Prospective Students
2012-2013 Prospectus
Download the 2012-2013 Prospectus [4.0 MB PDF]
Thank you for your interest in the University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law. The college has a distinguished national reputation and a tradition of academic excellence that has produced many leaders for the state of Florida, the nation, and the global legal community. The Florida law faculty is nationally and internationally renowned, as well as larger and more diverse than the faculties of many U.S. law schools. We invite you to explore our site in order to learn more about our innovative programs and comprehensive offerings.
Admissions
Helpful information for prospective students can be found in the Admissions section of the UF Law site, as well as in our annual Prospectus.
Employment Statistics
For a detailed analysis of hiring for the 2012 class at 9 months after graduation, click here to view the 2012 Employment Statistics.
 Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What types of issues do the Professional Career Counselors handle?
A. The CCD’s experienced Career Counselors all have earned law degrees and are available to help both students and alumni with career-related issues. The counselors meet with students to: review resumes and cover letters, help students prepare for interviews, counsel students about career exploration, planning their law school experience, preparing their targeted mailings, handling job offers or salary negotiations, attending job fairs, and a multitude of other issues. Students can email careers@law.ufl.edu or call the CCD at (352) 273-0860 anytime to schedule an appointment with a counselor.
Q. I’m in my first semester. When can I begin attending Career Development programs and get help with my resume?
A. The American Bar Association, the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) and the Levin College of Law believe that new law students need to take most of their first semester to acclimate to law school and to devote themselves to their academic success. Therefore, law schools cannot begin to offer career assistance to 1L students until November 1st. Waiting until after November will not be disadvantageous because the NALP guidelines prohibit all first-year students across the country from contacting legal employers prior to December 1st. The same rules also prohibit legal employers from responding to or contacting first-year students before December 15.Additionally, the Center for Career Development will host a special welcome orientation program for all new 1L’s the first of November to help you prepare your career plan, resume and cover letters.
Q. What Resources are housed in the CCD?
A. The CCD maintains a collection of directories, career related books, and materials available for students’ use in our office or for check out. Additional handouts and materials are available on the website. For more information, refer to the Career Development Resources page, available from CCD’s main “student” webpage.
Q. I need to draft my resume/cover letter and I need some help, what should I do?
A. To begin, download the CCD “Resume Tips and Samples” handout and/or “Letter Tips and Samples” handout available on the CCD website under “Students”. Once you have created a rough draft of your resume or cover letter, you can drop it off in Career Development and we will review it and make corrections or suggestions on how you can more effectively market yourself. You then can pick it up 48 hours later. Alternatively, to discuss your resume/cover letter with a counselor, you can call the CCD office at (352) 273-0860 to schedule an appointment and then e-mail your materials to the counselor who will have them ready to discuss by the time of your appointment. Also, be sure to check out the Events Calendar for upcoming programs on Drafting Resumes and Cover Letters.
Q. What are the CCD hotlines and how do I subscribe or unsubscribe?
A. The CCD maintains several listserves or hotlines designed to quickly disseminate information of particular interest to students or alumni. Typically, the messages relate to an opportunity with a short deadline or an immediate need. UF Law students with a UF account and UF Law alumni can easily subscribe and unsubscribe themselves at any time.Click here to view Career Services Listservs
Q. What is Symplicity and how do I obtain a password?
A. The CCD subscribes to the Symplicity software program that retains our job listings and administers certain programs such as On-Campus Interviewing. Students can access Symplicity using their login and password emailed to them from Symplicity. If you have misplaced this information contact the CCD. Alumni can continue to use Symplicity after graduation using a new ‘Attorney’ profile that can be created from the main Symplicity page. First time Alumni users will need a special one-time password (which can be obtained from the CCD) to access Symplicity to establish their own new password and id.
Q. There is a job posting that states, “CLI preferred”. What’s a Certified Legal Intern and how do I become one?
A. A Certified Legal Intern (CLI) is a student or graduate who has participated in a UF Law clinical skills program. Through the clinic, the student becomes certified by the Florida Supreme Court to represent clients in court under the supervision of a Florida licensed attorney pursuant to Rule 11. Upon graduation and before being sworn in to the Florida Bar, the CLI status can be renewed on the student’s behalf by their employer to permit them to represent clients in the Florida public sector such as state attorney, public defender, legal aid, or municipal attorney’s offices. Additionally, in most Florida jurisdictions a JD plus a CLI equates to a higher starting salary. The ONLY way to become a CLI is to participate in one of the UFLaw’s clinics that offer the certification.
Q. What’s the difference between an Internship and Externship?
A. Internships are paid or unpaid work experience opportunities of variable duration in which students do NOT receive academic credit. These opportunities can be with a number of different institutions such as law firms, government offices, and non-profit organizations. The term internships often includes fellowship opportunities. Externships are UNPAID work experience opportunities for which law students DO earn academic credit. They usually last for one semester and the number of hours worked is directly proportional to the number of credits to be earned. A list of externship opportunities for the next available term can be found on the Academics website under “externships.”
Q. I saw a position announcement with the word “rolling” listed under the deadline. What does that mean?
A. Employers who accept applications on a “rolling” basis means that applications are considered as they are received. Hence, it is to your advantage to apply immediately for positions evaluated on a rolling basis as the position may have been filled prior to the closing date.
Q. What is the Pro Bono Project and how does it work?
A. “Pro Bono” means for the public benefit. It is legal assistance provided under the supervision of a licensed attorney at no cost to individuals who otherwise would be unable to obtain legal services. Law students provide these services without receiving compensation or credit and students who complete 35 hours of Pro Bono work are eligible to receive a certificate of recognition for their efforts. Providing these needed services is an opportunity to gain legal experience while being involved in the community. Information on agencies needing law student assistance and details of the projects are available on the CCD Pro Bono Project webpage.
Q. What is OCI and how does it work?
A. The CCD administered On-Campus Interviewing (OCI) program is a significant recruiting tool at the Law School. It enables potential employers from across the nation to visit campus for the purpose of interviewing law students for positions as summer clerks or associates to entry-level attorney positions. UF Law offers both a fall and spring OCI season when we routinely host over 200 law firms and organizations. To learn more about OCI, please see the information on recruitment and OCI on the main student page of the CCD website.
Q. Is it true that the On-Campus Interview (OCI) program is only for the top 10% of the class?
A. While we are aware of that rumor, it is not accurate here at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. Over 200 law firms visit UF Law each year and different employers have different hiring criteria. When reviewing the OCI employers in Simplicity, at first glance it may seem that some legal employers seek only those at the top of the class, but a closer look reveals that a sizeable number of firms seek UF Law applicants in the top ½ of the class or applicants with specific experiences or backgrounds. Typically, over 44% of all eligible students were selected for interviews. That being said, clearly the employers are looking beyond the top 10% of the class in making their selections. This shows that it is imperative that you carefully read all OCI postings, resume collect announcements, and job listings as you will see that there are opportunities for all students and OCI is only one of the many ways in which the Center for Career Development can assist you with your career plans.
Q. Where can I find more information about an employer?
A. It is critical to thoroughly research employers before applying for positions and before interviewing. To learn about employers, try the employer’s websites and the Martindale-Hubbell index of legal employers on line at www.Martindale.com. Students may supplement this information by checking the summer clerking questionnaires completed by students who previously clerked for a firm and employer provided information sheets both available in the CCD.
Q. What is the difference between an Interview Fair, a Recruiting Conference and a Job Fair?
A. There really is no difference. These terms all refer to events in which legal employers are invited to one location to interview students from participating law schools. Students who participate in a job fair increase their exposure to out-of-area employers who may not be able to interview on-campus. These interviewing opportunities make it easy for a student to talk to a number of employers in a short period of time. Please be aware, however, that many of the student registration deadlines for these job fairs occur during the summer and can be from two to three months in advance of the program date. Also, while a number of these job fairs are geared towards minorities, all law students can participate.
Q. Where can I find information about the Bar Application or Examination?
A. Information about the Florida Bar Application and Examination is found at http://www.floridabarexam.org/. The Florida Bar results are posted here http://www.floridasupremecourt.org. Information regarding other state Bar Associations can be obtained by going to their websites, many that can be accessed from the American Bar Associations’s collection of links at http://www.abanet.org/legaled/baradmissions/barcont.html. Student Affairs also has a number of bar related sources available from their web page.
Q. What is the Alumni Mentor Program and how do I become involved?
A. The Alumni Mentor Program is an invaluable resource that CCD offers to students. The CCD maintains a databank of alumni who have volunteered to offer advice and career guidance to current students who are interested in fields that are similar to their own. While these mentors are not intended to be a direct source of employment, they can be a valuable source of networking, career ideas or geographic information. Information and the Request Form are available on CCD’s main “student” page.
Q. How can I access the career resources or get reciprocity at another law school?
A. Most law schools offer reciprocity privileges to permit non-students and non-alumni to use some of their career resources and job postings. This privilege allows out-of-area law students and alumni to use important resources in locations closer to the place where they are seeking employment. Please note that most law schools, including UF Law, suspend reciprocity privileges during the fall OCI season and some schools require the student to visit their campus to review their listings. After determining the law school you are interested in and checking its policy, complete our reciprocity request form available on the CCD website under “Alumni” and CCD will seek reciprocity privileges on your behalf. This service is a courtesy between law schools and should be treated with respect. To maintain the integrity of this process for future students and graduates, please observe all policies of the granting school.
Q. I have interviewed, but I have not heard back from the employer. Does Career Development know what is going on?
A. Employers from job fairs and OCI typically do not follow-up Career Development to provide information regarding who is being invited for a call-back or of their hiring decision. If your interviewer did not indicate what the next step in the hiring process is, then you should take the initiative and follow up.
Q. Does Career Development do “placement” or actually place students in jobs?
A. Career Development is not a placement office. The Career Development staff can teach you how to develop your legal credentials and provide guidance on how you can best market yourself to obtain your desired employment. We facilitate your exploration of legal and non-traditional career paths while linking you with alumni, practitioners and the community. Statistics show that your first job out of law school likely will not be your last job. Therefore, Career Development provides you with the tools and skills necessary to successfully conduct a job search now and in the future.If you still have a question or cannot find the answer you need, please contact us at careers@law.ufl.edu or (352) 273-0860.