Practice Environments

Career Strategy & Professional Development Mentoring Center

Bar Passage
Bar Passage
90
80
70
79.1
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Bar Passage
Reqd
12
6.2
2.1
0.6
JD Preferred
Other Prof
Non-Prof
Unknown
Law Firm Employment
Small Law Firms
Possible Benefits of Working in a Small Law Firm
 Highly varied work.
 Flexible work schedules
 “Hands on” experience
 Significant client contact
 More informal, relaxed atmosphere
 Abbreviated partnership track
 Friendly, collegiate environment
 Less competition for assignments, promotions and slice of
profits
 Greater Input into firm processes and management
 Easier to prove work and garner recognition and reward
Possible Challenges of Working in a Small Law Firm










Modest salaries
Limited firm resources
Small support staff
Modest office space
Exposure to market fluctuations among limited clients
Fewer benefits options
Little formal training
Social and professional isolation
Less prestige
Local perspective
Large Law Firms
Possible Benefits of Working in a Large Law Firm










Higher salaries
Well-credentialed colleagues
Sophisticated, challenging work
Large, diverse client base
Extensive firm resources
Large support staff
Luxurious offices in prime locations
Global perspective
Well-developed training programs
Significant advancement opportunities
Possible Challenges of Working in a Large Law Firm










Long Hours
Competitive Environment
High billing quotas
Long partnership track
High expectations
Irregular hours
Mundane tasks
Overnight travel
Steep learning curve
Strict academic and experiential requirements.
National Statistics
Graduates Reported
42,854
Number of Graduates Employed in Private Practice
18,329
51%
Number Reported by Firm Size
Solo
1,039
2-10
7,160
11-25
1,632
26-50
971
51-100
766
101-250
1,018
251-500
1,101
501+
3,750
Unknown
892
5.7%
39.1%
8.9%
5.3%
4.2%
5.6%
6.0%
20.5%
5.7%
Graduates Reported
167
Number of Graduates Employed in Private Practice
84
52.2%
Number Reported by Firm Size
Solo
3
2-10
51
11-25
8
26-50
5
51-100
4
101-250
6
251-500
2
501+
5
Unknown
2
3.6%
60.7%
9.5%----6.0%
4.8%
7.1%
2.4%
6.0%
1.69%
Job Board
Networking
On-Campus
Interviews
Networking
Types of small/large firm employment
available to 1Ls
Paid hourly summer internships (Law Clerk)
Paid hourly research or project work
Paid summer associate positions with large
firms
 Volunteer work (Winter, spring break and/or
summer)



RESEARCHING LAW FIRMS

Career Services Law Firm Directories that
include practice areas, size, and hiring contacts:
Arizona (Maricopa and Pima Counties)
Washington
Oregon
Idaho
Utah
Alaska

NALP Directory www.nalpdirectory.com (large firms)

State Bar On-line Membership Directories

Martindale Hubbell www.martindale.com (large firms, gov’t)

Review listing of Class of 2012 Summer 2010 Experiences in
Career Services guide

www.Findlaw.com www.Lawyer.com
(Small firms)
JOB SEARCH METHODS

Law clerk, Research work and
immediate need jobs

Spring On-Campus Interviews
(Fall OCI – Large Law Firms)

Job links listed in Career
Services Guide

3Ls who will be leaving jobs

Networking, networking,
networking
(Most effective method)

Targeted Outreach
RESOURCES

Symplicity Job Bank

Symplicity Job Bank

Career Services Website

Online Career Library

Bar Associations, CLEs,
Career Services Events

See Career Counselor for
suggestions

Small Firm Week
 October 24 – 27

Paving Your Way to a Job: Electronic Access
 November 1, Great Hall
Job Search Strategies for Lawyers in the Small Firm
Choosing Small, Choosing Smart By Donna Gerson, Esq.
 Published by National Association of Law Placement
www.nalp.org
The Official Guide to Legal Specialties
An Insider’s Guide to Every Major Practice Area By Lisa L.
Abrams, J.D.
 Published by National Association of Law Placement
www.nalp.org
VAULT Library Career Guide
 Access available through College of Law Career Services
Website http://www.vault.com/cb/careerlib/careerlib_main
Solo by Choice
How to Be the Lawyer You Always Wanted to Be
By Carolyn Elefant
 Published by DecisionBooks a division of Avenue
Productions, Inc.
Guerrilla Tactics for Getting the Legal Job of Your
Dreams
By Kimm Walton, J.D.
 Published by The BarBri Group, Inc., Chicago, IL

Public Interest Organizations
 Impact Litigation Groups
 Legal Services Organizations
 Policy Centers
 Community development groups
 International Public Service
Organizations
Government (Civil and Criminal)
 Federal
 State
 Local (County and City)
 Law Firms
 Public Interest Firms
 Pro Bono Work


Civil Legal Services/Public Interest –
median
 Entry Level - $42,000 – 45,000
 11-15 years - $62,000-70,000.

Public Defender/Prosecutor - median

(NALP Press Release, September 1,
2010)
 Entry Level - $45,000-50,000
 11-15 years - $$76,000 - $81,000

Federal employment: agencies authorized
to provide $10,000 per year; $60,000 cap

College Cost Reduction & Access Act of 2007
(CCRAA)

Various state Loan Repayment Assistance
Programs (“LRAPS”): AZ Foundation for
Legal Services

Employers looking for those with a focus.

Grades – Although not unimportant, are not
the “end all be all” factor in the job search.
 Substitute the word “experience” for the
emphasis many firms place on grades and Law
Review/Journal
▪ Externships
▪ Internships
▪ Clinics
▪ Pro-Bono/Volunteer
▪ Trial Advocacy
▪ Course work
Externships are for credit
Internships are typically unpaid
 Pro Bono Board’s Summer Public Interest
Fellowship
 Equal Justice Works Summer Corp
 Organization-based fellowships
EQUAL JUSTICE WORKS
http://www.equaljusticeworks.org
Equal Justice Works organizes, trains, and supports public serviceminded law students and is the national leader in creating summer
and postgraduate public interest jobs. They host one of the largest
public interest job fairs every October in Washington, DC.
 IDEALIST
http://www.idealist.org
Comprehensive source of national and international internship,
job, and volunteer opportunities; an excellent resource.
 NATIONAL LEGAL AID AND DEFENDER ASSOCIATION
http://www.nlada.org
The nation's leading advocate for front-line attorneys and other
equal justice professionals. Includes a database of openings at civil
legal aid and public defender offices.
 PSLAWNET.ORG
http://www.pslawnet.org
Comprehensive listing of jobs, fellowships, national/international
organizations

NALP Federal Legal Employment Opportunities Guide
http://www.pslawnet.org/uploads/NALP_Federal_Legal_Employment_Opportunitie
s_Guide_-_2010-11.pdf


The PSLawNet Comprehensive Fellowship Guide: The Ultimate Resource for Law
Students and Lawyers
Located through Career Services Online Library

University of Arizona Government Honor’s Handbook
http://www.law.arizona.edu/career/honorshandbook.cfm Username: snicker Password: doodle

University Of Arizona Public Policy Handbook
http://www.law.arizona.edu/career/PublicPolicy10-11/contentssubscribers.cfm (Login: world
Password: peace)

On-Campus Interview Programs
 Fall
▪ Federal Government; Government Honors Programs
▪ Maricopa County Attorney’s Office
▪ State Attorney General’s Offices
 Spring
▪ City, County, State internships
▪ Private Public Interest Law firms
▪ Legal Aid/Assistance
▪ Tribal Legal offices

Job Board/Symplicity
 Summer Fellowships
 Internships (volunteer and paid)

Attorney General’s Honors Program.
 Only avenue for hiring graduating law students for DOJ.
 Approx. 140 positions to graduating 3Ls, LLM, Judicial law
clerks.

Department of Justice’s Summer Law Intern
Program
 2L Summer in Washington, D.C.
 Paid summer internships for 2L’s, 3L’s who will enter Judicial
clerkships or full-time graduates.
 Approx. 130 positions. Deadline mid September of 2L year.

University of Arizona Government Honors
Handbook.
 2L - Deadlines begin early September
 1L – Rolling deadlines – some exceptions to the December 1
rule.
Project-Based and Entrepreneurial
Fellowships
 Organization-Based Fellowships
 Policy Fellowships
 Law Firm Sponsored Fellowships
 Teaching Fellowships
 Research Fellowships
 Non-legal Fellowships


Non-traditional?
 Bar passage is not required

Corporate?
 Usually General Counsel or In-House attorney

“A law degree provides enough education to
qualify you for employment in almost any
field.”
▪ Deborah Arron,
What Can You do with a Law Degree?
% of grads finding jobs where “J.D. is
preferred”:





2006: 7.9%
2007: 7.8%
2008: 8.1%
2009: 9.2%
2010: 12.0%

www.internships-usa.com
 Username: res
 Password: ipsa

www.nontradlegal.com
 Username: azst
 Password: 009
1.
Know the industry where you’re interested in
working



Become a member of that field’s association
Alumni Directories (law & undergrad)
Newsletters/publications
2. Take 20 to 30 minutes to speak with a professional in a career
in which you are interested
3. Prepare to talk about why you don’t want to practice law
4. Learn how to start marketing yourself effectively to non-legal
employers
5. Don’t forget about the Career Strategy Center!
In-House/General Counsel positions:
“Like trying to keep the ocean off the
beach”
CLASSES:








Advanced Contracts
(drafting)
Employment Law
International Law
Corporate Structures
Real Estate
Bankruptcy
Environmental
Intellectual Property
EXPERIENCE:









Lease negotiations
Zoning
Human Resources
Distribution/Supply Chain
Management
Marketing
Securities
Risk management
Corp. governance
Regulatory Work
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Go Daddy
PetSmart
Fender
JDA Software Group
TASER International
Avnet, Inc.
Kahala (Coldstone)
Karsten Mfg (PING)
Mesa Air Group
U-Haul International
Corporations don’t often hire directly out of law
school (but best pathway is through paid/unpaid
internships)
….Do what you’re passionate about and
opportunities will present themselves.