough email prodding you’ll eventually have a much, much larger job board to look at.

And more job postings means more applications. More applications (hopefully) means more interviews. Which brings you one step closer to gainful legal employment, right?

I certainly hope so.

 

What Does it Mean to be “Entry-Level?”

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I’ve been combing job boards all week, trying to scrounge up more positions to apply to. Whenever I see the words “entry-level” or “recent grad” I get ridiculous amounts of excited. And then it happens. I’ve clicked on the posting, begun to scroll down, and *POOF* all of my excitement evaporates into a cloud of disgruntled bitterness. I’ve reached something that says “requires bar passage” or “bar passage required at the time of application” or “requires proof of bar license.”

I have exactly none of these things. Why? Because I haven’t graduated from law school yet. I haven’t taken the bar yet. I will be taking the bar this July and I certainly hope I obtain bar passage when the results come out later in the fall.

Why does this embitter me so? Well, quite frankly it’s because legal employers aren’t stupid. They know darn well that there are exactly two times a year that someone may sit for a state bar exam. They also know that, with a few exceptions, you can only sit for one state at a time. And furthermore, they know that by April you’ve already financially committed to which state you’ll be sitting for and won’t be able to add an additional state until February, when you can sit for the next bar exam.

So, when I read through these positions I can’t help but think “do they really want someone who is “entry-level?” And, the answer I’ve come up with is a bit disheartening. In today’s economy entry-level isn’t usually a new grad. Rather, it’s someone who is still job hunting from the prior year’s graduating class. Or someone who has been clerking. Or someone who has been taking contract work.

No one wants to take the time to train the fresh meat. No one wants to risk employing someone who might not pass the bar their first time out of the gate. Everyone wants a sure bet.

So, as a soon-to-be new grad, how do I market myself? How do I let an employer know that I’m not the fresh meat they fear me to be? My resume is chock-full of clinic and internships and my work experience prior to law school. My cover letter clearly literates my skill sets. But, I know that when a recruiter is faced with 600+ candidates (common in the age of internet applications) that we’re lucky if half of our applications get face time. Getting off that pile in the first place is really the whole battle.