Even though the Fall recruitment season is over, there are still plenty of legal employers hiring for summer and full-time positions. But law students need to roll up their sleeves and wage a different kind of job hunt. In an exclusive book excerpt, Editor-in-Chief Jack Crittenden walks you through step-by-step on how to get a legal job today.
An estimated two-thirds of all third-year law students’ start the Spring semester without a full-time job lined up. The numbers are similar for first- and second-year students looking for summer jobs.
And yet, it’s not time to give up all hope and panic.
There are still a lot of legal employers hiring. In fact, data from the National Association of Law Placement shows that 60 percent of students will have a job at graduation, 16.6 percent will land a job after graduation and before they pass the bar exam and another 12 percent will get jobs soon after they pass the bar exam.
But while there is a lot of opportunity, students now need to roll up their sleeves and get to work. The on-campus recruitment season, which makes it very easy for students, is over. Your placement office will still be there to help. But success will largely depend on how much initiative you put into your job search. In fact, more than 56 percent of recent graduates get jobs through networking or self-initiated contact, according the NALP.
The good news is that there are specific, concrete steps that will maximize your chances of landing a legal job — whether for the summer or for full-time employment.
First, it is important to know how people get jobs so you can focus your efforts where they will do the most good. Second, you have to put in the time and effort to wage a networking and cold calling effort that is designed to help you identify who is hiring, and to reach employers even before they are ready to hire.
By following the steps we have outlined here, you will significantly increase your chances of getting a job sooner. It is hard work, but it does pay off.
How law students get jobs
1. On-campus recruitment
On-campus recruitment has always been given more hype that it deserves. The reason is simple: the big firms that pay the highest salaries come on campus in the fall. Everyone gears up for their arrival with high hopes of landing one of the coveted jobs. But less than one-fourth of all students get a job through OCI, and the numbers fall dramatically after the Fall semester.
The reason is that while the largest law firms fill 90 percent of their positions in the fall, only about half of the positions at smaller firms are filled in that time period. That means there are still a lot of legal jobs for soon-to-be-graduates. But finding those jobs is more challenging. Less than 3 percent of jobs obtained after graduation come through on-campus interviews.
So if you don’t have a job by now, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get to work. Here’s how law students and recent graduates get jobs after the Fall.
2. Job listings at your law school
Law school placement offices have ramped up their service to students over the past 10 years, increasing the number of job notices — especially from local law firms. More than 23 percent of recent graduates who land a job will get it through job postings at their career placement office.
The competition for these jobs is fierce, and schools get most notices from local employers. Still, you should visit your placement office on a weekly basis — digitally or in person — to check out the latest job postings. Many also publish a newsletter for alumni that list employment opportunities.
Don’t apply to every job opening. Narrow your search to the legal employers that best match your passion and academic focus. Then tailor your resume and cover letter for each employer.
Recommendation: Review jobs at the start of every week, and apply to 10 a week, while you are in school or studying for the bar exam, and 25 a week after the bar exam.
Warning: Job search web sites and newspaper ads
Ads posted on job sites like Monster.com may work for entry-level people in other fields but not in the legal profession. Few legal employers need to advertise entry-level positions. A quick review of the classifieds in legal periodicals and on job websites will show that almost every listing is for experienced attorneys. Don’t waste your time and money responding to these ads.
3. Networking
More than 20 percent of law students get jobs through referrals from friends, colleagues and other people they know. This is basically through networking, an art that is misunderstood and seldom used effectively. Outside of entry-level employment, networking is the dominant way people land jobs — more than 40 percent of employees get there this way. You will likely get your second job after graduation through networking. So that is even more incentive to start now — to get the experience and a strong chance that you land a job.
Recommendation: Set a networking plan and aim to contact 10 people a week while in law school and studying for the bar exam, and 20 people a week after the bar exam.
Warning: Legal search consultants (also known as headhunters) make a good living placing experienced attorneys. But there is no market here for beginners. Don’t waste your time and money contacting search consultants. The costs are high and the results are poor.
4. Self-initiated contact with employer
This is the most common way that law students get jobs — with more than 32 percent saying they got their legal job after graduation through self-initiated contact. But be careful, this does not mean mass mailing letters to law firms.
Mass mailing one generic letter to hundreds of legal employers is an exercise in futility and disappointment. Few law students who mass mail letters are successful, and those who do get jobs this way will typically have sent more than 1,000 letters. A response rate of 1 percent is considered very good. Two percent will put you into the mass mailing hall of fame.
So instead of sending out thousands of letters in the hopes of getting just a handful of responses, focus your energy on a targeted campaign. In fact, you will have a much better chance of getting a job by mailing one targeted, personalized cover letter than by mass mailing 200 generic letters.
The targeted letter helps you stand out from the crowd. Coming up, we’ll tell you exactly how to wage a targeted campaign.
Recommendation: Contact 30 employers a week after the bar exam, 10 per week while in school or studying for the bar exam.
5. Employment agencies
Employment or temporary agencies have been busy the last few years in placing entry-level graduates. While temporary jobs are a good way to pay basic bills and get experience, they are not typically a long-term solution. The experience is more limited, some law firms are reluctant to hire temps to full-time, and the pay is typically low.
Recommendation: Contact temporary agencies and work with them, but don’t stop your other job search efforts, even if an agency places you in a job.
For more of this exclusive excerpt, pick up the February issue of The National Jurist at a stand near you or read the digital version.
