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● The current job market may be likened to a constricted housing market in which savvy house hunters buy up the best homes before the sellers even have a chance to plant their “for sale” signs. In such a real estate market, learning about a house before, or right as it is going up for sale, is key.…

● Follow up on each resume you send with a phone call to

● make certain your materials were received
● determine if additional materials are needed
● and, depending on the tone and warmth of the person responding to your questions, ask: “is now a good time to schedule an interview “.…

Did you know that most law students find summer and permanent employment during the spring semester? That means that if you haven’t accepted employment yet, there is not only hope, but statistics, on your side. Please see Gail, Carly or Julie in Career Services for assistance in planning a job search strategy. We may be able to direct you to new resources and suggest ideas that you have not previously considered.…

Even in a tight job market, opportunities are filled regularly, and students with good networking skills seem to secure a number of these jobs. Meeting people who know people, meeting individuals in your targeted practice area, and learning advice and information about the job market, can pay dividends!…

An explanation of the Summer Stipend Program. A great way for 1Ls to gain worthwhile experience while serving public sector agencies and secure paid employment for the summer! Missed the program on Nov. 19th? Please see Julie in Career Services. (Carly and Gail are also ready to help.)…

Public Interest Work is immensely satisfying. Gain employment by first volunteering with agencies or public interest groups. Successful job seekers reported that they volunteered work for an organization before they were even in serous contention for a paid position. Demonstrating commitment and making contacts are definitely important.…

Interested in serving as a prosecuting attorney, a U.S. Attorney or clerking for the summer? Please see “The National Directory of Prosecuting Attorneys” in Career Services. The Directory also includes a list-ing of Attorneys General. Also, please view the web-site at: http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/offices/index.html…

Consider Administrative Law Judges as they often have paid clerkships available. Clerk in a targeted area of specialty, such as labor law or securities. ALJs are in a number of geographic locations.
Interested? Please see Gail or Carly in Career Services.…

Try to fit in several “informational interviews” over fall break. Although this is not interviewing for a particular job, it does connect you with attorneys practicing in areas of interest to you and is a way to discover available jobs that are not advertised – as many as 50%.

E-mail or phone:
- alumni from Notre Dame or from your undergraduate school who practice in your area of choice;
…

Be certain to send a thank-you note after your informational interview. Indicate in that note that you plan to follow-up with any additional contacts that were suggested during your informational interview. Continue to send periodic follow-up notes to them indicating your progress. Doing so will remind your contacts of your conversation and may cause them to provide additional suggestions if they learn new information.…

Choices exist when considering what you wish to do with a law degree, and we thought it might be helpful to describe some of the avenues available to you — in addition to traditional law firm practice. Because the positions described are primarily for third year students, we are titling this CSO Newsletter our “Special 3L Edition.” However, we believe the information may be useful for students in every class year, so please read on…

The CSO is continually updating a list of state court judges still looking for term clerks for 2009. Please consider these positions as they are extremely valuable, especially to those students interested in litigation. We can provide you with the contact information and application requirements for the judges who are still hiring.…

Please forward your resumes to the CSO so that we may review them in advance of November 1, at which time we can start meeting with 1Ls. If your last name begins with A-L, forward your resume to Carly Nasca. If your last name begins with M-Z, forward your resume to Dean Peshel.…

On Monday, October 6th, at 12:15 pm in room 120, the Honorable Tim Corrigan from the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida and his former clerk, Jeff Perconte from the United States Attorney’s office for the Northern District of Illinois, will give a presentation and answer questions about THE…

Attorneys Network
October 1
5:30pm – 7:30pm
Location: Emerald Loop Bar & Grill, 216 N. Wabash, downtown Chicago
RSVP: Click Here (It is free to sign up and free to attend. We ask that you sign up in advance so that we can properly prepare for adequate food and staff) Stop in for some informal networking after work on October 1st and see friends you may not have seen since your days on campus. Meet attorneys from other firms in town. Talk with members of the Core Committee and share your thoughts for our new Attorney Network. The attorney network includes any attorney with a degree (undergrad, grad or law school) from Notre Dame. We have a capacity of about 60, so please sign up early to be assured a spot! More Activities are listed, so check out the rest of the listings at: http://www.ndchicago.org/ (Many thanks to Judge Sheila O’Brien for encouraging students to attend the Oct. 1 & Nov. 6 events.)…

Wish to connect with more Notre Dame alumni in the city where you are seeking employment? Wish to know where alumni are meeting? Check out the information on the Notre Dame website: https:// secure.alumni.nd.edu/site/c.luIZLdMOJpE/b.2576699/. Select “alumni communities” from the tabs across the top of the site. Select “clubs” from the left-hand column. Select “U.S. Club Locator” from the left-hand column. Indicate a city and state as your option on the main part of the page. Select the club name. Select the club website to gain information on activities and planned events. For example, The Notre Dame Club of Chicago’s website (http://www.ndchicago.org/…

Please mark your calendars to attend this year’s pro bono retreat. It will take place from 5:30 to 8:00 pm on Monday, October 13th. Dinner will be served. This is a great opportunity to get involved with current projects such as:

The Family Justice Center Project
Small Business Information Project
Fathers’ Rights Project
…

The application deadline for the Hanna S. Cohn Equal Justice Fellowship is October 15, 2008. The Fellow will be notified in January 2009, and work will begin in September 2009. The Hanna S. Cohn Equal Justice Fellowship will be awarded to a talented, committed law school graduate at the beginning of her or his career in the area of poverty law. All applicants must be in their third year of law school. The Fellow will be placed a the Empire Justice center in Rochester, NY and will represent low – income clients in complex areas of litigation and other types of advocacy. The fellow’s background and interests will be matched with high priority legal concerns of the poor which are not currently being addressed or that require additional resources. The duration of the Hanna S. Cohn Equal Justice Fellowship is two years; starting salary is $40,000. In addition, Empire Justice Center offers a generous benefits package, including a student loan repayment program. For more information, please see http://www.empirejustice.org/ EqualJusticeFellowship.htm…

It is currently possible to take the NY and NJ, or NY and CT, or NY and MA bar exams in three days as NY state-specific exam questions are on one day, the multi-state bar exam is on the middle day, and the other statespecific exam is on the third day. If you are moving to one of these states, please come see us and we can help you determine which exams you should consider taking. It is important to note that if you are not a NY State resident, you will be taking the bar exam in ALBANY…

Third-year law students may wish to consider staff attorney positions at the U.S. Circuit and District courts as most staff attorneys are hired directly from law school. Staff attorneys are hired by the judges and concentrate their work on cases that are decided on the merits: a) cases decided on the basis of the briefs and record alone, and b) cases decided on special oral argument days.…

On Friday September 26th from 12:15 to 1:15 in room 101, attorneys from Jenner and Block in Chicago will give a presentation about incorporating
pro bono work into law firm practice. Please RSVP to the CSO by September 24th if you’d like to attend.…

The deadline for EJW 2009 Fellowship applications is September 16th at 5 pm.

The two-year Fellowships offer salary and generous loan repayment assistance; a national training and leadership development program; and other forms of support during the term of the Fellowship.

The EJW Conference and Career Fair is a national career fair with employers from Alaska to New
…

Although the CSO cannot provide any individual career counseling to you before November 1st, please feel free to attend any programs being offered now. Additionally, start working on your resume. You can start emailing them to us now. We will then have them reviewed prior to the meeting each of you will have individually with the CSO…

Annual Minority Reception:
September 12, 2008 from 5:50 p.m. –7:30 p.m. on the 3rd Floor of John Marshall Law School located at 315 South Plymouth Court in Chicago

Prosecutorial Opportunities Symposium:
September 13, 2008 from 8:30 a.m.—12:30 p.m. on the 12th Floor Speakers from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, and the City of Chicago Corporation Counsel’s will be present. The State’s Attorneys Office will conduct interviews that day but NOT…

The Ohio Bar application is a two-step process. The first involves certification as to your fitness to practice law, and the Ohio Board must make this certification before you are able to apply to sit for the bar exam. The certification process can be lengthy; to prevent delays, please file your Registration as a Candidate for Admission (Application to Register) in your third semester of law school.…

Call-back interviews are held at the firm, can last four to eight hours, and also may include a meal with several other attorneys from the firm. Call-back interviews provide the opportunity to provide more information on yourself, and to learn more about the firm. Plan to ask questions that will help you decide if the firm is a good fit for you. Phrasing your questions in such a way as to convey that you learned all that you could about the firm before traveling to their office is also a good idea. For example, Martindale-Hubbell listings and firm web pages will likely include a list or representative clients. You may wish to ask in what capacity the firm represents particular clients.…

See Government & Honors Handbook for details. Attorney General of Washington Honors Pro-gram, US Department of Justice Honors, Department of Commerce, Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General Fellowship Program, Comptroller of the Currency, FBI Honors Internship Program, FDIC Honors Program, FTC Competition Bureau, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, EPA…

See Government & Honors Handbook for details. Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Communications Commission, US Department of Justice, Alabama Office of the Attorney General, Attorney General of Washington, Miami-Dade County Attorney’s Office, Central Intelligence Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Federal Trade Commission, Department of Transportation…

As a reminder, all OCI interviews are occurring in Flanner Hall this week so please just meet there.…

Yes, you are still expected to send thank you notes after interviews! It is best if they are sent immediately, with a line or two personalized to the conversation you shared with each interviewer. So jot down a note as you walk out of the interview to help you remember! You can send them via email, especially because the decisions about callbacks is often made very rapidly. Don’t forget that for callback interviews, you should also send one to the recruiting coordinator or staff person that assisted you with making the schedule and travel arrangements. If you do send your notes by hand, you need to mail those immediately and they should be placed on very basic, professional notecards or thank you cards.…