Make sure to check out the CSO bulletin board to see what firms and organizations Francie has met with. She can provide you with detailed information about the employers and their summer or new attorney programs. Francie will be attending the Health Law conference on Friday in Pittsburgh and will be meeting with several firms on Thursday in the Pittsburgh area. If you will be attending the Health Law conference, please do not hesitate to find Francie if you have any questions!

Next week, Francie will be going to Chicago! If you have any specific employers you would like the CSO to contact for further information about their employment opportunities, please stop by Francie’s office with your suggestions.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14th: Attorney Panel. All students, including first-year students, are invited to hear local attorneys from different types of health law practices talk about their careers. The panel is currently scheduled to include attorneys from the following organizations: private practice (health and long-term care); the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland; and University Hospitals. Room A59, 12:00—1:00 pm.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16th: Student Panel. All students, including first-year students, are invited to hear your fellow students talk about their summer positions working on health law issues. Learn how your classmates found their summer position in health law, the types of employers they worked for, and the types of assignments that they completed. Room A59, 12:00—1:00 pm.

In her own words:

“Lawyers and law students are under lots of stress tracking billable hours, attracting new clients, landing the right summer program and researching, networking and managing cases after hours. To keep you grounded and focused on elevating your career, we've generated this list of job boards, quick reference guides, tips for avoiding the burnout and advice for finding time for yourself. The rest is up to you.”

Topics of interest in this article include: lawyer associations, lawyer blogs, avoiding the burn-out, articles on work-life balance, resources for new lawyers and law students, and more.

1. Don’t Give Up. Every year, the 2L and 3L job search process often continues into the Spring Semester. The end of the Fall Interview Program is not the end of the process, but the beginning. You must continue your efforts to make contacts in your target geographic and practice areas.

2. Network. Contact alumni practicing in your target city, join local bar associations and organizations and attend their networking events, and attend CLE courses on topics that interest you. In short, do everything you can do to meet practicing attorneys and grow your network of contacts.

3. Take Advantage of Events Here at the Law School. Conferences, networking events, attorney panel presentations, and guest speakers during your classes – all of these are great opportunities to meet and talk with practicing attorneys. But in order to take advantage of these opportunities, you have to attend. So take a few minutes each week to read notices about upcoming events and schedule some time to attend them.

4. Schedule a Meeting in the CSO. The counselors in the CSO are here to listen to your concerns, talk with you about your individual job search strategy, identify available opportunities and specific networking contacts, and help you plan your next steps. We look forward to talking with you.

While you're picking up extra copies from the past week's events, why not stop by the CSO resource room to take a look at the most recent additions. The CSO created a new "Specific Lawyer Populations" section in the resource room which houses information specifically targeted to women attorneys, minority attorneys, LGBT attorneys and attorneys with disabilities. Just last week we received "The Women's Rights Internship Book, 2009," which lists various opportunities across the United States. Remember to consult these resources during your job search!

Speaking of new resources, be sure to check out the CSO's Resource of the Month - "The Comprehensive Fellowship Guide, 2008-2009." This guide is packed with fellowship opportunities that are unique and interesting. A fellowship can be a terrific entry-level experience for new attorneys.

This is what networking (also called informational interviewing) is all about. And it is the single best way of learning of potential opportunities for employment. But how do you make the most out of a networking opportunity?

Just like in an actual employment interview, your goal is to have the meeting turn into a true conversation, with a natural back-and-forth and an easy rapport. But you’ll also want to make sure you’ve taken the time before your meeting to determine why you wanted to meet with this particular person and to prepare questions ahead of time to make sure you get the information you’re seeking. The following is a list of some sample questions you might want to ask:

o How did you decide on your practice area?

o What courses did you take in law school that you’ve found to
be most helpful to you in the practice of law? (You can ask the same question about activities or organizations they participated in.)

o What professional publications do you read or what professional organizations are you are member of?

o What’s a typical day like for you?

o What’s the most interesting part of your job, or the most interesting project you’ve worked on recently?

o What do you find most challenging about your work?

o What advice do you have for me in relocating to this market? (if you’re meeting with someone in a different legal market)

And, of course, always remember to close your meeting by saying thank you and asking if there is anybody else you should be talking to in order to learn more. And remember to send a thank you note within 24 hours of your meeting!

For more information and motivation on networking meetings, read Chapter 10 of Guerilla Tactics for Getting the Legal Job of Your Dreams, 2d ed. (available for check-out in the CSO Resource Room).

Come to the CSO’s Career Options Networking Event

Monday, October 6, 4:30PM – 7PM in BlackAcre

This is not a recruiting event, but an opportunity for all students to gather information and talk with local employers. The Career Services Office will welcome attorneys from a variety of local organizations. Stop by this networking event at any time between 4:30PM and 7PM to talk with these attorneys and learn about careers outside of private practice.

Employers will include: the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association; the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office; the Cuyahoga County Public Defender’s Office; the Federal Public Defender; LexisNexis; the Ohio Civil Rights Commission; the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland; the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights; and University Hospitals.

(Because this is not a recruiting event, students are asked to refrain from distributing resumes to the participating organizations during the event. Contact information will be available should you wish to follow-up with any of the employers that you meet at the event.)

This rigorous two-year paid program includes 80 hours of formal classroom training each year, challenging assignments, accelerated promotions, developmental learning, and networking opportunities. Fellows are hired by Federal Agencies and given exposure to domestic and international issues in such areas as public administration, technology, science, criminal justice, health and financial management, to name a few. Two Case Western Reserve University School of Law Class of 2008 graduates, three Class of 2007 and two Class of 2006 graduates are currently serving as Fellows through this program!

The PMF Program seeks graduate students who want to make a difference through public service. Students who complete a graduate degree (master’s, law, or doctoral-level degree) during the 2007-2008 academic year (September 1, 20087 - August 31, 2009) are eligible to be nominated by their schools. Selection begins with the nomination of the student by the school followed by a rigorous assessment process. Application, nomination, and selection information is available online at https://www.pmf.opm.gov.

Important, please read carefully:

Between Wednesday, October 1 and 11:59:59 pm EST on Wednesday, October 15, complete and submit the online application (the vacancy announcement and online application is at www.usajobs.gov). After submitting the online application, you will print a copy of the Nomination Form.

However, you must submit the nomination form to the Career Services Office. There is a procedure for submitting your form to the CSO so you must be certain to speak with a CSO staff member when dropping off your nomination form. The CSO will coordinate with the Dean on the nomination process. The Nomination Official has until October 31 to nominate students.

In addition, if you have any questions about this program or the application process, please ask me or someone else in the CSO! This is a terrific program!

U.S. Department of State, Foreign Service Corps: Members of the Foreign Service act as liaisons and representatives of the United States in countries around the world. Career opportunities and concentrations are as diverse as the locations at which you may be posted. Many people find this to be an extremely adventurous, exciting, and rewarding career path. It is a competitive application process, including both written and oral examinations. For more information, visit http://www.careers.state.gov/resources/index.html. The CSO does have contact information for a member of the Corps who is more than happy to discuss her career with students. See Heather DiFranco for her contact information.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI): While the primary charge of the FBI is domestic law enforcement, the FBI does maintain more than 70 legal attaché offices (referred to as Legats) around the globe, providing investigative and law enforcement services for more than 200 countries, territories, and islands. Each Legat is situated in a U.S. Embassy and works with sovereign law enforcement to stop foreign crime before it reaches American shores. Information about internship programs and other career opportunities within the FBI may be found at http://www.fbijobs.gov/.

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA): The CIA is charged with providing national security intelligence to senior U.S. policymakers. The Agency accomplishes this through domestic and international intelligence-gathering, both through official and clandestine channels. Career opportunities with the CIA include analytical positions, clandestine service positions, language positions, and more. Information about student programs and careers within the CIA may be found at https://www.cia.gov/careers/jobs/index.html.

United Nations (UN): The UN was chartered in 1945 to promote and maintain international peace, security, and human rights and to develop friendly relations among nations to encourage cooperation in solving economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems worldwide. The UN is headquartered in New York City, with other offices throughout the world. The UN is made up of the main body (the Secretariat) and numerous special programs and funds, such as UNICEF. Career opportunities are available within all these bodies. More information about the UN may be found at www.un.org, and information about internships and career opportunities may be found at https://jobs.un.org/elearn/production/home.html.

Remember that the CSO Resource Room has many guides and resources to aid you in your international law job search! Schedule an appointment or stop in to learn more!

For tips and advice on how to do this, please join the CSO on Thursday, October 2nd, at noon in room 159. We’ll discuss job search strategies beyond the Fall Interview Program and we’ll have current 3L students share with you the strategies and resources they used to find summer positions.

Please visit this site for more information: www.law.emory.edu/advancingtheconsensus

Please visit this link to register: http://www.law.emory.edu/current-students/student-organizations/epic/conference/registration.html

Everyone must register, even if you able to attend the conference for free. This will help us make sure we have enough food and other materials for you.

Conferences of these sorts are not only wonderful ways to increase your knowledge but also are excellent opportunities to network with current and future professionals in the field. Take advantage of receptions and panels at events such as these to mingle and introduce yourself to others. You never know who you might meet or who might be able to steer you toward the next great employment opportunity. For tips on how to use networking to your best advantage, stop by the CSO and speak to a counselor.

This spreadsheet will be an invaluable tool for you as you explore future summer, school-year, and post-graduate employment. The Inside Scoop is organized by employer names, and following specific employer names you will find the location of the employer, the name of students who have worked there and their email addresses. The CSO counselors often get questions from students asking for “the inside scoop” about employers, and we feel there is no better source than students who have worked for that particular employer. It is the CSO’s hope that students will use this spreadsheet to contact fellow classmates in an effort to gather information about prospective employers. Just a reminder that only fellow law students have access to The Inside Scoop.

Is your summer employment information missing from the Inside Scoop? Just send Candice Storey an email with your information and she'll be sure to update the spreadsheet.

In addition to the Inside Scoop, this year the CSO is excited to share our 2008 Summer Job Evaluation Binder.

Similar to the Inside Scoop, the CSO anticipates that this binder will be invaluable in helping students locate and evaluate potential employers. The binder is filled with Summer Job Evaluations, which asks students some basic questions about their summer experiences. The forms are alphabetized by employer and the Summer Job Evaluation Binder is available for viewing in the CSO.

Did'nt complete your Summer Job Evaluation Form yet? Stop by the CSO - there are extra copies available in the resource room. Thank you to all who have already completed a SJE form!

The week started on Tuesday with the Attorney Panel. Attorneys from a variety of organizations came to share their advice about the benefits of a public interest career and how to find out if a career in public interest is right for you. The attorneys shared their favorite things about their jobs, which included the positive impact they make on their clients and their communities, the opportunity to get litigation experience right away, and the opportunity to begin working directly with clients from Day One. The Public Defender panelist perhaps summed up best why he’s passionate about public interest work: “I’m doing the civic work that we expect highly educated people in our society to be doing.” When asked to share their advice for how get started in public interest, the attorneys unanimously encouraged students to talk to their professors, attend programs focused on the public interest, join organizations of interest to them, and seek out volunteer opportunities.

Speaking of volunteer opportunities, the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland paid a visit on Wednesday to talk about their Brief Advice Clinics and the opportunities students have to serve as intake volunteers. As a volunteer, students conduct brief interviews with each client to gather general information about their legal problem and then briefs the volunteer attorney on the issues. The student then gets to sit in on the meeting between the client and volunteer attorney, which is a great way to learn interviewing skills, client relation skills, issue-spotting skills, and more. To learn more about the Brief Advice Clinics and to sign up as a volunteer, stop by the CSO and ask for the contact information.

Your fellow students were the panelists for Thursday’s Student Panel as they talked about their summer experiences – where they worked, what they did, how they found their jobs, what sort of funding they received, etc. The common theme among the student panelists was that they all felt they’d spent their summer not only getting fantastic experience In research, drafting, client intake, interviewing, and oral advocacy, but also getting the job satisfaction of getting to follow a case from start to finish, of helping someone that nobody else wanted to help, and of making a difference in their communities.

Public Interest Theme Week wrapped up today with a session about Equal Justice Works and the Equal Justice Works Conference taking place in Washington, D.C. on October 10-11, 2008. If you missed any of these sessions, please stop by the CSO to pick up copies of the handouts and speak to a CSO Counselor.

Monday, September 22nd: CSO Attorney Panel, Careers in Public International Law.
1Ls, 2Ls, and 3Ls are invited to hear attorneys speak about their careers in public international law. Panel representatives have experience working within a variety of government organizations and experience practicing immigration and naturalization law. Room A59, noon – 1PM.

Tuesday, September 23rd: CSO Student Panel.
1Ls, 2Ls, and 3Ls are invited to hear fellow students discuss their summer experiences in international law. Learn how these students found their internships and jobs, what types of employers they worked for, and how to get grant money from the Cox International Law Center. Room A59, noon – 1PM.

Wednesday, September 24th: CSO Attorney Panel, How to Become an International Transactional Attorney.
1Ls, 2Ls, and 3Ls are invited to hear attorneys speak about their careers in international transactional law. Panel representatives have experience working on international transactional issues within private law firms and large corporations. Room A59, noon – 1PM.

Thursday, September 25th: Frederick K. Cox International Law Center Information Session, Summer Institute for Global Justice at Utrecht University.
Students are invited to learn about the Case Western Reserve University School of Law Summer Abroad program at Utrecht University in The Netherlands. Room A59, noon – 1PM.

Friday, September 26th: Frederick K. Cox International Law Center War Crimes Research Symposium.
Students are encouraged to attend the Symposium, which will feature foremost academic and international experts on the topic of the ICC and the Crime of Aggression. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from the international law practitioners who will be in attendance.