Registering for an Externship

An externship is a great way to gain practical experience and to acquire legal skills. See the Career Planning website link above if you have any questions about how to register for an externship. The instructions are provided along with forms that need to be submitted to the Career Planning Office. For questions about the Externship Program contact Professor William Covington who is located in Room 346. There are also many opportunities listed on Symplicity to consider.

New Judicial Externship Opportunities for Winter Quarter - Deadlines Approaching

Check Symplicity for judicial externships (under announcements and job postings) that are still open for Winter Quarter 2010. Apply as soon as possible for Winter Quarter judicial externships that are listed. For Spring Quarter, a judicial externship application deadline is also approaching. Need Help? Contact your career coach.

Thinking About a Judicial Externship?

The Career Planning Office website has recruiting information and program resources. Questions? Contact your career coach in the Career Planning Office.

Video Interview Tips

Prof. Molly Shadel (UVa) offers a half hour of advice in this video: How to Ace Your Interview.

Before going into law teaching, Prof. Shadel clerked for a district judge, was an associate in a big law firm (in New York and DC), and worked at the Department of Justice. In short, she's had some successful interviews in her day, so her advice is worth listening to.

Career Planning Office Announces its “Thank You” Contest:

What Every Professional Must Know: The Thank You
~ Jacqueline Pruner, Career Planning Specialist,
UWLS Career Planning Office ~

Throughout childhood, we have all been told to remember to express our gratitude – to say “please” and “thank you.”

Now that you’re adults and (nearly) lawyers, those lessons – that have hopefully turned into habits – are more important than ever.

Networking with a good reputation as a trustworthy, amicable, and fair professional with integrity and the client’s interests at heart is the ideal every lawyer should aspire to.

Not only for altruistic reasons – to do the overall legal profession a service, for example – but also for self-interested reasons: to ensure your career will constantly advance, rather than falter.

The UWLS Career Planning office has prepared a PowerPoint presentation you can find in our entitled, “What Every Professional Must Know: The Thank You.” This presentation provides “dos” and “don’ts” on how to thank fellow professionals – be they potential employers, mentors, or lawyers who have agreed to a lengthy (i.e., and hour or more) informational interview.

What Every Professional Must Know: The Thank You” can be found under the heading “Thank Yous” on the Career Tools page of the Career Planning Section on the UWLS website. Take a look and learn a few valuable tips to further your reputation … and your career!

THE CONTEST:

Stop by the Career Planning Office throughout December & January for the following reasons:

1) Enter the “Best Thank You” contest – anytime between now and 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 29, 2010, simply drop off your hard copy creation of the best “thank you” you can come up with to the front desk at the Career Planning Office. NOTE: Be sure to: 1) keep it brief (no more than 250 words or less, please), 2) to include your name, year and email address, and 3) to address it to “Dear Mr./Ms. Jones”. The two best “thank you” composers will be selected in early February and each win a prize of a box of thank you cards, courtesy of Papyrus in the University Village.

2) Regardless of whether or not you enter our “Best Thank You” contest, be sure to stop by the front desk of the Career Planning Office throughout January to pick up a 25% off gift certificate at Papyrus in the University Village (available only while supplies last).

Good luck and happy “thank you” writing!

Judicial Clerkship Nominations

University of Michigan Law School provides a list of nominations for federal judges. Several law schools refer to this site. The link is provided here. The 2010 federal clerkship application deadlines for the national federal clerkship program have not been updated. New dates and instructions will be forthcoming soon. Check the judicial clerkship tab on the Career Planning Office website for information on how to apply for a judicial clerkship and click on the networking tab for alumni clerks. In Hollybeth Hakes absence, Dean Sanchez will be providing assistance, please refer all questions to her. Thank you.

Law grads have many career choices

A J.D. degree is an open door to many career paths. Though at times job choices may seem limited, today’s world has a great need for attorneys. Awaiting law graduates are exciting legal and administrative careers in many fields, including art, athletics, business, communications, education, engineering, health, labor, science, and technology. Especially at a time when the number of job opportunities from on-campus recruiting events and structured hiring programs has constricted, students should think broadly about their careers – about what they love doing, how long they see themselves doing it, where they want to work and live, and whom they want to live close to. They need to seek advice from mentors, lawyers, professors, family members, friends, and Career Planning Office professionals. A new lawyer’s initial job is unlikely to be the one he or she has five or six years down the road, since first jobs are often driven by personal priorities at the time of graduation.

Job opportunities open and close at different times. The quest for a job is often difficult because of timing. One of the best ways to job search is to talk to and share ideas with people you meet. It’s often been said that people "run into their next job offer when they talk with other people.” Job seekers always need to have their resume in top-notch form and ready to be handed over or sent out. Take time and care with your resume: It represents you. Your very best resume, however, is the one that, because of your sterling reputation and strong references, you’ll never need. Treat any meeting with another lawyer the same as you would a job interview, and be sure to send a thank-you note.

Remember, your law degree equips you to do many things, and many challenging and satisfying careers await you!

Social Entrepreneurship Grants

For a list of social entrepreneurship grants and granting institutions that students who want to do poverty work can apply to for post-grad opportunities: http://maximinlaw.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/collection-of-social-entreprenuership-grants/
From the list so far:
• Echoing Green (Dec. 2, 2009)
• Berkeley Law Foundation (Jan. 15, 2010)
• Draper Richards Foundation (no deadline)
• Initiative for Public Interest at Yale (Feb. 5, 2010)

Submitted by Michele Storms

Judicial Clerkship Applications Increase This Year

Judicial Clerkship applications increased this year over past years. This article focuses on this new trend. Students who are interested in becoming a judicial clerk should read the Career Planning webpages for Judicial Clerkships and the Judical Externships. Both are excellent resources. https://www.law.washington.edu/Career/Students/JudicialClerk/default.aspx and https://www.law.washington.edu/Career/Students/JudExternship/default.aspx

UW Law School International Law Society Events Coming Up This Week

Please note that the ILS is sponsoring some great speakers.
Two upcoming talks by Prof. Patricia Mbote of Strathmore University School of Law, Kenya.

1. On Monday, November 23 at 12:30 pm in Gates Hall (Rm 119) Prof. Mbote will give a talk on: “Legal Education for Law and Justice Sector Reforms in Kenya: A Case for a Paradigm Shift.”
2. On Tuesday, November 24 at 12:30 pm in Thomson Hall (Jackson School)(Rm 317), Prof. Mbote will give a talk on: “Gender, Rights to Land and Environmental Resources for Development: An East African Perspective.”Food (from Cedars Café – the closest we could get to Kenyan food!) will be served for this talk starting at noon.