Career Resources

You have successfully navigated the summer job search, and you begin your internship full of excitement and optimism. But what if, in the middle of your summer, you’re not having the experience you’d hoped for? Perhaps you’re not getting enough work, or enough supervision. Or, maybe you’re getting too much work, or are confused about how to approach a project, or are feeling overwhelmed. Here are some suggestions for addressing some common summer internship challenges students face.

Speaking with attorneys practicing in your areas of interest is a critical component of a successful post-graduate job search. Here are some ways you can maximize your networking opportunities this summer and beyond.

Government Honors Programs are the most common pathway for 3Ls and certain recent graduates to enter government service. In preparation for your 3L year, you should start to get familiar with these opportunities now.

At OPIA, our goal is to help you find a great public interest job and avoid the common mistakes that can derail your job search. Read our list of common job search mistakes and don’t let them happen to you!

Searching for post-graduate job opportunities can feel daunting – or even overwhelming. We can help you get started by breaking down the process into more manageable chunks. Here are the four primary ways to search for entry-level job opportunities.

While the public sector is extremely varied, most employers are looking for a core set of skills. These are skills you may already have and should continue to develop during law school through internships, clinics, and coursework.

As you develop your plans for your post-graduate public interest job search, you may be considering applying to fellowships, government honors programs, and/or direct entry-level positions. Along with these options, you may be wondering about whether to include clerkship applications.

While you may have just finalized your internship plans for this summer, we know that many of you are already thinking ahead to 2L summer and weighing the pros and cons of spending it in the private sector. In this post, we offer some thoughts you may find helpful as you consider whether to participate in the Early Interview Program (EIP).

OPIA staff discuss factors to consider when choosing a 2L summer job.

A few plaintiffs’ firms and several litigation boutiques participate in EIP, but most plaintiffs’ firms and private public interest law firms (PPILFs) do not participate in campus recruiting programs like EIP or V-PIIP. Learn more about how the hiring processes differ with these types of firms.

Learn about entry-level and post-clerkship job search topics like how to get started, what hiring mechanisms different types of employers use, and how to find job opportunities.

Learn the ins and outs of the [link_to id=102023 title="Public Interest Interview Program"]Public Interest Interview Program[/link_to].

OPIA advisers and HLS students give advice on how to balance classes, clinics, and extracurriculars during your 2L year. Check out more videos of…

Missed the MLSC bidding deadline for the U.S. DOJ, Civil Rights Division, Disability Section? It's now extended to Friday, September 20, 2019! Learn more and submit your materials.

This Fund is intended to provide support for HLS students from any HLS degree program engaged in term time or summer public interest research or work pertaining to Taiwan, the People's Republic of China or Hong Kong.

Sign-up for one-on-one advising appointments with Matthew Colangelo, Civil Rights Advocate and Senior Government Official to discuss roles in non-profits and government, and what the future of non-profit and government lawyering may look like in the current political climate.

At OPIA, we know that a change in administration in Washington can create uncertainty and questions in students and alumni considering interning or working in…

Meet with Clarence Crafoord, the head of Centrum för rättvisa (the Centre for Justice, Sweden’s leading public interest law firm) and associate lawyer at the law firm Bratt & Feinsilber. Appointments are available on Monday, November 14, 1:30-3:30 pm. Be sure to schedule an appointment!

Alan Rozenshtein focuses on cybersecurity and foreign intelligence issues. Sign up for an exclusive one-on-one advising appointment!

Listen to the Office of Public Interest Advising (OPIA) and the Office of Career Services (OCS) for an introduction to our offices. Meet staff from OPIA and OCS and learn about career paths and hiring processes in the public and private sectors for JD students.

Recent events highlighting anti-Black state violence and police brutality around the nation spark the question: what can lawyers do in these moments of crisis?