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Career Services Office

Career Services Office home page
December 7, 2009

CSO Information & Announcements

  • CSO Program Videos Now Available Online!

Fall On-Campus Interviewing Program

  • Don't Forget to Report Callbacks and Offers!

Programming

  • Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms: Sweet Home Chicago Reception and Panel Program
  • Milwaukee Area "Home for the Holidays" 1L Receptions
  • The Chicago Bar Association Presents: Opening a Law Firm
  • December 10: Midwest Public Interest Law Caereer Conference (MPILCC) Registration Deadline
  • Video on Managing a Legal Career Transition in Tough Times

Employment Opportunities

  • New: Federal Work Study at Community Based Organizations
  • U.S. Department of Justice, United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, Summer 2010 Intern Program

Fellowships & Scholarships

  • Perkins Coie Diversity Fellowship for 1Ls
  • Kegler, Brown 2010 Minority Merit Scholarship for 1Ls
  • Twin Cities Diversity in Practice 1L Summer Rotation Clerkship Program
  • Georges Fellowship for Conservation at Shedd Aquarium
  • Vedder Price Diversity Scholarship for 1Ls
  • McAndrews, Held & Malloy 2010 Diversity in Patent Law Summer Fellowship Program for 1Ls
  • 2010 Roscoe Hogan Environmental Law Essay Contest
  • ABA $1,000 Mediation Video Contest
  • 2010 Ella Baker Summer Internship Program
  • Janet D. Steiger Fellowship Project (Summer 2010)
  • Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) Paid Summer Internships
  • Harter Secrest & Emery 1L Scholarship and Paid 10-Week Summer Associate Position
  • Institute for Justice Summer Law Clerk Program
  • ABA Judicial Intern Opportunity Program (JIOP)
  • Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Minority Law Student Summer Intern Program for 1Ls
  • A List of Resources for 2009 and 2010 Graduates with Large Law Firm Start Date Deferrals

Job Fairs

  • December 10: Application Deadline for Delaware Minority Job Fair for First-Year Law Students
  • Midwest Public Interest Law Career Conference (MPILCC)

Resources

  • 2009-2010 Government Honors & Internship Handbook
  • LexisNexis ASPIRE Program for Deferred Law Firm Hires and other 2009 Graduates Pursuing Public Service Work
  • Web Access for Policy, Political and Human Rights Jobs
  • Access the BYU Intercollegiate Job Bank
  • Password Protected Sites Now Available on Symplicity
  • Law Bulletin Weekly On-line Employment Bulletin
  • Career Advisor Network
  • International Career Employment Weekly Online
  • PSLawNet Fellowship Corner
  • PSLawNet

CSO Information & Announcements

 

CSO Program Videos Now Available Online!

The Career Services Office is pleased to announce that videos of our programming are now available to be viewed online. Most of our programming will be available on our website within 1-2 days of the original program date and will remain available for viewing for 2-3 weeks, due to limited server space. Program videotapes will still be available in our office. A password is required to view these programs. Please call our office at 312-906-5200 or email kentcso@kentlaw.edu for the username and password. To watch videos of our programming, go to the CSO's web page, click on the right hand navigation bar "For Students" and select "Watch Program Videos." Or, click here to be taken directly to the page.

On-Campus Interviews

 

Don't Forget to Report Callbacks and Offers!

If you receive callbacks/offers during the fall interview season, please report this to our office by sending an email to kentcso@kentlaw.edu every couple weeks or so.  Please include from what source you obtained the interview/offer (OCI, resume collect, CCBA job fair, Loyola Patent Fair, etc.).  We keep track of these in order to determine how students are doing and where our students end up working during the summer/after graduation.  Also, if you have any concerns about how your interviews are progressing or questions about the interview process, please make an appointment to talk with a career counselor.   

Programming

 

 

Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms Sweet Home Chicago Reception and Panel Program

The Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms is holding its annual Sweet Home Chicago reception on Tuesday, December 29, 2009.  This year’s reception will begin with a panel entitled “How to Get the Job You Want After law School.” The panel is designed to assist minority law students with beginning their legal careers on the right foot.  It will provide law students with practical knowledge and advice from experienced attorneys about how to succeed in law school and ultimately secure the job they want after law school.  Panelists will include attorneys from law firms, the nonprofit sector and government.

The reception will commence after the panel program.  This annual holiday event brings together minority law students, law firm attorneys and in-house counsel in a festive setting to provide students with an opportunity to begin building a professional network in Chicago.  The panel program will be held from 4:30pm – 5:30pm and the reception will be held from 6:00pm to 8:30pm.  Both events will take place at 190 S. LaSalle StreetTo RSVP, please click here.

 

Milwaukee Area "Home for the Holidays" 1L Receptions

The annual Milwaukee area 1L "Home for the Holidays" receptions will be held on Tuesday, December 29th at the law firms of Godfrey & Kahn, S.C. and Quarles & Brady LLP. Dress for both receptions is business casual. Please note that both events are being held on the same day, at different times, and at different locations.

The Quarles & Brady reception will be held from 4:30pm - 6:30pm at 411 E. Wisconsin Avenue, 24th Floor, in Milwaukee, WI. To RSVP for the Quarles & Brady reception, please email Donna Key at donna.key@quarles.com. There will be complimentary parking available in the attached parking structure, enter from Jefferson Street.

The Godfrey & Kahn reception will be held from 6:00pm - 8:00pm at 780 North Water Street, M&I Bank Building, 17th Floor in Milwaukee, WI. To RSVP for the Godfrey & Kahn reception, please email Jenna Lauer at jlauer@gklaw.com. There will be complimentary parking available at the M&I Bank Customer Parking structure located on Wells Street.

 

The Chicago Bar Association Presents: Opening a Law Firm

Are you a law student considering hanging up your own shingle? A young attorney in need of a road map to guide your initial planning, implementation, and on-going management of your new practice? An attorney in transition at an existing practice, thinking about going solo or setting up a new firm? Then you should attend this seminar the Chicago Bar Association is presenting on opening a law firm.  Get practical, organized guidelines for management and operational issues that impact the success or failure of a new office. Topics will include:

  • Writing a business plan
  • Locating an office
  • Personnel considerations
  • Document management and document retention policies
  • Capitalization
  • Accounting and billing
  • Client management systems
  • Technology enhanced client communications
  • Insurance: What you need and how to avoid claims
  • Technology considerations
  • Marketing & networking

The seminar is being held Thursday January 14, 2010 – Saturday January 16, 2010 at the Chicago Bar Association, 321 S. Plymouth Court.  For additional information and to register, please click here.

 

Midwest Public Interest Law Career Conference (MPILCC)
Registration Deadline

The Midwest Public Interest Law Career Conference is an opportunity for students to interview with government agencies and public interest employers for paid and unpaid legal positions next summer or for after graduation. Last year 100 Chicago-Kent students and 40 employers participated. 1Ls, 2Ls and 3Ls can all participate. The job fair will take place at Northwestern University School of Law on Saturday, February 6, 2010. To register, contact Susan DeCostanza sdecostanza@kentlaw.edu in the Career Services Office with your first name, last name, middle initial, year of graduation and an email address that you regularly check by Thursday, December 10, 2009 at 12 noon. Registered students will receive a login and password and will be able to upload their resume and bid on employers beginning on December 14. Students will have until January 8, 2010 to upload their resume online and select employers they would like to interview with. In addition, table talk is available at the job fair where you can meet with many of the employers, even if you do not receive an interview in advance. More information is available in this article and online at www.mpilcc.org.

 

 

Video on Managing a Legal Career Transition in Tough Times

As a public service, NALP and ALI-ABA are pleased to offer Managing a Legal Career Transition in Tough Times — a 75-minute presentation by Marcia Pennington Shannon and Susan G. Manch of Shannon & Manch LLP, who generously donated their time and talent to this special project to assist lawyers and 3Ls who are currently seeking employment.

To watch the video, please click here.

 

Employment Opportunities

Please check the new job posting system ("Symplicity") on a regular basis. Check out Symplicity's general instructions for more information.

 

New: Federal Work Study at Community Based Organizations

Chicago-Kent is launching a “pilot” program for the Spring 2010 semester, through which Chicago-Kent students who are Federal Work Study eligible may be paid though Federal Work Study funds to work at government and public interest organizations outside of the law school. The Attorney General’s Office for the State of Illinois is the first organization to join the program, additional government and non-profit organizations are also expected to join. This is a unique opportunity to be paid for your work at a government or non-profit agency. A limited amount of funds are available, please visit the Career Service Office’s webpage for a more detailed explanation of this opportunity, as well as the form you need to complete in order to participate.

 

U.S. Department of Justice, United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, Summer 2010 Intern Program

The Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois will conduct a Summer 2010 Intern Program. The primary goals of this program are to provide law students with the greatest possible exposure to and participation in federal trial and appellate practice and to obtain excellent legal talent to assist the office in handling its multitude of cases.

The program will include approximately 15 interns. Each intern will be required to serve at least 40 hours per week/or ten weeks in the Office. The summer program is offered to first, second and third-year law students. The Office will cooperate in providing the necessary evaluations that may be required to receive course credit for this internship.

To apply, please pick up handout # 54 from the Career Services Office, located in Suite 360. Completed applications will include the application form, a general statement, resume, a legal writing sample, three letters of recommendation (preferably legal) and law school transcript. The application deadline is December 31, 2009.

Please direct all inquiries to Monica LeKostaj, Administrative Assistant for the Intern Program, at 312-353-1091. Please send all application materials (no faxes or emails) to her attention at:

Monica LeKostaj
Administrative Assistant
United States Attorney's Office
219 South Dearborn Street
5th Floor
Chicago, IL 60604

 

Fellowships & Scholarships

 

Perkins Coie Diversity Fellowship for 1Ls

Perkins Coie is now accepting applications for its 1L Diversity Fellowship Scholarships. The fellowships provide students a $7,500 academic scholarship and a paid position as a 2010 summer associate with one of its following offices: Bellevue, Chicago, Los Angeles, Menlo Park, Phoenix (Perkins Coie Brown & Bain P.A.), San Francisco or Seattle. Students are limited to applying to twooffices.

The student fellows will be selected on the basis of the following criteria:

  • The individual must be a first-year law student in good standing pursuing the degree of Juris Doctor at an ABA accredited law school,
  • The individual must possess an academic record, interest and capacity that demonstrate great promise for a successful career during the remainder of law school and in the legal profession, and
  • The individual must contribute meaningfully to the diversity of the law school student body and, upon entering the legal profession, the legal community.

The application deadline is January 20, 2010. Applicants must submit an application checklist, a current resume, undergraduate and, if available, law school transcripts (unofficial versions are acceptable), a legal writing sample (10-page maximum) and a one-page, single-spaced personal statement/essay. For additional details on the application requirements and the fellowship, please click here. For general questions regarding the fellowship, please contact Judah Travis at JTravis@perkinscoie.com.

 

Kegler, Brown 2010 Minority Scholarship for 1Ls

The law firm of Kegler, Brown, Hill & Ritter, located in Columbus, OH, is currently seeking applicants for its minority student merit scholarship. The $5,000 Kegler, Brown, Hill & Ritter Merit Scholarship includes a paid summer clerkship position with the firm's first-year associate class.

Scholarship application materials are due to Kegler Brown by January 6, 2010. Interested students should submit a resume, application, undergraduate transcripts and first semester law school transcript (when available) to Cara M. Tammaro, Kegler Brown's human resources manager. The application, submission details and additional information about the scholarship and eligibility requirements are available here. Applications (handout #62) are also available in the Career Services Office, located in suite 360. If you have any questions, please contact Cara Tammaro at 614-462-5467 or ctammaro@keglerbrown.com.

 

Twin Cities Diversity in Practice 1L Summer Rotation Clerkship Program

Twin Cities Diversity in Practice is a collaboration of law firms and corporate law departments seeking to enhance the diversity of the legal profession.  Through its 1L Summer Rotation Clerkship Program, it is offering first-year law students a unique summer clerkship opportunity that combines a traditional law firm clerkship with experience working in an in-house corporate law department.

Students will have the opportunity to work at one of the nation's best law firms. As part of the law firm clerkship, students will spend one “rotation” (typically 3 to 4 weeks) working in the law department of a major corporation.  The corporate participants in this program are Fortune 500 global companies headquartered in the Twin Cities. A complete application will include a resume, transcript, and cover letter.  Applications will be accepted starting December 1, 2009 until January 15, 2010. Firms will be considering applications as they are received.

To apply, please pick up the information packet (handout # 49) in the Career Services Office in suite 360, and follow the instructions.

 

Georges Fellowship for Conservation at Shedd Aquarium

The Georges Fellowship for Conservation Shedd Aquarium, through a grant from the Georges Foundation, is pleased to offer the Georges Fellowship for Conservation, a summer internship opportunity, to a qualified candidate selected through a competitive application process.  The Fellowship includes:

  • An 8-week summer internship with Shedd’s conservation department focusing on environmental policy research
  • Mentoring by a practicing environmental law attorney
  • A $5,000 stipend

To be eligible for consideration, applicants must:

  • Be enrolled in the first year of a juris doctor program at an accredited law school located in the state of Illinois
  • Properly complete the application form and mail to Shedd Aquarium (address listed below) so that it is received no later than 4pm on Friday, January 22, 2010. Late applications will not be considered
  • Commit to participate in an 8-week summer internship as part of the fellowship (receipt of the $5,000 is contingent on participation in the internship)

The recipient of the Georges Fellowship will be selected based on the best judgment of the foundation and Shedd Aquarium. Judges will consider the following in the selection process:

  • Academic acheivement demonstrated by the certified transcripts submitted with the application
  • Demonstrated committment to a career in environmental law or to environmental issues
  • Quality of the essay submitted by the applicant
  • Demonstrated leadership skills and ability to work in groups and independently.

Application forms are available in the Career Services Office in Suite 360. Please pick up handout #61. Applications should be mailed to:

Shedd Aquarium
Attn: Melanie Napoleon
1200 South Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60605

 

Vedder Price Diversity Scholarship for 1Ls

Vedder Price is accepting applications for its 2010 Diversity Scholarship for 1L students. Eligible candidates are first-year law students enrolled at various Illinois law schools, including Chicago-Kent. The application form specifies additional eligibility requirements.

The Vedder Price Diversity Scholarship includes a $5,000 monetary award for law school-related expenses for each year that the recipient remains in good standing at one of the qualified Illinois law schools, as well as a summer internship position after their first year of law school.

For an application, please click here. Applications must be postmarked by December 15, 2009. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Bo Kim at bkim@vedderprice.com.

 

McAndrews, Held and Malloy 2010 Diversity in Patent Law Summer Fellowship Program for 1Ls

Each year, McAndrews offers a $5,000 fellowship and a paid summer clerkship to a qualified first-year law student at an ABA-accredited law school who has a diverse background, possesses a degree in science or engineering, and is committed to pursuing a career in patent law in Chicago.  Applications for the 2010 fellowship will be accepted from December 1, 2009 through January 15, 2010.  As a summer associate, the Diversity Fellow will gain experience in a wide range of intellectual property law and will be eligible to receive an offer to return for a second summer.  To facilitate the Diversity Fellow’s professional growth and learning, a member of the McAndrews Diversity Committee will serve as a mentor and resource.

The website www.mcandrews-ip.com provides further details about this opportunity. Contact the Career Services Office for a copy of the application.

 

2010 Roscoe Hogan Environmental Law Essay Contest

The Public Justice Foundation is sponsoring the 2010 Roscoe Hogan Environmental Law Essay Contest. The topic is Can Coal Be Clean? Litigation Remedies for Coal Contamination from Mining to Combustion to Sequestration. The intent-to-enter form submission deadline is January 29, 2010 and the essay submission deadline is March 31, 2010Click here for additional information about the contest.

If you have any questions, please contact Cassandra R. Goings at 202-797-8600 or cgoings@publicjustice.net.

 

ABA Section of Dispute Resolution $1,000 Mediation Video Contest

The American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution invites you to participate in our first ever Mediation Video Contest on YouTube®. The Section of Dispute Resolution seeks creative, thoughtful, original three-minute videos that demonstrate the mediation process and benefits of mediation. The goal of the competition is to further public understanding of mediation and to promote the use of mediation as a way to resolve disputes. The video need not address only legal disputes.

Eligibility
The Contest is open to everyone. Employees of the American Bar Association and their immediate family members are not eligible to participate.

Prizes
First Place - $1000 prize 
Second Place - $500 prize


The winners will be contacted via e-mail by February 28, 2010. The winners will also be announced on February 28, 2010 on the ABA Dispute Resolution website at http://www.abanet.org/dispute. The First and Second Place winning videos will be featured at the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution Spring Conference in April 2010, with over 1,000 attendees.  The videos of the winners as well as any Honorable Mentions will be linked from the Section website. The Section may also post links to the video submissions that help promote and further the public understanding of mediation.

Contest dates are November 12, 2009 and the video submission deadline is January 15, 2010.

For more information and to read contest rules, click here.

 

2010 Ella Baker Summer Internship Program

The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) created the Ella Baker Summer Internship Program in the spring of 1987 in honor of Ella Baker, a hero of the civil rights movement, in order to provide students with legal and other training and a background in movements for social change. The goal of the program is to train the next generation of social justice lawyers.

Students work with teams of lawyers on various legal issues, doing legal and factual research and writing on active CCR cases. They also have the opportunity to work with the Education and Outreach Department on various campaigns and produce documents for public distribution. Ella Baker interns attend weekly discussions with scholars, activists, and clients on such subjects as human rights, racial and economic justice, government misconduct, and corporate accountability. In addition to seminars with prominent litigators and activists, students will have the opportunity to see films and plays about movements for social change.

For more information about the Ella Baker Summer Internship Program or to apply, please visit: Ella Baker Summer Internship Program

Application Deadlines: NOVEMBER 13, 2009 (2Ls) & JANUARY 15, 2010 (1Ls)

 

ABA Section of Antitrust Law Janet D. Steiger Fellowship Project, Summer 2009

The Section of Antitrust Law sponsors a summer fellowship program, named the Janet D. Steiger Fellowship Project, honoring the memory of the late Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission.  Each of the 20 selected students will serve for a minimum of eight weeks in the consumer protection department of one of the participating State Attorneys Genera during the summer of 2010: Anchorage, Alaska; Little Rock, Arkansas; California (Los Angeles or San Francisco); Wilmington, Delaware; Jacksonville, Florida; Atlanta, Georgia; Des Moines, Iowa; Topeka, Kansas; Baltimore, Maryland; Helena, Montana; Las Vegas, Nevada; Concord, New Hampshire; Santa Fe, New Mexico; New York, New York; Columbus, Ohio;
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Austin, Texas; Richmond, Virginia; Washington (Seattle, Spokane or Tacoma); and Charleston, West Virginia

Each selected student will receive a $5,000 stipend for the summer (administered through the offices of the state attorneys general).  The program also offers a supplemental housing/travel allowance of up to $2,000 for those students who are not living at home for the summer (administered through the American Bar Association).   The application period begins on November 15, 2009 and the deadline for students to submit an application is February 5, 2010.  Students must submit: (1) the application form; (2) resume; (3) writing sample; and (4) statement of interest.  The application form is available at www.abanet.org/antitrust. For more information visit the Career Services Office in Suite 360 to pick up handout #57 on the wall immediately to your right as you walk into the office.

 

Harter Secrest and Emery 1L Scholarship and Paid 10-Week Summer Associate Position

The Harter Secrest & Emery LLP Diversity Scholarship was established in 2005. The firm awards two 1L law students with (1) a $7500 scholarship to be applied to the student’s second year tuition and (2) a paid 10-week summer associate position between the student’s first and second year of law school.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE DIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIP?
To be eligible for the Diversity Scholarship, the applicant must be a full-time currently enrolled 1L law student who is in good standing at an accredited law school. First year students who are members of racial, ethnic and other minority groups are encouraged to apply.

WHAT ARE THE SELECTION CRITERIA?
In addition to the eligibility requirements set forth above, each recipient will be selected on the basis of the following criteria: (1) the individual must possess an academic record, interest and capacity that evidence great promise for a successful career during the remainder of law school and in the legal profession; and (2)
the individual must contribute to the diversity of the student body at his or her law school. Although a disclosure of financial circumstances is not required, a demonstrated need for financial assistance may be taken into consideration. The Diversity Scholarship recipients will be chosen based upon the Firm’s review of all scholarship applications and interviews conducted with scholarship finalists.

HOW DO I APPLY?
In order to apply for the Diversity Scholarship, complete the application set forth below and return the application, together with all accompanying materials, to:

Cristy Gordon
Recruiting Coordinator
Harter Secrest & Emery LLP
1600 Bausch & Lomb Place
Rochester, New York 14604
Phone: 585-231-1414
Fax: 585-232-2152
cgordon@hselaw.com

The diversity scholarship applicaiton must be recieved by Harter Secrest & Emery LLP on or before Friday, January 22, 2010Click here for more information about the application process.

 

Institute for Justice Summer Law Clerk Program

Institute for Justice (IJ) summer law clerks participate in IJ’s fast-paced litigation docket, including legal research, brief writing, client interviewing, and op-ed writing.  IJ is currently saving a non-profit boxing gym in California from being bulldozed for private profit.  On the east coast, IJ is cutting through Boston’s anti-competitive regulatory maze so an entrepreneur can begin his amphibious vehicle tour service.  The Institute is also defending Colorado citizens from an unconstitutional attack on their First Amendment rights via campaign finance regulations.  Parents in Arizona are teamed up with IJ to secure their freedom to choose the best education for their kids.  Summer clerkships are available at IJ's headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, as well as at our state chapters in Arizona, Minnesota, Texas and Washington.

Click here to find fliers advertising IJ's Summer Law Clerk Program. Students interested in IJ’s summer law student programs should also visit www.ij.org/students for more information.

 

Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) Paid Summer Internships

Each year, PILI offers over 40 public interest law internships that provide excellent legal training and experience for first or second  year law students.  Interns work at one of PILI's affiliated public interest law agencies in Chicago.  PILI raises the money to fund the internships and then issues grants to its eligible host agencies.  The agencies, in turn, pay their Interns directly.   PILI ensures quality supervision by experienced lawyers at its agencies, and provides a lunch-time educational seminar program.  The Internship program encourages law students to work at --and learn about-- legal institutions that serve the public interest, and engenders a life-long commitment to public interest law and pro bono work.

PILI sponsors a Summer Internship Program for first and second year law students.  The Summer Internship program is open to law students from across the country. Each summer, PILI funds dozens of internships at public interest law agencies in the Chicago metropolitan area. Agencies hosting Summer Interns receive $5,000 to pay an Intern for 10 full-time weeks of work. 

1st and 2nd Year students may apply beginning December 1st. For more information on how to apply, visit http://pili-law.org/HowtoApplyforInternships.htm.

 

ABA Judicial Internship Opportunity Program

The Judicial Intern Opportunity Program is a summer internship program open to all first or second year minority or financially disadvantaged law students who want to do legal research and writing for state or federal judges in Illinois, Texas, Washington DC, Miami, Phoenix, and California. Interns will receive an award of $1,500. The time commitment can vary by student, subject to a six-week minimum. Students will be expected to coordinate their schedule with their individual judges and to work the hours required by each judge. Students are asked to submit a completed application, legal writing sample and a statement of interest. Detailed program information and applications are available at the program website. Applications will be accepted beginning October 12th for second year students and December 1st for first year students. The deadline for applications is December 31st. Questions about the program should be directed to Gail Howard at howardg@staff.abanet.org.


Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Minority Law Student Intern Program for 1Ls

The Association of Corporate Counsel internship program places top first year minority law students in internships in corporate legal departments in the Chicagoland area. Examples of corporations that have participated in this program in the past are: Accenture, Alliant Credit Union, Career Education, Empire, Illinois Tool Works, McDonald's Corporation, Navistar, Square D, Kraft, Verizon Wireless and Walgreens. Students in the program received a stipend in the summer of 2009 of $6000. The deadline to apply last year was January 30th 2009, and is subject to change this year. For more information on the internship program and for an application please click here.

 

A List of Resources for 2009 and 2010 Graduates with Large Law Firm Start Date Deferrals

The Career Services Office is compiling a list of resources for Recent Graduates dealing with law firm start date deferrals. The following organizations are accepting applications from deferred law firm associates (please contact the CSO for specific application instructions for each organization):

The Public Interest Law Initiative also has a number of helpful resources for those dealing with delayed law firm start dates. Please click here for more information. For those interested in opportunities both within the Chicago area as well as across the nation, organizations have been posting opportunities and positions for deferred associates on www.pslawnet.org (membership for Chicago-Kent students/alums is free; after signing in, click on "Search Opportunities").

Lexis/Nexis has announced the launch of its Associates Serving Public Interests Research (ASPIRE) Program. ASPIRE has been designed to provide complimentary access to LexisNexis services to 2009 law school graduates, in response to the increasing trend of deferring fall associates' start dates. Any 2009 graduate pursuing verifiable public service (non-profit or charitable) work is eligible for this program. This includes:

  • Deferred fall associates pursuing public interest work during their deferral periods;
  • 2009 graduates who elect to pursue public interest work while searching for law firm employment, and
  • Those 2009 graduates who pursue public interest work as a continuing profession.

Complimentary Lexis/Nexis access will be provided throughout these graduates' public interest employment periods, up until September 2010 maximum. To join ASPIRE, please click here.

LexisNexis will also provide access to public interest and pro-bono opportunities through its Career Center for legal professionals. To access the Martindale-Hubbell Career Center, graduates may visit www.martindale.com/careercenter. Public interest organizations can post opportunities on the site free of charge. Please note that the following organizations are NOT accepting applications from deferred associates:

  • Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago
  • SEC – Illinois
  • LaPorte County (IN) Attorney’s Office
  • AHIMA (American Health Information Management Association)
  • Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC)
  • U.S. Attorney’s Office – Illinois (DOJ)
  • National Lawyers Guild – Chicago
  • National Training and Information Center

Please contact Susan DeCostanza if you have any questions regarding the opportunities listed above or other career plans.

 

Job Fairs

 

December 10: Application Deadline for Delaware Minority Job Fair for First-Year Law Students

The Fourteenth Annual Delaware Minority Job Fair for First-Year Law Students will be held on the Wimington Campus of Widener University School of law on Saturday, January 23, 2010. The job fair, which is by invitation only, is limited to students who are in their first year of law school during the 2009-2010 school year and interested in employment opportunities in Delaware.

The Delaware Minority Job Fair differs from many other job fairs in that students must be invited to attend rather than simply registering and attending. In return, the students invited receive considerably more individual attention than is possible in a very large job fair. When you submit an application for an invitation, you are, in effect, submitting an application to all of the Delaware legal employers who participate in the program.

To become eligible for an invitation, you must complete the application form and return it via mail, fax or email, along with your resume and college and law school transcripts (if available), no later than Thursday, December 10, 2009 to:

Delaware Minority Job Fair for First-Year Law Students
c/o Kara P. Zidek, Job Fair Administrator
Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, LLP
1000 West Street, 17th Floor
P.O. Box 391
Wilmington, DE 19899-0391

For an application, please stop by the Career Services Office in Suite 360 for handout # 50.

 

Midwest Public Interest Law Career Conference (MPILCC) Registration Deadline

The Midwest Public Interest Law Career Conference is an opportunity for students to interview with government agencies and public interest employers for paid and unpaid legal positions next summer or for after graduation. Last year 100 Chicago-Kent students and 40 employers participated. 1Ls, 2Ls and 3Ls can all participate. The job fair will take place at Northwestern University School of Law on Saturday, February 6, 2010. To register, contact Susan DeCostanza sdecostanza@kentlaw.edu in the Career Services Office with your first name, last name, middle initial, year of graduation and an email address that you regularly check by Thursday, December 10, 2009 at 12 noon. Registered students will receive a login and password and will be able to upload their resume and bid on employers beginning on December 14. Students will have until January 8, 2010 to upload their resume online and select employers they would like to interview with. In addition, table talk is available at the job fair where you can meet with many of the employers, even if you do not receive an interview in advance. More information is available in this article and online at www.mpilcc.org.

 

 

Resources

2009-2010 Government Honors & Internship Handbook

The 2009-2010 Government Honors & Internship Handbook is now available. It may be accessed online or there is a printed copy available in our office. For the password information to the online edition, please log onto Symplicity, click on the "Documents" tab, and then click on "Document Library."

 

LexisNexis ASPIRE Program For Deferred Law Firm Hires

Lexis/Nexis has announced the launch of its Associates Serving Public Interests Research (ASPIRE) Program. ASPIRE has been designed to provide complimentary access to LexisNexis services to 2009 law school graduates, in response to the increasing trend of deferring fall associates' start dates. Any 2009 graduate pursuing verifiable public service (non-profit or charitable) work is eligible for this program. This includes:

  • Deferred fall associates pursuing public interest work during their deferral periods;
  • 2009 graduates who elect to pursue public interest work while searching for law firm employment, and
  • Those 2009 graduates who pursue public interest work as a continuing profession.

Complimentary Lexis/Nexis access will be provided throughout these graduates' public interest employment periods, up until September 2010 maximum. To join ASPIRE, please click here.

LexisNexis will also provide access to public interest and pro-bono opportunities through its Career Center for legal professionals. To access the Martindale-Hubbell Career Center, graduates may visit www.martindale.com/careercenter. Public interest organizations can post opportunities on the site free of charge.

Web Access for Policy, Political and Human Rights Jobs

Chicago-Kent students can access Policy Jobs (www.policyjobs.net), Political Jobs (www.politicaljobs.net), Human Rights Jobs (www.humanrightsjobs.com), Ethical Jobs (www.ethicaljobs.net), and Journalist Jobs (www.journalistjobs.net) by using the Login details that can be obtained through Symplicity. Please see the instructions in the entry directly below for details on how to acess password information via Symplicity. Please note that the passwords for these sites are case sensitive.

Password Protected Sites Now Available through Symplicity

To access password protected sites including:

  • The Federal Government Honors & Internship Handbook; The Vermont Guide to State Judicial Clerkships; The BYU Intercollegiate Job Bank; and
  • The Four or More List of Chicago Employers

Log into Symplicity and select the “Documents” tab. Within Documents, select “Document Library.” The links for the sites listed above will be listed there. Clicking on each link will take you to a page with a username and password, which you should write down before clicking the link on the page. If you have any difficulties accessing Symplicity or the individual sites, please contact the Career Services Office by emailing kentcso@kentlaw.edu.

Access the BYU Intercollegiate Job Bank

Kent students and alumni now have an additional resource for their job searches. The BYU Intercollegiate Job Bank compiles entry level job postings from schools throughout the country. This resource will be especially useful for students and alumni conducting an out-of-town job search, but through this service you can also access the postings of other Illinois and Chicago area schools.

To access this resource, log into Symplicity and select the “Documents” tab. Within Documents, select “Document Library.” The link for the Job Bank will be listed there. Clicking on the link will take you to a page with a username and password, which you should write down before clicking the link. The link takes you to the BYU Alumni page, and the Job Bank is about halfway down the page. After clicking that link you will be prompted to enter the user name and password. Then you will have access to a drop list of all 50 states. Picking a state will give you access to the job postings from the schools in that state. If you have any difficulties accessing the Job Bank, please contact the Career Services Office by emailing kentcso@kentlaw.edu.

Law Bulletin Weekly On-line Employment Bulletin

The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin is now offering a free on-line Legal Employment Weekly e-blast of open jobs in the Chicago area. Every issue contains up-to-date job postings, an article and sign-up sheet from the Illinois Paralegal Association, and an Ask an Expert column. You can view each week's installment at http://jobs.lawbulletin.com/ELEW.pdf or you can sign up to receive the "E-LEW" in your own inbox. To receive the weekly email, go to http://jobs.lawbulletin.com and select the "E-LEW" tab at the top of the page. At the bottom of the page, click on the link and complete the resulting form.

Career Advisor Network

In an effort to help you connect with a strong network of Chicago-Kent alumni, the Office of Alumni Relations and Office of Career Services are happy to announce a new Alumni Career Advisor Network.

Alumni from around the world are available to discuss issues such as practice trends, legal markets in specific geographic areas, and other career-related topics. This is an excellent opportunity to start building your personal network with Chicago-Kent alumni!

To search for an Alumni Career Advisor, all you have to do is log-in to the Chicago-Kent Alumni Online Community:

First Time Login Instructions:

  1. Go to www.alumni.kentlaw.edu/firstlogin
  2. In the Constituent ID field, enter your Banner CWID.
    To find your Banner CWID login to http://my.iit.edu. Once you are logged, on the right side of your screen you should see a box called IIT Personal ID numbers. The Banner CWID is the number beginning with “A.”
  3. In the Class Year Field:
    1. If you are an LLM student, enter LLM
    2. If you are a Visiting student, enter LV
    3. If you are a JD student your Class Year will be three characters. The first letter for all class years will be L. The second letter is your division. The third is your year number.
      Examples: A 2nd year night student’s class year is LN2. A 1st  year day student’s class year is LD1.

During your first time login you will create a username and password. Afterwards, you may log in directly at www.alumni.kentlaw.edu/advisorsearch using the username and password you created.

If you need assistance with your first time login, please contact Celeste Addyman in the Office of Career Services at kentcso@kentlaw.edu or visit her in Suite 360.

International Career Employment Weekly Online

International Career Employment Weekly's goal is to make it easy for international professionals to keep abreast of all current job opportunities in their field. They collect information on current international job openings with governments, government contractors, United Nations agencies and other intergovernmental organizations, private voluntary organizations working overseas, corporations involved in international trade and finance, engineering firms, associations, foundations, student exchange organizations, universities, and state governments and present that information to job seekers in a clear and concise format.

The Career Services Office subscribes to this resource in an online format. Contact kentcso@kentlaw.edu for the username and password.

PSLawNet

PSLawNet is a premier resource for career-related information in legal and law-related public interest work. Students and alumni from over 170 law schools search our site every day to find internships, fellowships, pro bono opportunities, and jobs in public service. Chicago-Kent College of Law is a member school, therefore you have unlimited access to search the database for FREE. The PSLawNet website is filled with useful resources for public interest-minded law students and graduates, as well as those who may simply be exploring their options. Students can access PSLawNet here: PSLawNet home page. On the home page, click on "sign-up now" to create an account using your email address and your own password. List Chicago-Kent College of Law as your school.

PSLawNet Fellowship Corner

Interested in pursuing a fellowship upon graduation? Then be sure to check out PSLawNet's new "Fellowship Corner" which includes the full text of Yale's Fellowship Application Tips for 2002-2003, along with the expanded Appendix listing print and online fellowship resources. The site also contains a Fellowship Calendar with a chronological listing of application deadlines--a big help for potential applicants in planning and preparing their materials. Visit the Fellowship Corner at: http://pslawnet.org/postgraduatefellowships

 

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