How To Research Work Experience for My Area of Law

Alice Foley, Director of Pre-Law Programming

Are you starting to look for jobs in a particular area of law and find yourself running into walls or not knowing where to start? If that’s you, this blog post is for you!

While you usually hear me talking about my experience with pre-law students, my experience with law school students goes beyond that. As an admissions officer, I was one of the first people to get to know our new class of students and stay in touch with them as they grew. I made it a point to make sure that students knew I would still be a resource for them as they went through their law school journey. 

One of the huge milestones in a law student’s career is looking for that first job and figuring out what you want to do when you finish law school. I loved being able to be on that journey with my students. In this blog post, I’m talking a little bit about the advice that I would give my students.

You’ve heard it before: 1L curriculum is similar for everyone. It’s not really where you’re going to find out what you want to do. It will be foundational pieces that you will build on afterward. Once you get into 2L or 3L year, that’s when you start to specialize down into the areas that are interesting to you. 

If you come in and already know what you want to do, that’s perfectly fine. There are also many people who come in with an idea of what they want to do and then they change their minds entirely (myself included). If you come in with no idea at all, that’s okay, too. 

Law school will help you begin to identify what you want to do. Even if you identify a few broad things that are interesting to you, you have the space to figure that out. I’m going to help you find a couple of different ways and places where you can get that support to figure it out. 

Career Services

Your campus Career Services office is a huge resource. The whole point that they are there is to help you find a job. They are going to give you plenty of opportunities to learn about what you have the option to practice in and meet people that do that thing. 

I want you to be watching their event calendar. Most law school career services offices will have networking events throughout the semester. Keep an eye on what those receptions are revolving around. 

For example, if you’re interested in being a litigator and there is a trial lawyers networking reception where they’ve pulled in litigators from all around the area, you should attend. Pick the brains of those people, learn about what they do each day, and understand if their job is something you really want to do. 

This is also an opportunity for you to make a really great first impression. If you’re interested in working for that firm, you may walk into your interview and see someone who was at one of these events. That’s a great way to start off your interview. 

Career Services also has access to lists of alumni who are willing to talk to students about their careers. When you tell Career Services that you are interested in tax law, they likely have a list of alumni that have agreed to be contacted for an informational interview. You can also talk to them about potential openings in their office. 

Professors & Faculty

I understand how intimidating it can be when you first walk into law school to strike up a conversation with a professor. Trust me, I was a little afraid the first couple of times I had done it, too. But I have to tell you: folks that teach in law school do what they do because they want to help.

Professors are typically teaching in an area that is interesting to them. I am guessing that you have a favorite topic to talk about that when you’re asked about it, you just go on about it and are excited to talk about it. That’s how these professors are about their expertise in law. 

Many professors very likely had a career before they became a professor. They can share what steps they took to get to where they are today. They also have connections with other people who are in their area of expertise, and they are always willing to share those contacts with good students. 

Talking to the people who are doing the career you want is an amazing first step. You should always be taking advantage of your professors; they’re there to help you succeed. 

Student Organizations

Going along with the theme of leaning on your networks, your student organizations are a great resource to lean on. 

You joined those student organizations for a reason, hopefully because you’re interested in whatever it is that organization does. There is something that you get back from those organizations, and that’s connection. 

As a member of the organization, you have access to special events or partnerships that you may not have had access to otherwise. If there is a high-power attorney in their field, one person reaching out from a law school may not get their attention. An entire student organization offering a lecture series, luncheon, or something bigger likely will. I’m not saying not to reach out on your own, but there is a reason that you join organizations and this is one of them. 

On a smaller scale, there are people who used to be in your organization that are now practicing. There should be a list of those people somewhere that you should have access to as a member of that organization. Use it. 

Ask org alumni where they found their first job, what they’re doing now, and what path they took to get to where they are now. How can you emulate that? What advice do they have as you go into the job search? These connections are going to give you all of that insider knowledge. 

Undergrad & Law School Alumni 

You graduated from somewhere before law school. A lot of time, college alumni are very hype to offer support to other alumni. They are big networks that are very strongly tied. Ask anyone who has ever gone through an airport with a flying WV on anything that they own. Other Mountaineers will find you. I’ve had it happen locally, in other countries, across the United States. They are everywhere, and they are excited to see a fellow alumn. 

It doesn’t matter if they were a law school graduate. If your law school is part of a bigger school and you happen to connect with someone from the business school, they may know a lawyer. They may work with lawyers doing whatever you want to do. And alumni like to help current students and alumni. 

I’m certain at this point of time in your life you’ve dealt with a homecoming or a reunion — some kind of event where everyone comes back to their alma mater. You get super nostalgic, you see old professors, you know how it goes. But as I’m telling you this story, are you getting a warm fuzzy feeling? I do, for both my undergraduate and law school experience.

If I had a student reaching out to me out of the blue to talk about what I do, that warm fuzzy feeling just explodes. I am so excited to share that information. We have a shared experience in where we went to school, and we can bond over that. Just like those professors who are interested in sharing their knowledge and network, alumni are the same. 

The Internet

I know you’re probably thinking, “Of course I will go to the internet. I found this blog on the internet.” I know, but here’s the thing — as a law student, you have access to some very powerful search tools that you need to be using. 

If you are reading a recent case that is super interesting to you, there is a very real chance you have the ability to find out who the attorneys involved were and where they happen to be now. If not direct contact information, you can at least get to their firm front desk and they can connect you. 

You have access to databases that can find that information. Use it. 

The other thing that you have access to is conference and seminar information. So many of those things that we as professionals consider continued information has started to live online out of necessity. The cost is sometimes reduced or gone entirely because they are online, particularly if you are a student. 

In the same vein is professional organizations. As an attorney, there are a variety of professional organizations that you can join. What no one may have told you yet is that you can also join a lot of these as a student. There is a student section of the American Bar Association. Most state bars have a Young Lawyers section. You have access to these things as a law student. Use it. 

Particularly, pay attention to the organizations that are interest-based. If you are super interested in doing environmental law, you should find out whether or not the National Resource Defense Council has a law student division. If you’re interested in human rights, the ACLU has a law student division. 

All of those things will give you access to a new network. Not only are you joining an organization that will be helpful, you are also joining an organization that can teach you things, connect you to jobs, and make sure you are up to date with everything relevant to the area of law that you are interested in. 

The other place that the internet comes in handy is learning about national or regional student organizations. If you’re interested in a specific area but you don’t feel there is enough interest to start an organization related to it at your school, this is a great alternative that still gives you all of the benefits we talked about before. 

Final Thoughts

We have covered a couple of different resources that will hopefully help you figure out not only what it is that you’ll do day to day in the area of law that you’re interested in, but how to find those jobs. 

At the end of the day, a lot of it boils down to building and leaning on your network. Use the people that you are connected to. Take advantage of the relationships that you’ve built. The people that you’ll meet are people that want to help, so let them help you when they offer. 

As a recap: the first place you need to look is your Career Services offer. The second place is your professors. The third place is your student organizations and alumni network. The fourth place is the internet. 

All of these are helpful. Use whatever feels most comfortable. And if you connected with an admissions officer during your application process, just remember that they’re happy to help you along the way.