Career Paths 1

Volume 3, Issue 4 February 25, 2010

H I G H L I G H T S I N T H I S I S S U E

2 Group OCP Sessions 5 GPIIP Update/Surveys

2 Work at CLE 6 References

3 Negotiating Small Firm

Salaries

6 Calendar of Events

4 Summer In-House

Positions

From The Director’s Desk:

Spring Break is almost here! OCP encourages you to

work on your job search during the break. Here are a

few ideas to make the most of your time away:

Apply to those jobs you are interested in but

haven’t yet applied to.

Develop a list of employers to contact

regarding possible employment opportunities;

begin to contact these employers.

If you want to practice in a particular region,

attend any local bar association meetings or

Continuing Legal Education courses (see page

2) to network with practicing attorneys in the

region.

Set up informational interviews with local

attorneys.

Make follow up calls to employers you’ve

applied to, but haven’t heard from.

And remember that OCP will be open during Spring

Break, so don’t hesitate to call, email, or come in with

questions or concerns! To schedule an appointment,

contact Jane McDonald at McDonaldj@wlu.edu. Or

send your resume, cover letter or writing sample to

kozakl@wlu.edu or olanl@wlu.edu.

Career paths

Are you registered for the Bar Exam?

The registration deadline for the July 2010 Bar

exam in some states is quickly approaching.

You may access information on the bar exam

in all states, including application deadlines

and requirements online or on the OCP

website.

Student Debt Relief – Can You Afford to

Serve? Explore your options.

The College Cost Reduction and Access Act

provides federal assistance for graduates with

educational loans. There are two main provisions of

the Act: you can lower your monthly payments

(income based reduction) and after ten years of

working for the public sector, the government will

forgive the balance of your federal qualifying loans.

Some states provide loan repayment assistance to

employees working in qualifying employment. Be

sure to investigate your employer’s options. Equal

Justice Works’ Student Debt Relief webinars

provide valuable loan repayment information and

advice for students and alumni.

Visit our NEW Blog!

Career Paths 2

…

Job Search Tip: Work At A CLE

Continuing Legal Education classes (CLE) are mandatory for practicing attorneys, but law students can attend

these classes as well. Attending can be great for your job search. You will meet practitioners in a practice area

you are interested in, and will learn more about a field that interests you. If nothing else, you can list CLEs you

have attended on your resume if the classes are pertinent to a position you are applying to; this shows that you

have initiative, and for small firms, indicates that you are developing the skills necessary to practice.

CLEs can be very expensive for the attending attorneys, but most will offer student rates (or even allow students

to attend for free). Call the relevant bar association and inquire about possible discounts. You can also call and

offer to work at the CLE (pass out name-tags, register participants, etc). Working at the event will usually allow

you to attend at a discounted rate, and will make it easy for you to meet people—the fact that you have a job to do

can ―break the ice.‖

If you would like to attend a CLE in Virginia, the following CLE events will take place in the next two months.

March

Bridge the Gap 2010—for more information on speakers, topics, dates, and locations click HERE

Second Marriages, Blended Families and Unmarried Couples: Exceptions to the Rules and Rules for the

Exceptions—for more information on speakers, topics, dates, and locations click HERE

Understanding Immigration Consequences of Crimes—for more information click HERE

April

Virginia Bankruptcy Forum—for more information on speakers, dates, topics, and locations click HERE

26th Annual Advanced Family Law Seminar—for more information on speakers, dates, topics, and locations click

HERE

The Douglas W. Conner 31st Annual Advanced Estate Planning and Administration Seminar—for more

information on speakers, dates, topics, and locations click HERE

If you are interested in attending a CLE in a particular geographic area, search for CLE courses on the state’s bar

association’s website. A list of links to State, Local, and Special Bar Associations can be found HERE .

OCP SMALL GROUP COUNSELING SESSIONS

Your fellow students can often be the best job search resource. OCP would like to begin hosting small group

counseling sessions to give first-, second-, and third-year students with similar career interests/goals the

opportunity to meet together on a regular basis to discuss relevant issues and job-search strategies. We would like

to form groups that focus on particular practice areas (small firms, public interest employers, government work,

etc.). During these sessions, students can share job search advice, helpful resources, and learn from each other’s

job search experiences.

To get things started, we would like to gather information about the level of interest for these groups. If you would

like to be a part of a group counseling session, please send an email to Lauren Kozak at kozakl@wlu.edu by

March 12 noting your interest and the practice area you would be interested in. We also encourage third years who

have found a job after graduation to participate in order to share your wisdom on to fellow students.

Career Paths 3

HOW TO NEGOTIATE Your SALARY In A Small Firm

First, research the market to determine the salary

range for a comparable position; you need to know

what a realistic salary range is for your firm:

NALP Directory of Legal Employers—

contains information on some law firms,

but many small firms are not included.

NALP has also organized average salary

distribution HERE.

The US Department of Labor describes

salary ranges by state HERE.

Use the internet to see what other job

postings in your area are offering.

Wait until you have received an offer before you

begin to negotiate. But do not negotiate after you

have already accepted the offer.

If you determine that negotiation is appropriate:

Have a bottom line that you will be willing

to accept before you begin negotiating. Be

reasonable and remember that salaries in

small firms will usually increase at a

quicker rate than large firms.

Be prepared to articulate reasons why you

deserve a larger offer. Base your

negotiations on what you can offer the firm,

not on what you want or need.

If you have received other offers, use those

as leverage, but make sure to emphasize

you would like to work at that firm.

This negotiation process should not be

adversarial. Make sure you end in a

positive manner.

Remember if your employer cannot offer you a

higher salary, you may be able to negotiate for other

benefits.

After negotiations are completed, confirm your

acceptance of the position in writing with the terms

delineated.

For more information on negotiating salaries, pick

up the NALP pamphlet Negotiating With Small

Firms, from the OCP and read Donna Gerson’s

Choosing Small, Choosing Smart: Job Search

Strategies for Lawyers in the Small Firm Market.

Need Summer Funding For This Summer?

Summer funding is available to students working

in the public sector. Priority is given to second-

year students providing direct legal services for

underrepresented populations, including legal

aid and public defenders offices. Please see

the Summer Funding Memo, which outlines

resources that are offered. Application

deadline is March 31st.

Employment Data

Have you secured summer or post-graduate

employment? If so, please notify OCP. The

collection of accurate statistics is important for

our future program planning and for the reports

we submit to the ABA, NALP and US News and

World Report.

If you have secured summer employment, please

visit Symplicity and complete a Summer

Employment Survey (click on Profile, Summer

Employment, add New).

3Ls who have accepted an offer must complete a

Graduate Survey. Copies are available on the

table in OCP or you may access a copy here and

return it via email to lawcareer@wlu.edu.

Need Housing for the Summer?

Affordable, safe, convenient student housing can

be found at NYU or Emory University.

Information and application materials for these

summer housing programs can be found HERE.

NALP also hosts an apartment exchange for

students who are summering out of town or

looking to sublet their apartments this summer.

For more information, click HERE.

Career Paths 4

Etiquette Corner… If you want to be the most popular person at any party or event, be the person who introduces people to each other. First introduce yourself. The person who introduces himself or herself is more memorable than the one who hangs back and waits to be introduced. Ask the person you have just met questions -- gather information to find common ground for introductions. Is there a person standing alone? Invite that person into your conversation. Introduce that person to the first person. Look for common ground to initiate conversation. ("Aliah was just telling me she has taken up snowboarding? Have you ever tried that?"..."Do you watch 24? Michael was just telling me…”) Find another person. Keep going. Smile while you are talking to show enthusiasm and draw

more people to you. Etiquette tip brought to you by the Culture and Manners Institute at http://www.cultureandmanners.com.

Study Abroad/Summer Programs

W&L Law students may earn academic credit for

coursework taken as part of an ABA-approved

program offered by another law school, with prior

permission of Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

Robert Danforth.

If you are interested, apply now! Many of the

deadlines are March 1st.

Resources to Find a Summer Position In-House

If you are interested in an in-house post-

graduate career, summer is the perfect time to

investigate this option. Even though most in-

house positions are not available for new

graduates, many corporations do take summer

interns. These positions will not always be

posted or advertised. To obtain a position, find

a company you would like to work for and

contact the legal department directly to inquire

whether they will take a legal intern. Generally,

you should apply for these positions January–

May.

To assist you in this search, OCP has obtained a

print resource requested by students entitled, In-

House Law Departments at the Top 500

Companies. It provides contact information for

the top legal officer of the company, and

information on where he or she went to law

school and previous work experience. Another

helpful resource is the Corporate Yellow Book,

which lists contact information for companies

around the country. Come into the OCP to use

these resources.

To search for a legal department online, click

the Martindale-Hubbell ―Corporate‖ tab on its

Lawyer/Law Firm locator. You can search by

geographic location to find companies that have

an in-house legal department in a particular

location.

Read more about in-house work, as well as

browse job offerings and read articles on career

strategy, at www.insidecounsel.com.

Many Washington & Lee alumni work in in-

house legal departments. In fact, two of the top

legal officers listed in In-House Law

Departments at the Top 500 Companies are

Washington & Lee graduates. To find

additional alumni that are working in-house,

search the alumni-mentoring database.

OCP’S FOUR LISTSERVS Confidential membership ■ Easy to subscribe and

unsubscribe ■ To join, e-mail lawcareer@wlu.edu

Post-Graduate Fellowships ■ Judicial Clerkships ■

Multicultural – explore opportunities, conferences and

fellowships for students who are members of ethnic or

cultural minorities ■ GLBT - learn about opportunities,

conferences and fellowships for Gay, Lesbian, Bi-Sexual

and Transgendered students and allies.

Career Paths 5

Government and Public Interest Interview Program Update

GPIIP by the Numbers:

43 employers came to the interview program

3 law schools participated: Washington & Lee, William & Mary, and University of Richmond

250 students received interviews

51 Washington & Lee students attended the interview program

Washington & Lee students received 131 interviews with employers

Tell OCP About Your Interview Experiences!

If you attended PIG please click HERE to answer a short survey about your experience with the

interview program and the type of interview questions you were asked. If you have interviewed

with another employer, and would like to share your interview experience, please click HERE to

answer a short survey.

Both surveys are anonymous. Responses to the surveys will be used to help OCP prepare students

for interviews.

Table Talk Resource

Did you know that second-and third-year students have signed up to serve as a resource for first-year law students? Under Current Students/Just for ILs/Table Talk you can find the names of students that have signed up to provide information about their summer experience. Whether you are interested in working in public interest, clerking for a judge, or working for a firm, there are students willing to share their experiences.

If you are a second-or third-year student and are not currently included in this resource and would like to be, please email lawcareer@wlu.edu to sign up.

Career Paths 6

References

At some point in the job search process, you will likely be asked for references. You should be prepared to

provide a potential employer with the requested information and you need to make sure the people you use as

references are prepared to receive a call. Some tips from the OCP:

1. Ask your references whether you can include them. Contact potential references ahead of time, making

sure to ask people to be references before providing their name as a reference.

2. Use people who are familiar with your work and your skills. Many legal employers are particularly

interested in your performance in law school and, therefore, establishing a good relationship with your

professors and using these professors as references is important. But past or current employers are also a

great source of potential references, as long as the person you use is specifically familiar with you and the work

you’ve done. The bottom line is that you should use people who have the greatest familiarity with you and your

work and will be able to speak towards your professional accomplishments.

3. Provide your references a copy of a current resume. To ensure that your references have accurate

information about you, it is wise to provide a copy of your resume. And also make sure they have information

about the specific jobs for which you’ve used their name as a reference so they can speak to the skills you have

that might be most relevant to the position.

4. Thank your references. No one is obligated to serve as a reference for you so remember to thank your

references for assisting you with your job search and let them know when you land a job.

Think before you print.

Application Deadlines—links in titles

The following deadlines are quickly approaching:

2010 Loyola Patent Law Interview Program—a program bringing together patent law employers and

law students from across the country to interview for summer and permanent positions. Application

deadline is March 8.

LeClairRyan-Oliver W. Hill Scholarship—a $5000 scholarship for a student with a desire to pursue

social justice through the law. Application deadline is March 28.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

March 19: How to Make the Most of Your Summer Whether you will be at a legal aid office, government position, or

large law firm this summer, come learn how to succeed in your

summer position.

March 19: Employer Table Talk Various employers will be available to talk about opportunities

in their practice areas.

March 22: VSB Corporate Counsel Randal Noe, in-house counsel at Norfolk Southern, will take part

in a panel on corporate practice.

March 26: Lawyers as Leaders Join Cait Clarke of Equal Justice Works in an interactive

conversation about why lawyers make strong leaders and tune in

to your own leadership skills. Check LawNotices and OCP’s calendar of events for more information.

Have A Question For OCP?

The OCP has walk-in hours every

Thursday from 2:30-3:30. Stop by

discuss job search strategy or have your

resume and cover letter reviewed.