Harvard Law School

Bernard Koteen Office of Public Interest Advising

1L Job Search Strategy

Summer

• Exposure to different practice settings and types of lawyering

• 2-month trial • No constraints • Develop experience/skills/network

Job Search Considerations

• Practice Setting – Nonprofit, government, IGO, private public interest law firm

• Issue Area – Education, human rights, transitional justice, environment, criminal,

etc.

• Type of Work – Litigation vs. policy vs. transactional vs. advising – Impact-oriented vs. client-oriented

• Work Environment – Small vs. large – Formal vs. informal – Building on experience you have already/branching out? – Structure/supervision/feedback

Job Search Considerations Cont’d

• International work?

– Why/why not?

• Career plan/goals

• Developing a track record

• Skills development

• Opportunities lost?

• Game Plan/Overall Strategy – Balance summers vs. term-time options

First Steps

• After self-reflection, meet with an OPIA advisor to develop an individual game plan – Bring your resume

– Follow up appointments

• Create your personal job search timetable • Develop a list of organizations to target

– No more than two types/regions

– Evaluations in OPIA job search database

Additional First Steps: International Work • Conduct a personal travel assessment

– Prior experience living or working abroad? – Work preferences

• Traditionally legal? • Grassoots vs. advocacy? • Ability to manage up?

– Language competency • Realistic assessment • Varies from place to place • Expectations

– Geography • Comfort level/safety • Urban v. rural • Regional experience or expertise

Researching Employers: General Resources • OPIA database

– Geography, issue area, practice setting, type of work – Search by “organization,” not “position”

• PSJD – Geography, issue area, practice setting, type of work

• OPIA website links • Fellow students

– Who worked where/Chayes Fellows/HRP Fellows – Student-to-student job fair – Personal contacts

• Alumni mentors – Alumni Advising Network – Heyman Fellows – OPIA referrals

• Faculty – OPIA faculty guide

Researching Employers: Specific Resources • OPIA specialty guides

– Issue area and practice setting based (note: some listings outdated) • Federal government

– Arizona Government Honors and Internship Handbook – PSJD federal careers guide/NALP guide to Federal Government Employment – OPIA administrative law guide – Leadership directories

• State and local government – PSJD state and local government resource – OPIA guide to state and local government – Georgetown OPICS Attorney General guide – Leadership directories

• Nonprofits – Arizona public policy guide – NLADA website – Idealist

• Employer websites

How Do I Find a Job? • Independently pursue employers of interest (often the BEST APPROACH)

– OPIA database (search by organization, not position) – PSJD (search by employer profiles)

• Respond to postings (note: only a small fraction of summer positions are advertised) – Weekly jobs email – OPIA database (position search will bring up postings) – PSJD (search by jobs)

• Spring Interview Program – Run by OCS – OPIA advertises public service employers (usually only a handful) – Interviews in February/March

• Job Fairs – MA Consortium: January 25-26, 2016 (note: bidding closes in December)

• Networking – Alumni (OPIA, AAN) – Wasserstein Fellows – Events – Faculty

International Outreach

• Determine if there is a formal application process – If so, apply following the specified procedures

• If no formal application process is specified… – Initial outreach via e-mail

• Keep it simple • Limit attachments (body of the email)

• Outreach e-mail – Subject line: “Inquiry from Harvard Law School Student – Summer

Law Internship” – Body: “I am a first year student at Harvard Law School with a strong

interest in X. I am writing to explore a possible volunteer summer internship with Y. Do you have positions for summer law interns? If so, what sorts of assignments/projects and issues would a law intern expect to do while working for you?”

Logistics • Approximately 20-25 employers, depending on

geographic/practice setting flexibility and preexisting credentials

• Timing – Deadlines to pay attention to:

• Federal government (including DOJ/USAOs): apply by the December holidays (does not need to be Dec. 1)

• National nonprofits (e.g., ACLU, CCR, etc.): apply by the December holidays (does not need to be Dec. 1)

• MA Consortium (bidding closes in December; MA USAO rule)

– International is usually later (late January – late March) • Exceptions: State Department, ICC, Tribunals

• Follow up – Persistence is key – International employers may require more follow-up

Application Materials • Resume

– Webcast – “Job Search Toolkit” includes tips and samples – One page only in nearly every instance – International tips:

• Can be more than 1 page if prior international experience/applying to an IGO • Limit use of abbreviations • Be mindful of European date formats (e.g., December 1 = 1/12, not 12/1) • Emphasize foreign language skills

• Cover letter – “Job Search Toolkit” includes tips and samples – Sense of you as unique individual/not cookie cutter

• OPIA drop-off service available for review – Only submit after revising per OPIA guidelines/samples – 4-5 business days

Other Materials

• Writing sample (5-10 pages) • References

– Professional v. academic

• Transcripts • Note: interviews often critical

– OPIA/OCS Mock Interview Program: November 9 – Individual mock interviewing

Concerns • Professionalism

– Respond in a timely manner to phone calls/emails – Do not reneg on an accepted offer – If someone helped you along the way, thank

them!

• Split summers • Rolling offers • Security clearances • Online presence • Title IX

Finances • Apply for summer funding

– Deadline: December 2015/January 2016 (don’t need to finalize plans until April 2016)

– SPIF is mix of: • Law school grants

• Work-study

• Auction funds (don’t forget to work for the auction)

– Last year students on financial aid were eligible for $4,675

• HLS supplemental funding – Chayes fellowships – HRP fellowships – Alumni and other summer fellowships

• Use PSJD to identify additional summer funding resources – Ex: Helton Fellowship, American Society for International Law

Beyond Your Summer: Other Ways to Build Public Sector Experience

• Student practice groups • Pro bono program • Clinicals and externships (including

independent clinicals/winter term) • Research assistantships/writing projects • Journals

Keeping Up to Date

• Weekly emails and archives • OPIA events calendar • 1L timetable • OPIA jobs database profile