Searching for a Government Job?

Doing a quick search for the keyword "attorney" revealed over 200 positions on http://www.usajobs.gov/ which is the official website for vacancies for the US Federal goverment. Please be sure to check their website daily!

Also, make sure to check out the current Department of Justice Attorney vacancies at http://www.usdoj.gov/oarm/attvacancies.html.

If you want more information about working at the DOJ, you can visit the attorney profiles at, http://www.usdoj.gov/oarm/arm/profiles.htm, and the video clips of attorneys and interns available at https://www.avuedigitalservices.com/ads/jobsatdojoarm/index.jsp

Jacksonville Bar, YLS Noon in June Event

Date: Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Location: The Carling

Time: Noon

RSVP: Chris Hand at Chand@terrellhogan.com or Patrick Kilbane at PKilbane@rtlaw.com.

This project provides a fun and informative introduction to the Jacksonville legal community for summer law clerks or attorneys new to the area. After a lunch where the students meet each other and members of the Jacksonville Bar Association, the program includes a tour of the federal courthouse, a visit to City Hall to hear from local government leaders, and a trip to Jacksonville Area Legal Aid. Finally, Noon in June will end with a Happy Hour. All Jacksonville law firms and government or social service agencies are encouraged to register their law clerks or interns for this afternoon event.

Urban Debate Advocacy Fellowship for Recent Graduates

The National Association for Urban Debate Leagues (NAUDL), the national leadership organization of the urban debate movement, seeks to facilitate participation in organized debate activities for as many urban students as possible. Urban students of color and women with great creativity and potential for future careers in the law unfortunately face many challenges in learning the communication and academic skills they need to enter law school and start legal careers. To counter these challenges, many firms have turned to academic debate in urban schools as an effective mechanism to open a larger, more diverse pipeline of students who are interested in, and well-prepared for, law school and legal practice.

NAUDL is offering a pro bono public interest fellowship to 3Ls and recent law school graduates whose firms are deferring their start dates. Associates who are deferring their start dates can make a valuable contribution in the interim to the NAUDL and urban debate.

The Urban Debate Advocacy Fellow will provide legal advice and assistance to local Urban Debate Leagues (UDLs), run legal education seminars with UDL students, prepare submissions to federal and local governments on matters of public interest, and conduct other legal work, including drafting documents. The pro bono fellows will focus on legal research and writing, advocacy, non-profit governance issues, and policy development, and will be helping to bring debate to thousands of additional students nationwide. The length of the fellowship can vary with availability, ranging from several months to an entire year.

If interested in becoming an Urban Debate Advocacy Fellow, please contact Eric Tucker at the NAUDL at EricTucker@urbandebate.org or 312-427-0152.

Search Tips: "Attorney", "Lawyer", "J.D.", "Law" and "Legal"

Be sure to think outside the box when seeking positions...don't just search for "attorney" or "lawyer". For example, by searching for "legal" we found two positions for contract negotiators in the Jacksonville area. Positions such as these are posted everyday on UF's Law job bank Symplicity.

Please visit: http://www.law.ufl.edu/career/ and click the Symplicity link on the right. Contact us, if you need a username and password.

2010 Post-Graduate Fellowship Opportunities

Community Lawyering in New York City
New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI), a non-profit civil rights law firm, is accepting applications from candidates for post-graduate fellowship opportunities. The Fellow will contribute to social justice work at NYLPI beginning in the fall of 2010.

All interested applicants should apply as early as possible. Candidates should submit a cover letter, a resume, a writing sample, and three references (including daytime telephone numbers) to Amy Lalich at fellowships@nylpi.org as soon as possible but no later than August 1, 2009.

For more information please go to: http://www.nylpi.org/images/FE/chain234siteType8/site203/client/NYLPI%20Post-Graduate%20Fellowship%20posting.pdf

May 09 Grads

Congratulations on your accomplishments and graduation! We realize this is a hectic time for you with many competing interests. Until July 28th, however, your primary focus must be on preparing to succeed on the Bar Exam.

It may provide some level of comfort for those of you still exploring career options to now schedule an appointment with a career counselor for after the bar exam. We are happy to schedule telephone consults or in-office appointments for you at your convenience. Good luck on the bar exam!

Free Skills How-To taught by Practitioners at UF Law This Summer

SMALL FIRM PRACTICE SERIES

May 29 & June 5, 12, 19HOL 382, 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Learn the practical skills sought by legal employers that will enable you to distinguish yourself and hit the ground running. Attend the no-cost Small Firm Practice Series at UF Law this summer! Classes will cover:

• Pleadings and Motion Practice
• Crafting a Defense
• Deposition Skills Workshop
• Understanding Malpractice Insurance and Tips to Avoid Claims
Local practitioners will be here to share their knowledge and give you hands on practice with those core skills you will need to market yourself as an attorney in virtually any field.Sign up on Symplicity in the Events tab. Click Review next to each class & select RSVP.

VAULT Online Career Library Subscription

UF Law has subscribed to the Vault Online Career Library and has added it to our collection of resources at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. Vault is the world’s leading source of career information. It will make your efforts at researching employers, industries,and career subjects infinitely easier and more efficient. This new online resource contains:
• Downloadable Vault Guidebooks
• 3,000+ Vault Career Advice Articles
• 500+ Law Firm Profiles
• 4,000+ Company Profiles
• Access to Vault Message Boards for insider info
• Much more!
Log on to the career development web page:www.law.ufl.edu/career/students/resources.shtml click on the Vault Online Library icon, & the journey begins.

UF Alumni Reception at Fla. Bar in Orlando 6/25

UF Law Annual Alumni Reception

at The Florida Bar 2009 Annual Meeting
Thursday, June 25, 2009 6:30 - 8 p.m.

Orlando World Center Marriott Grand Ballroom V/VI

This reception, open to all UF law alumni, will provide alumni of the college with the opportunity to network and reconnect with friends and colleagues from all around the state and Dean Jerry will update you with the latest news from the college.
If you would like to attend the reception, please RSVP online at http://www.law.ufl.edu/alumni/events/bar_reception_reg.shtml or call Alumni Affairs at 352-273-0640.

Florida Bar Exam

Don't forget to make your hotel reservations for your stay in Tampa during the exam, July 28th and 29th. Ideally, book a hotel in walking distance or with a shuttle because the last thing you need to worry about is getting stuck in traffic or finding parking!

Video: Managing a Legal Career Transition in Tough Times

The National Association for Law Placement (NALP) and ALI-ABA, as a public service are offering this 75 minute presentation by Marcia Pennington Shannon and Susan G. Manch of Shannon and Manch LLP. They have great ideas for attorneys and students seeking employment from the job search through the interview.
There is also great advice for answering hard questions such as:

• was your lay off performance based
• why would you want to work for us when you have a JD
• why should we hire you, you'll just leave when the market improves
• should you list transition jobs (jobs to feed you and/or your family)
  
  You can watch the complimentary video at: http://www.nalp.org/legalcareertransitionvideo
  
  

LexisNexis ASPIRE

LexisNexis has launched a new program to help students that are experiencing delays in starting their careers due to the current economic conditions. The ASPIRE (Associates Serving Public Interest Research) program will allow qualified graduates to access LexisNexis in order to pursue public interest work.

This complimentary service is available to all 2009 graduates pursuing verifiable public service (non-profit or charitable) work. This includes:
(1) Deferred fall associates pursuing public interest work during their deferral periods;
(2) 2009 graduates who elect to pursue public interest work while searching for law firm employment, and
(3) Those 2009 graduates who pursue public interest work as a continuing profession.

LexisNexis will provide this service throughout these graduate's public interest employment periods, up until September 2010 maximum.

Please go to http://www.lexisnexis.com/aspire to acquire access. Once eligibility is confirmed, the graduates will be allowed to continue using their law school student IDs to access LexisNexis.

Ten Steps for Re-entering the Employment Market

The current economic situation has resulted in many well-qualified attorneys re-entering the employment market. While our first priority is working with our current students, the CCS has a variety of services available to assist you, our alumni, during your transition.

Step 1 Get Passwords: Email careers@law.ufl.edu to obtain a Symplicity (UF Law’s job bank) password and to obtain a list of passwords to various subscription-based resources and sites.

Step 2 Check Job Bank: Become familiar with Symplicity and use routinely to search for alumni openings (positions posted daily) https://law-ufl-csm.symplicity.com/students
a) View job postings by clicking on JOBS from the top navigation bar.
b) Sort the job list by “Position Type” by utilizing the drop down menus at the top.
c) Find a specific job by inputting details into the Keyword Search box on the top right, & then click the“Apply Search” button.
d) Mark a job as a “Favorite” by clicking on the “Add to Favorites” icon on the right.
e) View all favorite jobs under the “Favorites” tab.
f) Review position details by clicking on a link in the “Title” column.

Step 3 Search Subscription-based Resources: Become familiar with other resources that list openings like:
a) Intercollegiate Job Bank hosted by BYU Law for listings searchable by the state of the over eighty participating law school (In Florida for example, eight out of the ten law schools post their alumni positions here). Go to www.law2.byu.edu select career services, alumni, intercollegiate job bank
b) Non-Traditional Job Listings - Go to www.nontradlegal.com
c) Lexis & Westlaw Both services offer alumni passwords to access the career resources and
attorney/judge profile databases.

Step 4 Update Resume: If you’d like a fresh pair of eyes to review your resume, send it to careers@law.ufl.edu.

Step 5 Subscribe to Alumni Job Hotline: To receive e-mailed information about upcoming receptions and networking events, positions with a short deadlines and programs of interest to our grads, sign up for the Alumni Job Hotline. Send a blank email to alumni-job-subscribe@law.ufl.edu. Please note that this hotline does not advertise all job listings contained within Symplicity.

Step 6 Tap into your Network: 80% of all jobs are unadvertised!

a) Gator Nation Network: The UF Alumni Association sponsors the Gator Nation Network (GNN) for Gators only. It is a no-cost, private, online community that allows UF alumni to securely connect with UF classmates and colleagues. Visit https://incircle.ufalumni.ufl.edu to complete your profile. Check out the groups such as “South Florida LitiGators” or “D.C. Gators”.
b) Participate in CLE’s to learn new skills or practice areas and interact with other practitioners.
c) Attend UF Law Alumni receptions to re-connect and meet other Gators in the area.
d) Go to local bar association luncheons.
e) Re-connect with law classmates.
f) Tell those around you or in your professionals network that you are seeking employment: accountant, dentist, clergy, hair stylist.
g) Do an advanced Martindale.com search (include law school, practice area, city) to find other Gators in your area.

Step 7 Consider contacting a Legal Search Consultant or Recruiter: Depending upon the practice and geographic areas you seek, you may benefit from talking with a Legal Recruiter, who works with and is paid by firms on lateral placements.

a) National Association of Legal Search Consultants http://www.nalsc.org/ searchable by state
b)The American Lawyer, Legal Recruiters Directory
http://www.americanlawyer-digital.com/americanlawyer/lrd200901/

Step 8 Explore engaging a Career Coaches to help you in your transition. Coaches are professionals who can help you drill down to define your skills, interests and goals to help you target the best markets.

Step 9 Register to do contract attorney or project-based legal work with agencies such as: Special Counsel, Kelly Law Registry, Hire Counsel or Robert Half.

Step 10 Stay active, positive and resourceful.

a) Consider accepting pro bono matters to expand your practice areas, stay involved with lawyers and feel good about helping others (most legals services organizations are extremely short staffed and offer extensive training programs for pro bono attorneys).
b) Consider accepting court-appointed representation
c) Consider joining a support group to provide yourself with a productive outlet to share experiences, frustrations and strategies for success.
d) Adopt a multi-pronged search approach and remind yourself that there many different paths to employment and that it is a process.

Are you a Deferred Associate?

If so, you are not alone. Many new attorneys have received the unpleasant news that their starting dates have been deferred for a period of time due to the economic turmoil, some until 2010. An attorney in a similar situation has created a website called http://www.deferredassociate.com/ where you can share your thoughts and get ideas on how to use your time wisely.

Where are all the Legal Jobs in 2009?

The current legal needs of this tough economy have changed. Money is tight and law firms have been forced to downsize in order to remain profitable. The good news is that attorneys are getting opportunities to work in fields that they had never explored in the past. I have seen real estate attorneys switch their practices from the buying and selling of real estate to foreclosure defense and bankruptcy law. Litigation attorneys have told me that litigation remains strong, no matter which side you’re on. There seems to be a great demand for insurance and commercial litigation as well as in employment. Many attorneys are also finding work with distressed companies that need loan restructuring or asset liquidation. Estate planning and tax are also popular fields since many individuals are reevaluating their previews plans and with potential changes in the Tax Code, many more will likely need assistance.

Others are moving from the corporate world into government positions. Federal agencies such as the EPA and the IRS have various legal job postings on the usajobs.gov website. If you search thoroughly you can even find entry-level positions. If an attorney position is not available at the government agency that you want to work for, consider applying for another position in that department and hope to move up when one becomes available. For example, a Revenue Agent or Auditor can move up to be an IRS attorney and will have more internal experience. Competition is high, but this is where you can shine by ensuring that your resume and cover letter clearly showcase all your skills and experience.

Alternative Careers for Attorneys

There are plenty of other career options for those who have earned a law degree besides practicing law. A law degree can open many doors to nonlegal careers that can be both fulfilling and financially rewarding. Some alternatives to consider are:

1. Public Relations
2. Document Examiners
3. Entrepreneur
4. Accountant/Auditor
5. Financial Planner
6. Portfolio Manager
7. Banking
8. Marketing
9. Real Estate Sales Agent
10. Mortgage Broker
11. Revenue Specialist-IRS
12. Law Enforcement
13. Code Enforcement
14. Zoning and Planning Departments
15. Politics/Campaigns/Lobbying
16. University Administration
17. Human Resources/Legal Recruiting
18. Teaching
19. Journalism
20. Entertainment Law/Agent

It is important to remember that having a law degree when looking for a non-practicing career does set you apart from other candidates. However, you must help your prospective employer realize your potential by writing a strong cover letter detailing how your legal training is pertinent to that position. For example, you might state that while obtaining your legal degree you became proficient in reading and analyzing regulations, drafting documents, reviewing contracts, doing extensive research, following deadlines, etc. Basically, help the prospective employer understand how your legal skills are an asset for their company. If applicable, emphasize the classes that you took that have ties to the position you’re applying for. For example, if applying for an urban planning job, it would be beneficial for them to know that you took Land Use or Environmental law.

Remember that it is vital to still pass the Bar even if you decide to work in a non-practicing career. It is very likely that this career could lead you to a practicing career in the future or at least a career that will value your admission to the Bar.

Remember to still take the Bar exam, even if you may not practice right away. Laws change and your legal training has prepared you to pass the exam now. If you wait, you might incur delays and expenses by having to take additional courses. If you need any help with your resume or cover letter, please visit our website for examples or contact us for assistance.