What to Expect in Your First Year

Law students should spend the first few months of their law school experience concentrating on their studies and getting acclimated to this new and very challenging environment. That is why the National Association for Law Placement (NALP), of which The Dickinson School of Law is a member, has established guidelines that say the Career Services Office (CSO) should not contact or work with first-year students on employment matters until at least November 1 of their first year. Most law schools and many large law firms are members of NALP and abide by these guidelines. Therefore, we do not meet with or counsel first-year students until after this date. Shortly after November 1, however, we hold a general CSO orientation meeting for first-year students and then provide individual counseling appointments for first-year students.

In the first appointment, a counselor reviews the services of the CSO and discusses the legal job search and what the student can do to prepare for it. We give each student a comprehensive binder of job search information and encourage each student to begin a self-assessment of their likes/dislikes, strengths/weaknesses, and general career goals. We also encourage students to begin working on their resumes and to continue to visit the CSO to use its resources and to meet with counselors on a periodic basis.

As part of this first, baseline appointment, we gather data from the student on both his or her educational and work background and attempt to ascertain preferences on legal practice area and geographic location following law school. We use this information to develop relevant programming and to try to meet the needs of individual students as job opportunities in these areas become available.

Students have several options during their first summer. Some opt to attend Dickinson's Summer Abroad Seminars in Florence, Italy, or the Capitals of Europe, which includes travel and study in Vienna, Austria, Brussels, Belgium, Luxembourg and Strasbourg, France, Oxford, England, and The Hague. If they are not studying abroad, we encourage them to obtain some form of legal work experience, whether paid or volunteer.

Typically, about 60 percent of first-year students secure summer legal employment. Some first-year classes have improved upon that figure, demonstrating that determination, effective job searching, and use of contacts can really make a difference. We assist first years as much as possible in securing summer employment by teaching them job search strategies, reviewing their resumes and cover letters, educating them about job search resources, and putting them in touch with alumni and other contacts who may be of assistance to them.

The key to successful employment, both summer and full-time, is to begin the job search process as early as possible, to start developing an effective network, and to keep in touch with the CSO throughout your three years in law school. We will work with students every step of the way to make their job searches successful.