Harvard Law School

Bernard Koteen

Office of Public Interest Advising

Rising 2L Job Search Overview

HLS 3Ls continue to be very successful in landing post-graduate public interest positions – if you follow our advice, you

W WILL secure a job!

List of public sector jobs obtained by the classes of 2016, 2017, and 2018 can be found on the OPIA website

The Big Picture

Recap: Public Interest Careers

Government

Criminal Prosecution/Defense

Nonprofits

Private Public Interest Law Firms

International

Unions

Entry-Level Hiring Mechanisms

Fellowships (internal and

external)

• Organization-based

• Portable

• Entrepreneurial

• Common entry point for: (1) nonprofits of all kinds, (2) legal services, (3) some private public interest law firms

Government Honors Programs

• Federal, state, and local

• Primary entry-level government hiring mechanism

Direct hire(open, entry level

position)

• Most common for DA/PD positions

• Occasional entry point for private public interest law firms

• Far less common for government or nonprofit work

Why Your 2L Summer is Important

Figure out what you

want to do at graduation

Further build general or

specific public interest

experience

Foot in the door at

government agencies/nonprofits/build geographic

ties

Key time to explore possible

fellowship sponsors

2L Job Search: Key Differences

TimelineFewer

applications

More Attorney /Alumni Outreach

Split summers more common

Job Search Considerations

Set goals

Think about your post-graduate plans

Reflect on your 1L summer experience

First Steps

Network and apply for jobs

Develop a list of organizations to target

Create your personal job search timetable

Meet with an OPIA advisor to develop an individual game plan (by September, can do phone or Skype over summer)

How Do I Find a Job?

• Helios database (remember: search by organization, not position)

• PSJD

• OPIA application and specialty guides

Independently pursue employers of interest

(BEST APPROACH)

• Weekly OPIA email

• PSJD

Respond to postings

(note: only a small fraction of summer

positions are advertised)

• PIIP: September 9-13, 2019

• Massachusetts Consortium Job Fair: September 26-27, 2019

• Equal Justice Works Career Fair: October 18-19, 2019

Job Fairs

• Alumni (OPIA, etc.) • Students (Who Worked Where)

• Wasserstein Fellows

• Events

• Faculty

Networking

Reflect on 1L summer

Network in areas of interest

If possible, work on writing sample

Update resume

If interested in summer positions with

private public interest law firms and

federal agencies, be aware that a small

number (NOT the majority) might

begin to hire/post intern positions (ex:

Lieff Cabraser)

Be aware of early deadlines and

read OPIA emails

Participate in PIIP and other job

fairs as appropriate

Attend OPIA’s 2L job search events

If having difficulty identifying

areas of interest, attend programs,

meet with visiting Fellows, read

specialty guides, and watch

webcasts of past practice-specific

events

Apply for jobs (int’l exception)

Rough Job Search Timeline

September/October 2019July/August 2019June/July 2019

Make an OPIA appointment

Develop a list of potential

employers of interest (generally,

begin with a list of 5-6; an OPIA

advisor can help you determine if

your list is on target)

Research application deadlines

Research and bid on PIIP

employers

If interested in federal work,

review OPIA’s DOJ Guide and

Arizona Handbook

Employer-Specific Timelines

• August – November (check USAJOBS starting in August)

• DOJ SLIP: TBD, but always early SeptemberFederal government

• Usually September – November (but some exceptions)

• Some deadlines in Arizona Handbook

State and local government

• National nonprofits: August – October (ACLU, NRDC, etc.)

• Other nonprofits: regional variations (San Francisco = early)Nonprofits

• Generally September – November

• A few early exceptions (e.g., Seattle DA’s office)DA/PD

• Generally August – November

• A few as early as July/early August (Lieff, Relman, Gupta Wessler)

Private public interest law firms

International • Later in the year

Helps identify organizations of interest

Helps get foot in the door

Attorney and Alumni Outreach

Ask yourself:

Who’s doing the kind of

work I want to do?

Who’s doing work in the

place I want to be?

How Do I Find Contacts?

Family

Friends

Faculty

Classmates

Prior work

experience

LinkedIn

Bar

association

membership

lists

HLS Alumni

Advising

Network Wassersteins

Heyman

Fellows

Events

OPIA

Job Search Materials

Resumes Cover Letter

Writing Sample Interviewing

Logistics

• Good idea to contact employers after you submit an application

Follow up

• Can keep one private firm offer open until April 1

Holding Open a Law Firm Offer

• Meet with OPIA to discuss

Spitting Summers

• If juggling offers/haven’t heard from top choice employer, discuss with OPIA

Rolling Offers

Professionalism Reminders

Respond to all employer emails and phone calls within 24 hrs

Don’t accept an offer and later withdraw

Send thank you emails after interviewing and networking

Make sure your online presence and voicemail is professional

If you want to split your summer and have already committed to an organization or firm, be upfront when reaching out to organizations for a second internship

Professionalism Guide and Job Search FAQs

online!

Building a Strong Public Interest Track

Record/Figuring Out “What’s Next?”

Independent clinicals

HLS ClinicsVolunteer

off-campus

Work for professor

ShadowingStudent Practice

Orgs

Making Your Job Search Successful

Have your materials reviewed by OPIA before sending them out

Be prepared to apply for jobs by the early fall

Before asking for a reference, be sure to check with past supervisors, faculty, or clinical instructors to make sure they are able to say good things

Review OPIA interviewing resources/questions and mock interview!

Pay attention to proposed timelines, OPIA e-mails, and relevant events

Making Your 2L Year Successful

Get to know OPIA advisors

Get to know faculty (including – and especially – clinicians)

Work on your language skills if relevant

Develop a good writing sample if relevant

Fill skill and “career data” gaps

Make an appointment with Alexa,

Catherine, Dovie, or Joan to develop a

post-graduate job search plan

Make an appointment with Judy

Murciano to develop a fellowships

game plan

Attend OPIA fellowship sessions and

job search events

Research application deadlines and

develop a unique job search timeline

Network in the city/field you

want to work (even long-distance

is helpful!) to identify host

organizations and hidden jobs

Update your resume (OPIA rev.)

Draft cover letters, if relevant

(OPIA rev.)

Continue to apply for early

fellowships

Apply for early government

honors programs (historically, WA

AG, FTC, State Department, DOJ)

Stay in touch with OPIA

Looking Ahead: Spring 2L Year and Beyond

Summer 2020April/May 2020March/April 2020

If considering applications for

project-based fellowships

(Skadden, EJW, etc.), brainstorm

potential host organizations and

begin to apply for sponsorship

Apply for early fellowships, as

relevant (e.g., the Lindsay

Fellowship, the Aryeh Neier)