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December 13, 2007
Small and Medium Law Firms: What To Do Over Winter Break
If you are a 1L with an interest in working for a small or medium sized law firm this summer, winter break is a great opportunity to start doing your research and reaching out to these employers. But what exactly should you be doing? The CSO recommends taking the following steps:
1) Stop by the CSO or check out the CSO course on Blackboard to find the small and medium firm lists that we have available for a variety of cities. We have lists for: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland/Akron, Columbus, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Seattle, and Washington DC. Review these lists and highlight employers that interest you.
2) Do some research on these employers and on other employers that you find on your own – use Martindale, firm websites, other online resources, and the CSO to find out more about practice areas and recent news. Make sure to check to see if the firm has any information about law student hiring on its website. And check to see whether any alumni work at the firm – alumni are a great source of information and a good networking tool.
3) Prepare cover letters and resumes to send to employers that interest you. Ask about available opportunities for law students and express your desire to work for the employer. If you have questions or concerns about your cover letters, send a draft to the CSO for review by a counselor.
4) Keep a spreadsheet or other list of the employers to which you have sent materials, noting the date on which you sent the materials. The CSO has an application tracker/ log available in the office and on Blackboard to help you track your job search.
5) Follow-up! Be sure to make follow-up phone calls to the employers approximately two weeks after sending your materials.
Posted by kcc17 at December 13, 2007 09:03 AM