Harvard Law School

Bernard Koteen

Office of Public Interest Advising

LLM Job Search Strategy Session

Job Search Mindset and Approach

The domestic (U.S.) public interest job search is incredibly

competitive for JDs with U.S. citizenship, and even more so for

non-citizen J.D.s and LL.M.s.

Have an eye towards not just

short-term but also long-

term opportunities

Target organizations with an

international mission/offices

in international locations

looking for expertise in your

home country’s legal system

Key Considerations

Be pragmatic!

Skills you’ve developed

How a particular opp fits with your overall career plan

Areas of substantive knowledge

Finances

Immigration restrictions

Getting Started on Your Job Search

Reflect on your interests and career goals

Review OPIA website

Read OPIA e-mails

Attend OPIA and other events

Meet with visiting Wasserstein Fellows

• Prepare materials for a specific job opening

• Purpose: get the advertised job

• Emails requesting time and information from alumni and other practicing attorneys

• Purpose: connect with attorneys and organizations of interest and collect information related to potential future openings

The Job Search: Two Approaches

Applications

Networking

Entry-Level Hiring Mechanisms

Fellowships (often NGO-

focused)

U.S. Government

Honors Programs

Entry-Level Hiring

Programs at IOs

Direct Hire

Persistence

Diligence

Contact OPIA

Keys to Successful Search

Fellowships

Human Rights Watch

Finberg Fellowship

October 11, 2019

Open Society

Presidential Fellowship

Typically December

Watch for deadlines!

• HLS (or Harvard)-only (Henigson, Satter, Public Service Venture Fund)

• Primarily Portable

Internal

• Portable ( Justice Catalyst)

• Organization-specific (HRW Finberg, CEIL Sohn Fellowship)

External

RFK Donald M. and

Susan N. Wilson

Fellowship

Typically October

Sponsorships are

needed for

internal/external

portable fellowships

Meet with Judy Murciano

regularly

Work with Judy on written

proposals/interviews

Attend all fellowship sessions

Pay attention to deadlines and

eligibility requirements

Fellowships

Henigson

Fellowship

(Human Rights

Program)

Satter Fellowship

(Human Rights

Program)

HLS Public

Service Venture

Fund (Kaufman

Fellowship)

Application

Deadline

March 2020

(date TBD)

March 2020

(date TBD)

February 6, 2020

Duration 1 year 1 year 1 year

Number of

Fellowships

Awarded

2 TBD Up to 4

Award Date April/May April/May Mid-May

HLS Fellowships Open to LLMs

Exceedingly

challenging for non-

U.S. citizens

Citizenship restrictions

Presidential Management

Fellowship open to LLMs, but

appointments only in rare

cases

Government Honors Programs

Entry-Level Hiring Mechanisms: IOs

• Entry-level jobs (often two-year appointments)

• Age limits, strict language/experience requirements

• Can be limited to citizens of certain countries

• Not always traditional “legal” positions YPP

• Sponsored by IO member states

• Positions advertised on an ad-hoc basis

• Like YPP, very competitive JPO/AEs

• Can be relatively lengthy (6+ months)

• Generous stipend and other benefits

• Good stepping stone to other UN positions

Contract

• “Temporary Vacancy Announcements,” “Consultancies,”

“Short Term Contracts,” “Experts,” “Project Vacancies”

• Networking critical/word-of-mouth based

“Volunteers”(UNVs, etc.)

UN Entry-Level Hiring

Junior

Professional

Officer /

Associate

Expert

Programs

National

Program

Officers

Young

Professionals

ProgramP2 Posts

UN Secretariat YPP

Age limit: 32

Eligible countries vary

Job families vary

Fluent in English or French

Written (2 parts)

Oral

Extremely competitive

Lengthy process with many steps

RosteringJob postings

Postings for UN Secretariat

agencies (OHCHR, OLA,

DPO) found on Inspira

Postings for non-Secretariat

agencies (UNDP, UNHCR,

UNICEF, UN Women) found

on agency websites

Regional bodies may have

region or country-specific

websites with job postings

Some jobs may be posted even

if internal candidate already

in mind

Increasingly used for more

advanced positions

Two ways to be rostered:

Apply to generic vacancy

for a particular job family

(e.g., “Legal Affairs”), then

complete an exam and

interview

Be short-listed for or offered

a different position

UN Non-Entry Level Hiring

UN Competencies

Integrity ProfessionalismRespect for

diversity

Communication Teamwork Creativity

AccountabilityPlanning and organizing

Client orientation

Technological awareness

Commitment to cont. learning

Finance and Development IOs

Hiring Mechanisms

Entry-level hiring (YPPs)

• Strict eligibility criteria

• Legal jobs not always available

• Lengthy and rigorous process

Non-entry level hiring

• Short-term and permanent openings

• Monitor IO websites

• Gain desired experience

Hiring Criteria for Finance and

Development IOs

Demonstrated subject matter expertise

Diversity

Language skills

Qualifications

Legal skills

International Tribunals

• Civil vs. Criminal

• Ad-hoc vs. permanent

• Varies considerably

• Chambers, registry, prosecution, defense

• Some structured programs

• Mostly unpaid and short-term

• Domestic expertise often required

• Connections critical

Types

Internal

structure

Entry-level

hiring

Non-entry-

level hiring

Direct Hire: LLM-Friendly Organizations

International tribunals(e.g., ICJ, ICC, International Court of Arbitration)

Economic and trade organizations(e.g., OECD, IMF, World Bank, WTO)

IGOs with a regional focus(e.g., Council of Europe, Organization of American States, ASEAN)

IGOs with a development focus(e.g., UNDP, EBRD, IADB, ADB)

NGOs with an international focus/mission(e.g., Open Society Institute, Human Rights Watch, International Center for Transitional Justice)

Finding Employers/Job Opportunities

Job and Fellowship Postings

Fellowship and Insider Guides

OPIA’s Insider’s Guide to Fellowships

OPIA’s UN Guide, International Development Guide

OPIA emails PSJD Specialized Websites

Helps identify organizations of interest

Helps get foot in the door

May help identify job openings that have not yet been

posted

Networking

Ask yourself:

Who’s doing the kind of

work I want to do?

Who’s doing work in the

place I want to be?

Networking: Before Initial Contact

Goals

Acquire new info

Build relationships

Eliminate options

Personal Focus

Know:

• Who you are

• What you want

• What you bring to the table

Intro. note

Lays foundation

Short, clear, easy to read

Attach resume

Don’t ask for a job

Networking: After the Email

Phone call

Follow up to introductory note

Prepare talking points in advance

Conversation

Show you’ve done your homework

Focus on contact’s work/career, not your search

Be respectful of time

Ask for other contacts

Follow up

Thank you email

Stay in touch

How Do I Find Contacts?

Family

Friends

Faculty

Classmates

Prior work

experience

LinkedIn

Bar

association

membership

lists

HLS Alumni

in Amicus

coming

soon

Wasserstein

Fellows

College

network

Events

OPIA

Job Search Materials

Resumes Cover Letter

Writing Sample Interviewing

References

Faculty (here and your university)

Professional references (more telling)

Email your references now (checking in)

Parting Thoughts

Polite persistence – follow up!

Build commitment to public service/area of interest

First job as stepping stone