Services Available to Students and Graduates

Career Planning and Job Search Strategies

As each student brings unique experiences, accomplishments, skills, interests, goals and qualifications, the Career Services Office recognizes that one-on-one meetings provide the best forum for assessing goals and options, developing and implementing job search strategies and preparing students for the legal market. The Office offers ample opportunity to meet with students individually and encourages students to utilize such services. Through such meetings, Career Services provides advice on career opportunities, job search strategies, resume and cover letter drafting, interviewing skills, graduate resources and career research tools.

As an added benefit of meeting on a one-on-one basis, Career Services staff become well-acquainted with each student and can recommend specific individuals to prospective employers based upon a match between interests and skill sets. Numerous individuals have obtained employment through this means and it can be helpful in the job search process.

Career Services endeavors to elevate the utility of its one-on-one services and assist students in maintaining an ongoing job search process. While the Office sponsors On-Campus Interviewing events and continues to aggressively market and draw additional employers to the School's recruiting programs, these events are by no means the primary manner in which students find employment. As a result, programming and career planning support are among the most important services provided by the Office.

Programs

The Office of Career Services sponsors several panel discussions, workshops, brown-bag lunches and programs throughout the year to educate students about the fundamentals of the job search process, career opportunities, practice specialties, judicial clerkships, employer types, government work and fellowships, public interest careers and other topics related to professional development. The Office regularly invites attorneys representing a broad range of employment settings and practice areas to participate in the programs and panel discussions. These "experts" provide students with first-hand information about many of the different opportunities available to attorneys and a chance to network and establish contacts with practitioners in an informal setting.

In recent years, the Office of Career Services has either sponsored or conducted programs/panels covering, among other topics, resume writing, interviewing, judicial clerkships, public interest careers, government honors programs, fellowship opportunities, computer-assisted job research, international law practice, insurance law practice, environmental law practice, intellectual property law practice and health law practice. The Office makes efforts to conduct panels together with student organizations as well. The Office continues to conduct such programs and plans to expand on those topics to increase the opportunity for student education.

Resource Materials

The Office of Career Services makes available to students and graduates a wide variety of publications and resources for conducting effective job searches and researching employment opportunities. Resources published by the Office on job search fundamentals cover tips on resume writing, drafting cover letters and other job search correspondence, interviewing, networking, computer-assisted research, judicial clerkship and public interest opportunities, and other topics of interest. The Office also publishes handbooks covering information on pursuing opportunities in the public sector, private sector, government, corporations and other professional settings, as well as career development information specifically geared to evening students and first-year students.

In addition to the resources published by Career Services, the Office maintains an extensive library of resource materials, newspapers and books relevant to job search efforts, practice areas and professional development. Among other resources, the Career Services library contains a number of directories and employer brochures listing contact names, alumni, attorneys, firms, corporate counsel, judges, government agencies, public interest organizations, fellowships and other similar information. While the Office continues to maintain this information and ensure it is as timely as is available, more and more of this information is accessible on-line through internet sites and is available to students from any location. Both the Career Services Office and the library subscribe to various job search services for student use.

To complement the various resources available to students through Career Services, the Office also publishes a monthly newsletter for students during the academic year containing articles on professional opportunities and career development topics. Students receive the the newsletter via email and can access current and older editions on EASElaw. The Office also publishes a monthly Graduate Job Bulletin for graduates of the Law School to alert alumni to professional opportunities and reinforce job search tips and resources. The graduate bulletin is regularly published on the Brigham Young University Law School intercollegiate job bank site.

Staff Resources

In addition to resource materials, faculty members, staff and graduates of the law school are excellent resources for students. Faculty regularly advise students about judicial clerkships and substantive areas of practice. Numerous staff members also have practiced as attorneys for varying periods of time, in varying practice areas and in varying geographic regions. Faculty and staff are both willing and able to provide advice and assistance to students. In addition to members of the law school community, graduates are an invaluable resource for both information and job search assistance.

The Office itself is staffed by five experienced professionals, including an Associate Dean, a Director, an Assistant Director (all attorneys), a full-time and two part-time Program Coordinators, and a part-time Career Counselor. In addition to these staff members, the Office employs support staff and student employees.

Position Listings

The Office of Career Services receives hundreds of postings from employers of all types for full-time, part-time, summer, school-year, paid and volunteer positions. Career Services encourages students and graduates to view these postings on-line through EASElaw.

Public Service Law Network (PSLAWNET)

The Office of Career Services participates with other law schools in a public service program which provides on-line information on public interest opportunities to benefit students interested in work or a career in the public sector. Access to the program is available through the website at www.pslawnet.org.

Formal Recruitment Programs

Every Fall and Spring, the Office of Career Services sponsors and participates in a number of on and off-campus recruitment programs and job fairs with employers. These programs are by no means the primary avenue by which students secure employment, but they do connect students with hundreds of employers and provide substantial opportunities for summer and permanent positions.

These programs include, among others, the Fall On-Campus Interview Program (late August through October); the Northeast BLSA Job Fair in New York City (September); the New Hampshire Job Fair, held in Manchester, New Hampshire, which primarily draws employers from Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine interested in interviewing students for summer and permanent positions (late September); our early Boston and New York interview programs (late August); Boston Lawyers Group Job Fairs (September); Northeast Law School Consortium Off-Campus Recruiting Programs in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. (September); the Spring On-Campus Interview Program and Job Fair (early March); and the Patent Law Interview Program, held in Chicago, Illinois, hosted by Loyola University of Chicago School of Law (early August). In addition to these programs, there are a number of recruiting programs specifically targeted to public interest opportunities, including the Equal Justice Works Career Fair and Conference in Washington, D.C. (late October); the Government and Public Interest Career Fair hosted by the Law School (mid-February); and the Public Interest-Public Service Legal Career Symposium hosted by New York University School of Law in New York City (mid-February).

To supplement formal recruiting events, the Law School participates in a resume collection program with those employers unable to attend on-campus interviews due to geography, firm recruitment practices and other factors. Many such employers are genuinely interested in receiving resumes from Law School students and may invite selected students to interviews at their offices. In order to facilitate this connection, the Office of Career Services holds resume collection days during which students submit their resumes and other requested materials to the Office for forwarding as a single package to employers interested in receiving resumes in this manner. Alternatively, some employers specifically request that students send resumes and cover letters directly to their offices. These employers also have expressed genuine interest in recruiting Law School students and are identified as "resume direct employers."

Reciprocity

In certain circumstances, students may utilize job posting information and resources of other law schools. Students should consult Career Services at least ten days in advance to obtain a letter of reciprocity to the other school's career services office. Generally reciprocity is not available during the period between July 15 and November 1. (Review the reciprocity policies of the University of Connecticut School of Law and other institutions.)