Law school is a whole different animal than undergrad. Some things that may have been important to seek in an undergrad institution may not be important in a law school and vice-versa. Career services is an office that you may have overlooked in your undergraduate career, but do that in law school at your own peril.
In law school the career services office starts working with you in October of your first year and may work with you for the rest of your life. Therefore, you better understand what to look for in a great career services office. It should be a major consideration in your choice of law school.
- One-on-one tailored counseling. If the career services counselor is giving everyone the same advice, it is probably not tailored for you and may be too broad to meet your needs. Everyone’s goals are different and so the counseling must always be different.
- Documents reviewed quickly and specifically for the legal marketplace or whatever marketplace you are applying to. Career services should have processes in place to quickly help edit and create a perfect resume. No colors, no pictures and nothing fancy on a legal resume.
- Helping you get where you want to be. Whether it is an internship as a first year, or an in-house position three years after you graduate, you want a career services office that will help you get where you want to be, not lead you only to traditional career paths.
- Expertise and real-world knowledge. Career counselors need to know their business. Whether it is holding a JD degree, a counseling degree or an education degree, they need to gain knowledge of the legal industry and know the ins and outs of the legal marketplace to be able to counsel law students well.
- Relationships. The career center should always be doing active outreach to the marketplace to create relationships between employers and the law school. This is vital for the career center’s ability to help students find placements for internships or post-graduate employment.
In law school and post law school, career services offices provide a vital student service. In law school, you are no longer “off” during the summer but need to gain legal experience to be marketable as a lawyer. Therefore, the career services people are your conduit to getting the necessary experience and eventually your first job. They can also help with jobs throughout your career. Choose wisely.
Jill Backer is the associate dean for professional development and alumni affairs at Ave Maria School of Law.
