2008 Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair

Registration is open for the 2008 Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair!

If you are interested in working in the public sector, in either public interest or government, don’t miss the opportunity to attend the Equal Justice Works Career Fair and Conference at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington DC on October 10th and 11th.

The Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair is a national career fair with employers from Alaska to New Hampshire that are interviewing for over 1,500 post-graduate and summer employment opportunities . Additionally, the national conference provides a venue where participants can learn and network about current social justice issues and develop skills that will be helpful in the workplace. Each year, over 1,000 individuals attend these events.

Please note the following important dates:
September 12 – Last day for students to submit their résumés to employers
September 24 – Last day for employers to notify students of interviews
September 26 – Registration for the Conference and Career Fair closes. This is the last day to add or cancel registrations. Anyone who wishes to register after this date must do so on-site.
October 10 – Law School Awards Luncheon
October 10 & 11 – The Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair

To register, visit http://www.equaljusticeworks.org/events/ccf/general and click on the registration link in the left menu. Registering for the Conference and Career Fair is free for students and alumni. For further information contact Randee Breiter at the Career Development Office.

Working This Fall

2L, 3L and LL.M. Students: Are you interested in working part-time this semester? The ABA allows law students to work up to 20 hours a week after their first year. Whether you want to gain practical experience, earn a little money or both, working part-time can be a very rewarding experience.

A wide variety of employers hire law students for part-time school year positions including law firms, corporations, members of the judiciary, federal, state and local government agencies and public interest organizations.

School year opportunities are posted on the Symplicity job posting database. In the “Position Type” drop down menu, select “Part-Time Positions (Non OCI)” to filter your search.

For those interested in a part-time internship with a judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida, please consider participating in the CDO’s Fall Judicial Intern Program. Applications are available in the CDO and are due on Friday, September 5.

Reviewed Symplicity and haven’t found anything you like? Talk to your career advisor about conducting a fall semester job search. Not every opportunity is advertised and your advisor can help tailor your search towards the practice area you are most interested in.

Phase II // Session II of OCI

Phase II of the Fall 2008 On Campus Interview (OCI) Program will take place from Monday, September 8 to Friday, October 31. As Phase II is longer than Phase I, it is divided into three sessions, the second of which will take place from Monday, September 22 through Friday, October 10.

To participate, you must complete the bidding process via the Symplicity system. Bidding for Phase II // Session II employers will begin tomorrow, Saturday, August 30, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. EST and will conclude Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 11:00 p.m. EST. You may log onto Symplicity to view those employers participating in Phase II // Session II. Please keep in mind that you will only be able to view those employers accepting applications from your class year or LL.M. program. Likewise, you will only be able to submit bids to those employers accepting applications from your class year or LL.M. program.

To help you through the bidding process, the CDO is providing you with detailed instructions on both the OCI program and the Symplicity system. The Fall 2008 On Campus Interview (OCI) Program Handbook is online or in hard copy at the CDO. Please take the time to read the Handbook to acclimate yourself with the Fall OCI process and the Symplicity system. For information related to the OCI program, please read the “General Information” section and FAQs. For specific instructions on how to view participating employers and bid using Symplicity, please read the “Student Guide to Symplicity.” Reading this information before bidding will answer most of the questions you have, will minimize any problems you may encounter with the system and will make the bidding process much easier for you.

Mock Interview Program (Phase II)

Phase II of the the Fall 2008 On Campus Interview (OCI) Program is just around the corner. Don’t miss the opportunity to practice your interviewing skills before OCI and receive immediate feedback. Local practitioners have agreed to participate in this program to make sure you are prepared for the fall recruiting season. The Mock Interview Program will be held from September 3-5 (Phase II).

To sign up for a mock interview, please log onto Symplicity and select “OCI, Resume Referral and Direct Contact Schedules” from the top navigation bar. From the session drop down menu, select “Fall 2008 Mock Interview Program (Phase II)” and select the date that works best for you. You will then have the option to select a time and the resume that will be supplied to the mock interviewer. Select “signup” to complete the sign up process.

Please note that each date listed may have different times. Please review the various dates to find the time that works best for you. Each mock interview will take 30 minutes. You are only allowed to sign up for one mock interview per program. Sign ups for mock interviews are on a first-come, first-serve basis so it is to your benefit to sign up early.

If you have any questions, please contact Davian Darby.

September 2008 Calendar

September 2008
Important Deadlines, Workshops and Events

September 2
United States Department of Justice Honors Program (for 3L students) and Summer Legal Intern Program (for 2L students). Application must be completed online. For application and related information, please visit www.doj.gov/oarm and or Symplicity posting #4004 (for Summer Legal Intern Program) and #4005 (for Honors Program).

September 3-5
Mock Interview Program (Phase II)

September 4
Interviewing Skills Workshop
12:30 p.m. – Room 109

Bidding deadline for employers participating in Fall 2008 Resume Referral/Direct Contact Session (September 4, 2008)

September 5
Deadline to Apply for Fall Judicial Internship Program

September 7
Bidding ends at 11:00 p.m. for Phase II // Session II of the Fall 2008 OCI Program

September 8-19
Fall OCI Phase II // Session I Interviews

September 9
Fall Judicial Internship Program Orientation
5:30 p.m. – Room 110

September 16
OCI Information and Symplicity Training Session
12:30 p.m. – Room 109

September 17
Resume Workshop
12:30 p.m. – Room 109

September 18
Interviewing Skills Workshop
12:30 p.m. – Room 109

September 22-October 10
Fall OCI Phase II // Session II Interviews

September 28
Bidding ends at 11:00 p.m. for Phase II // Session III of the Fall 2008 OCI Program

AIPLA 2008 JOB FAIR INFORMATION

The American Intellectual Property Law Association will be hosting its 2008 Job Fair on Saturday, October 25 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The Job Fair offers an excellent opportunity to bring together those who have positions available and those who are seeking employment, to conduct interviews and recruit employees. The 2007 Job Fair was very successful. Nearly 55 firms/corporations participated and more than 230 members were selected for interviews.

Students interested in participating may register at the AIPLA site. That page will provide a link to more detailed information and the actual registration button. Also available is information on the rules and responsibilities for participants. Please be sure to read all of the information provided.

IMPORTANT: All Job Seekers must be current members in good standing, with their 2008-2009 dues paid. If you are not currently a member of AIPLA and you qualify for membership, you can join online by going to the Member Center.

The deadline to register (including posting your resume online) is Friday, September 5, 2008.

Click here for some helpful hints on how to use the Career Fair once you’ve completed your registration.

If you have any questions, please speak with your career advisor.

Reminder: Deadline for DOJ Programs is Tuesday, September 2!

The deadline to apply to the United States Department of Justice Summer Law Intern Program (SLIP) and Honors Program is rapidly approaching. All applications must be completed online by Tuesday, September 2.

For 2Ls: The Summer Law Intern Program (SLIP) is the Department’s competitive recruitment program for compensated summer internships. Selection for employment is based on many elements of a candidate’s background including academic achievement, law review or moot court experience, legal aid and clinical experience, and summer or part-time legal employment. The Department also considers specialized academic studies (including undergraduate and post-graduate degrees), work experience, and extracurricular activities that directly relate to the work of the Department. To access the online application and get more information about the program, please visit http://www.usdoj.gov/oarm/arm/sp/sp.htm.

For 3Ls: The highly competitive Honors Program is only way that the Department hires entry-level attorneys. Selection for employment is based on many elements of a candidate’s background including academic achievement, law review or moot court experience, legal aid and clinical experience, and summer or part-time legal employment. The Department also considers specialized academic studies (including undergraduate and post-graduate degrees), work experience, and extracurricular activities that directly relate to the work of the Department. To access the online application and get more information about the program, please visit http://www.usdoj.gov/oarm/arm/hp/hp.htm.

Have questions about your application? Please contact your CDO advisor and get your questions answered before the deadline.

Post-Graduate Fellowship Meeting

Post-graduate fellowships fund new lawyers so that they can pursue exciting public interest projects. If you are a 2L or 3L with a desire to pursue public interest work and would like to learn more about these fellowships, then the following program is for you:

The Career Development Office (CDO) & HOPE Present a Discussion on Post-Graduate Fellowship Opportunities for 2Ls and 3Ls.
Thursday, August 28th, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m., Rm. 216-B
If you would like to see what fellowships are available, please visit the CDO’s website and its listing of fellowships.

Interested in a Career in Government?

Working for the government at the federal, state or local level can be extremely rewarding and a great way to start your legal career. Government opportunities present themselves throughout the school year, with some deadlines coming up as soon as next week. To best prepare for a government job search, it is best to sit down with an advisor to discuss the steps you need to take so that you do not miss any important opportunities. In addition, you should consult the following useful resources:

The Government Honors and Internship Handbook provides a thorough list of summer and post graduation opportunities for 1Ls, 2Ls and 3Ls at the local, state and federal government level. The handbook also provides useful charts listing opportunities by class year, deadline and whether the positions are paid/unpaid (in the case of internships). The site is password protected. For the login information, please contact your advisor.

The NALP Federal Legal Employment Guide contains information on legal jobs with federal agencies, tips on how to conduct a job search and information on government benefits including loan repayment assistance.

Government employers often post opportunities on Symplicity and/or participate in the Fall and Spring OCI, Resume Referral and Direct Contact programs. Be sure to visit Symplicity to review the job postings and OCI offerings often.

Also, remember that applications for the US Department of Justice Honors Program (for 3L students) and Summer Legal Intern Program (for 2L students) are due on September 2, 2008. For more information and the application, please visit www.usdoj.gov/oarm.

Fall 2008 OCI Program – Phase II / Session II

Phase II // Session II – Important Dates

Bidding Period: Saturday, August 30 at 9:00 a.m. – Sunday, September 7 at 11:00 p.m.

Interviews: Monday, September 22 – Friday, October 10

OCI Information & Symplicity Training Session: Tuesday, August 26 @ 12:30 p.m. in Room 109

Resume Workshop: Thursday, August 28 @ 12:30 p.m. in Room 109

Interview Skills Workshop: Thursday, September 18 @ 12:30 p.m. in Room 109