E-Advising

We know that many of you are considering whether – and to what extent – you’d like to become involved in the myriad student activities available to the law school community. We are often asked by students interested in public service work about the value of extracurricular involvement. While we cannot offer formal career counseling before September 29, we can help you make choices about extracurriculars before then. Broad guidance on those choices can be found below, but please note that it is impossible to truly provide “one-size-fits-all” advice. Feel free to come to our drop-in office hours to have a conversation tailored to your individual goals.

We look forward to getting to know you in the coming months and to helping you learn more about public interest career opportunities. Although formal career advising does not begin until September 29, you can still take affirmative steps now to begin your career exploration. Read this post to learn how.

Although most public interest employers will not begin to consider applications for honors programs or other permanent post-graduate positions until the fall, we wanted to alert you to some earlier deadlines of which we are currently aware. This list includes several government honors programs and organization-based fellowships (no third-party funder needed) with nonprofits and private public interest law firms. For more opportunities, be sure to review our fellowship host organizations list. 

As you take a breath between the end of finals period and the beginning of your summer job, now is a great time to start to familiarize yourself with the public interest job search process and timeline you can expect during your 2L year. (You read that right – you’re a 2L now!)

We know it may seem early to start thinking about your post-graduate job search as a 2L. However, your 2L spring is the best time to check out our 3L Guide to Entry-Level Post-Graduate Jobs, start monitoring fellowship and entry-level job deadlines, and make an appointment with an OPIA adviser to position you for success in your search.

Networking is an essential part of getting to know the world of public interest law. But sometimes, it can feel intimidating to approach a potential contact, or hard to know where to plug in and get started. Review this Q&A to help make networking a smoother part of your professional journey.

One of the toughest parts of a public interest job search is managing the timeline. The lack of a unified, consistent hiring timeline by public interest employers and the fact that every individual’s situation differs can complicate the search process. Consider the following tips about communicating with employers as you navigate interviews and offers.

Follow these key tips for PSVF Organization-Based Fellowship applications and learn about the PSVF Seed Grant.

Review some of the most common 1L job search questions in our Job Search FAQs, including how to navigate interviews, offers, and other communication with employers. 

Interviews take on particular significance with public interest employers, as they seek to learn about your interest in their mission and your fit with their office. The following resources can help you prepare to put your best foot forward in interviews with public interest employers.

Interested in learning more about public international law work? The following resources can help you begin your exploration.

If you’re interested in learning more about legal nonprofit work, check out the following resources.

Private public interest law firms (PPILFs) are involved in many of the same issues addressed by not-for-profit public interest legal organizations and government agencies – but in a law firm setting. Interested in learning more about PPILFs? The following resources can help you begin your exploration.

Interested in learning more about criminal law internships and careers? The following OPIA resources can help you begin your exploration.

As you make your game plan for applying for summer internships, you may be trying to strategize about which applications to submit earlier or later. Though 1Ls can apply to summer jobs on or after December 1, employers’ hiring timelines after that date can vary significantly. Here are some examples of employers with early deadlines.