What You Can Do While In Law School

Why Are You Here, Where Are You Going, and How Can You Get There?

Using The Tools: Community Service Work
Summer After Your First Year: Volunteer

The Internship and Externship Programs
UDC-DCSL Activities

Voluntary Bar Associations
Balancing School and Work
Helpful Tips
Student Timeline

Why Are You Here, Where Are You Going, and How Can You Get There?

What do you want to do with your law degree? Help kids? Make big money? Become a judge? Prosecute criminals? Make sweeping systemic changes in unfair legal, legislative or regulatory frameworks? What kind of work would best suit your personality and skills? Are you detail-oriented? Do you enjoy writing and research? Do you like to speak in public? Do you thrive on pressure? Are you willing to put in 60-hour weeks?

Some students arrive at UDC-DCSL knowing exactly what they want to do upon graduation and beyond. For example, they may want to become a criminal defense attorney. Others have a general idea of what direction they want their legal career to take - for example, they might want to help children in some way. Still others have a couple of specific interests that may or may not intersect - like either securities law, family law or intellectual property law. And some - and not just a few - have almost no specific idea!

To think about it more, check out Deciding on a Career.

Using The Tools: Community Service Work

Use your Community Service Requirement to your advantage. For example, if you know you want to become an environmental lawyer, you might begin by choosing to volunteer at one of the many environmental law organizations in Washington in fulfillment of your Community Service Requirement. Do a great job there, be a nice person, and make friends with the staff. If a part-time or summer job comes open, they will be much more likely to hire you if they know you, like you and respect your work. Even if they cannot hire you, they may help you find another group in town who can.

If you do not know what you are ultimately interested in, scout around for a Community Service opportunity with an organization that sounds interesting.

Summer After Your First Year: Volunteer

Though most UDC-DCSL students cannot afford to give away a full summer's work, many can and do volunteer part time while working part time. As with the Community Service work, this is an opportunity to get your foot in the door at a placement where you will be contributing to some important effort, learning something useful, and meeting people who can help you later. If you know what kind of work you want to do upon graduation - or further down the road - this is a chance to begin to build experience and a resumé that reflects your interest.

If you do not know where the road of lawyering may take you, do not despair. If after the first semester in law school you find you are an average or better student, you may well be able to do a volunteer summer clerkship for one of the many DC Superior Court judges who need help – and take pride in mentoring students. A successful judicial clerkship is one resumé item that impresses all viewers - from law firms to non-profits. Judge Arthur Burnett - perhaps the nation's leading expert on minority internships and clerkships - recently spoke at UDC-DCSL. He recommends clerking for rising 2Ls, not only as an excellent career move, but also for its positive impact on students' future academic performance. Such voluntary clerkships can be for as little as 15-20 hours per week during the summer and as little as 12-15 hours per week during the school year.

The Internship and Externship Programs

As with Community Service and voluntary internships, UDC-DCSL's credit-bearing Internship and Externship programs are potentially powerful career-building tools. In addition to the pleasure of doing good works and all that can be learned from working with experienced attorneys outside UDC-DCSL clinics, many students report ongoing professional relationships with organizations they have assisted.

UDC-DCSL Activities

Playing an integral role in one of the many UDC-DCSL student organizations is a way to demonstrate skills that are important in the real world that go largely untested in other ways. Successful involvement can show leadership, commitment to particular causes, creativity, professional judgment, political savvy, etc.

Such work in such a small school is always noticed and appreciated. On numerous occasions it has formed the basis for a personal letter of recommendation from the Dean for a student with whom she would have otherwise had little substantive contact. On the other hand, failed involvement can show the opposite and have the opposite effect, tempering what might have otherwise been more positive recommendations from the Dean and other faculty members.

Voluntary Bar Associations

For students and alumni who are interested in private practice, especially in small or medium-sized firms, one of the most valuable on-going connections you can make to practicing attorneys is by joining a voluntary bar association. Many voluntary bar associations (which complement mandatory bar associations such as the D.C. Bar Association) offer inexpensive student memberships, and a wealth of educational programs, written materials, speakers and networking events. Students can often find leadership opportunities, such as arranging an educational program, through sections like the young lawyer’s division. Take the time to become involved in-depth in one or two organizations, and get to know the members well; don’t spread yourself too thin. Through the association, you can set up informational interviews, find internships and part-time jobs. Small firms hire on their own schedule, and with advance planning and participation, you can graduate with a solid personal network of attorneys who will look to you first when they are looking to hire.

Visit the D.C. Bar Association website for a list (with web site links) of DC based organizations. If you are planning to re-locate to another state, it is even more important to maintain a connection while in law school. Use the internet to locate the appropriate state bar association web site, most of which have links to local and voluntary bar associations.

Balancing School and Work

Clearly, a student who is struggling - even just a bit - in classes or clinic should think twice – or even thrice - before making a commitment to get overly involved in a student organization or to assist another organization through an internship or externship. Just as excellent performance in a placement can open doors, poor performance or bailing out of an internship – whether voluntary or for credit - can do great harm.

With its clinical workload atop the standard academic coursework, the UDC-DCSL program is tough enough to begin with. If you have doubts about whether you have the time or ability to take on additional responsibility, consult with your academic advisor, Career Services, or one of the professors most familiar with your work. If you continue to have significant doubt, stick to basics and forego the opportunity.

Tips

Wherever you are in your law school education, it is important for you to create a resumé and have it ready to send. You never know when an opportunity will present itself, and it increases both your confidence and the quality of your presentation if you are prepared ahead of time. Whether you are starting from scratch or making an update, bring your resumé to the Office of Career Services and discuss it with a staffer. OCS can provide an objective opinion and some helpful tips about what most legal employers are looking for when they review a resumé and cover letter.
Begin identifying employers that interest you and schedule a certain amount of time each week or month to do some research on what these employers require and what opportunities they offer.
Read the Career Services Bulletins sent out by the Office of Career Services; familiarize yourself with some of the opportunities that will become available to you in the coming months and years.
Read legal periodicals; keep abreast of current legal issues; look at skills required for various jobs and begin thinking about ways to increase your experience.
Get involved with legal organizations on campus; try to use the experience as one that teaches you about law, teamwork and leadership- not as resumé filler. These organizations can open up a whole world of contacts.
Get comfortable speaking to people; learn how to introduce yourself; take advantage of opportunities to meet people who might be able to give you a job or can point you to more contacts - like lawyers, judges, and community leaders - and be prepared to discuss your goals with anyone who can help you (although it is generally considered impolite to directly ask someone for a job).
If you are not already, get comfortable with computers and Internet research. Strong aptitude with Westlaw and LEXIS/NEXIS will increase your entry-level legal employment value greatly.
Develop a close enough relationship with at least one professor that he or she would be able to speak to someone else about your abilities (it is important to have legal references when you interview for a job or internship). Talk to them about your goals.
Seize the opportunities that are available to you to make yourself a more competitive candidate: Enter a writing contest, apply for a scholarship, compete in legal competitions, take advantage of public-speaking opportunities, etc.
As soon as possible, get a copy of your transcript up to the present. Many employers request this document, and it will decrease your anxiety if you have it ready.
Think about a writing sample. Keep this in mind as you write papers for courses.
Approach a professor for a recommendation. If you are not applying for a specific position, ask them for a general recommendation or ask them if they will consider writing one for you should an opportunity arise.
Compile your resumé, transcript, references and writing sample into one file and continually update it as changes occur. Bring your resumé to the Office of Career Services and have a staffer edit it for you.
Keep people informed of your plans. If you have developed contacts, write them a note or give them a call and let them know what you would like to do. Let the Office of Career Services know what you would like to do; that way, they can flag opportunities that they receive and pass them on to you directly. It is important for you to advocate for yourself.

September-December

For 1Ls, do not wait until the last minute to fulfill your community service requirement. Most summer positions for clerks and interns open up in late fall and early spring and it benefits you to have some legal experience to include on your resumé when you apply for these opportunities. Also, consider if you would like a judicial clerkship in the future and do some research about which courts interest you.

For 2Ls, it is not too early to begin thinking about and applying for post-graduate judicial clerkship opportunities. In many instances, judges are looking for 2Ls to apply for after graduation. Many of these opportunities will become available in the fall, but keep in mind that you will probably have to pursue those courts in which you are interested; competition is keen enough that judges do not need to go out of their way to advertise.

For 2Ls and 3Ls, remember that summer internship and clerkship opportunities, particularly in private practice and corporations, begin opening up as early as the preceding September. Think about what you would like to do and have your information - resumé, transcripts, references, and writing sample - gathered and ready to go.

December-January

Use the Break to do some research on employers and jobs. Spend some time thinking strategically about what you want to do in the future and the best way to accomplish those goals.

Consider volunteering for a law-related organization over the Winter Break. It will emphasize your dedication to the law and increase your marketability when internship opportunities arise in the spring.

Make sure that your resumé and other employment information is ready to be sent. Try writing a few draft cover letters.

In many instances, professors will ask you to write a recommendation for yourself that they can use as a reference when writing their recommendation of you. Consider using this time to write a recommendation for yourself. This can also be a useful exercise for thinking about the skills you would like to develop- what would you like a recommendation to say about you?

January-May

For 3Ls, applications for the July bar exam in DC become available in March. Bar exam application deadlines for other states are available on the Internet. The MPRE exam is usually taken before you graduate. Talk with a professor and visit the BAR/BRI site to familiarize yourself with the bar procedures.

For 3Ls, before you leave, provide your contact information to the Office of Career Services so that the school can keep you up to date on reunions and other school news. You also have the option of receiving the Alumni Career Bulletin sent out by the OCS.

June-August

If you cannot find a paid internship for summer and cannot afford to take an unpaid position, consider volunteering to gain relevant legal experience.

Continually update your resumé and always have the most current copy of your transcript on hand.