There are a variety of ways attorneys can help address the abundance of social issues that affect the indigent, underrepresented, and underserved. Public interest attorneys are traditionally thought of as those who provide direct legal services to qualified clients whose individual needs are addressed, as those who address pressing social issues through impact litigation or policy and legislative research, or as those who work in the government through Public Defender’s offices or other federal, state, or local agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency or the Florida Department of Children and Families. Those who work in non-public interest law firms or organizations are also provided opportunities to serve the underrepresented and underserved through pro bono work, community service work, and by maintaining a high level of professionalism in all of their actions and interactions.

Law students interested in pursuing a career in public interest law should start gaining relevant experience now, as public interest employers look for a dedicated interest in serving the public from their applicants. The public interest law community is tight-knit. Members of an organization who know you as a volunteer might think of you first to fill a permanent opening when it becomes available. Law students interested in pursuing a traditional private firm or in-house job should also consider the ways in which they can now begin to serve the public through volunteering and good works. Learn about the firm’s commitment to pro bono.

UF Pro Bono and Community Service Projects 

The UF Pro Bono and Community Service Projects recognize unpaid service in both the legal arena and in many capacities in the community. The Pro Bono Project recognizes legal work done in the public interest through volunteer efforts. Pre-approved sites for the Pro Bono Project can be found on the pro bono/community service link on the Career Services web page. These pre-approved local placements can provide valuable legal experience in assisting with children’s issues, prisoners’ rights, and the general concerns of people with low income, including access to public benefits, landlord tenant issues, and more.

There are many other opportunities to do qualified pro bono work at other organizations or in locations other than Gainesville. To qualify for the Pro Bono Project, the following criteria must be met:

• You must be doing work that is legal in nature.
• Your work must be with a government agency, court, or non-profit organization.
• You must be supervised by an attorney.
• You cannot receive pay or academic credit for your work.
• Your work must benefit the under-served, under-represented, or those with limited resources. Volunteering for a law firm, while a valuable experience, is not pro bono in that it does not reach the larger goal of pro bono: bringing services to an under-served or under-represented individual or group.

Non-legal volunteer work that benefits those in need as outlined above falls under the Community Service Project. Community service is a way to give back to the community through a wide variety of locations and through a wide variety of work. Check out the Career Services website and its Pro Bono/Community Service link for information on both projects and what you need to do to participate. If you have any questions, contact Assistant Director Sam Sarno in Career Services.

Three Rivers Legal Services FALL 2007 Information – Registration Deadline of September 3: An Example of A Pre-Approved Pro Bono Project Site

Three Rivers Legal Services, Inc. (TRLS) is a free, civil legal assistance program that serves low-income residents of Alachua and 16 other counties in North Florida. Since 2003, TRLS has run volunteer legal programs that allow UF law students to gain valuable experience and assist clients in various areas of law.

TRLS will be running four volunteer programs for law students during the Fall 2007: Housing, Pro Se Divorce, General Legal Intake, and Rural Outreach.

Housing A

Volunteers will conduct client interviews and draft memos and letters on landlord/tenant issues.

Training: Monday Sept. 10, 5-7 p.m.

Dates: Mondays, Sept. 17 and 24, Oct. 1 and 8, 4-7 p.m.

Housing B

Volunteers will conduct client interviews and draft memos and letters on landlord/tenant issues.

Training: Monday, Oct. 15, 5-7 p.m.

Dates: Mondays, Oct. 22 and 29, Nov. 5 and 12, 4-7 p.m.

Pro Se Divorce

Volunteers will assist domestic violence victims and low income clients with completing forms necessary for marriage dissolution petitions and related child support actions.

Training: Sept. 11, 3-5 p.m.

Dates: Thursdays, Sept. 20, Oct. 4 and 18, Nov. 1 and 15, 9 a.m.- noon

Rural Outreach

This program is designed to allow students to learn about and prepare a presentation to educate residents in the 8th Circuit’s rural counties (Baker, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy, & Union). Volunteers fluent in Spanish are encouraged to participate.Training and times for presentations will be developed with the consensus of the group.

Organizing Meeting: Tuesday, Sept. 18, 4-5 p.m.

General Legal Intake

Volunteers will interview clients and draft intake memos on various civil legal issues. Please register for either Mondays or Tuesdays, or both.Students may begin client interviews after training.

Training: Tuesday, Sept. 11, 9:30 a.m.-noon

Dates: Mondays, 1:30-3 p.m.

Tuesdays 9:30 a.m.-noon

Registration Details

Please email your registration requests to pblc@trls.org. Based upon program availability, students may be allowed to participate in multiple programs. Returning volunteers are given registration preference. Training sessions will be held at the offices of TRLS at 901 NW 8th Ave., D-5; Gainesville (Call 372-0519 for directions). To participate, student volunteers must be in at least their second semester of law school. Attendance at all program sessions is greatly appreciated, but not required as long as prior arrangements are made with the supervising attorneys.

To register, copy and paste the following with your information:

Name:

E-mail address:

Mailing address:

Year/semester in law school:

Phone number:

What program do you want to participate in?(please list three and indicate your first, second, and third choices):

Returning volunteer?

Please indicate foreign language proficiency:

Failure to register properly may result in the denial of a volunteer placement, so please read and follow all directions carefully. If you have any questions, TRLS will be tabling in the courtyard from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Aug. 27, 28 and 29.

Registration closes Monday, Sept. 3, 5 p.m. Placements will be emailed on Thursday, Sept. 6, by 5 p.m.

The number of employers conducting interviews on the UF Law campus climbed to 157 this year, and an additional 32 employers collected resumes. Last year, 153 employers were on campus, with another 43 collecting resumes. That’s a significant jump from just two years ago when 140 employers interviewed on campus and 22 collected resumes in the Fall 2004 semester.

Fall OCI began Aug. 22, the week before classes began. All interviews were conducted in the library study rooms. The visiting employers included 11 government agencies, three accounting firms, 138 private law firms, and the civilian division of the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.

The Florida areas recruited for included:

• 45 from Central Florida (Tampa, Lakeland, Orlando, Daytona area)

• 16 from Northeast Florida (Jacksonville area)

• Four from West Florida (Tallahassee & Panhandle)

• Seven from Southwest Florida (Ft. Meyers, Naples, Sarasota areas)

• 34 SE Florida (West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami areas)

The out-of-state cities and states included:

• 13 from Atlanta, GA.

• 6 from Washington, D.C.

• States included: Virginia, Alabama, Arizona, Tennessee, Missouri, Louisiana, New York, South Carolina, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Massachusetts

What did the Employers Have to Say?

• “The students were exceptional.”

• “Quality of students fabulous. Good resumes, good interview skills. Very bright-Well Done!”

• “Students need to be more selective in the interviews they seek. Several had no idea of our practice areas and were not interested once we told them during the interview.”

Is Spring OCI the Same?

No. While the process is the same, a different segment of legal employers tend to interview in spring. Traditionally we host more small and medium-sized law firms, rather than the large firms who visit in the fall. Also, more state government employers interview in the spring.

It is important for all students to carefully review the list of employers and their stated hiring criteria before deciding to opt out of OCI.

When is Spring OCI?

Spring OCI interviews will run from Feb. 27 through March 30, except for the week of Spring Break and the week after.

Phase 1 bids for Spring 2007 OCI are open from Jan. 23 until Jan. 29 at noon. It does not matter whether you bid on the first or last day of bidding as there is no priority system within a particular bid phase. Bidding for employers will end at noon on the closing day and the computer system will not accept late bids. Dates for remaining phases are available both on Symplicityand the CCS website.

What do I need to do?

To be sure you are prepared to “bid” (submit your resume for consideration by a scheduled employer) you must:

• Have a signed 2006 Policy & Procedure Form on file in the CCS

• Upload your resume into Symplicity

• Update your class year (1L, 2L, 3L) and graduation date

• Attend a Symplicity Training in early January

Finding a job won’t be a problem because Career Services will place me.

While this is a popular belief, it is inaccurate. Statistics demonstrate that your first job after graduation will not be your last job. We teach you how to search and find a satisfying position.  Finding a job that is right for you takes a significant amount of time, energy and diligence on the part of each individual law student.

Counselors at CCS can help you. The first step is asking yourself the right questions and developing an understanding of what you are looking for and then focusing on how to get there. “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day; if you teach him how to fish you feed him for a lifetime.” — Lau Tsu

Myth Number Two

I can’t go see a CCS Counselor because I don’t know what type of law I want to practice, so how do I know what questions to ask.

This is exactly why you should come in to speak with one of our professional counselors. All of our counselors have graduated from law school. We have all been in your shoes and understand how difficult it can be to have a goal and not know how to de- fine it once you are in law school. We can guide you through the process and help you concentrate on determining which path or paths to pursue.

Myth Number Three

My GPA is 2.79 and CCS only assists people at the top of the class…like OCI and judicial clerkships.

Both OCI and judicial clerkships are high profile programs. It’s easy to get the impression that this is all CCS does. Don’t be fooled. While these are options for some students, the majority of law students will not gain employment through these programs. There are lots  of other options available. Many employers are much more interested in your pro bono, co-cirricular, or summer and part-time legal experiences. All students should build their resume with legal experiences while in law school. Think about pro bono , externships, internships or clincs as options to pursue while you are in law school. 

Myth Number Four

There’s plenty of time. I’ll drop by CCS be- fore I graduate and they’ll get me a job then.

Time is a relative thing. Three years may seem like a long time but it goes by in a flash. While you are in law school you will have many goals. It is in your best interest to build your legal credentials as soon as possible and to continue to expand them as you finish your JD. The experience you obtain while in law school can lead to op- portunities upon graduation and beyond. One legal experience tends to lead to the next either directly or indirectly. It is very challenging for students to begin to build momentum in their fifth and sixth semesters. The earlier one begins the better.

Myth Number Five

CCS keeps talking about networking this and networking that…why do I need to network to land a post-grad position?

Networking has become a tricky concept for some law students. It is, however, the backbone of obtaining legal positions. Many of the positions available in the legal market will never show up in a publication or on a job bank. They are generally offeredby word of mouth. This means that there are times in the legal field when it truly is who you know or being in the right place at the right time. Students who make the most of their contacts and then network off those contacts will be leaps and bounds ahead of a recent graduate who has no legal experience or is an unknown in the legal community. If you want to learn more about informational interviews or networking, call for an appointment with a CCS counselor.

The Center for Career Services is a resource available to all students after their first few months in law school. Like any resource, it serves you only as much as you utilize it. Our mission is to teach, guide and facilitate your self-directed career search. This process includes not only serving as a resource, but also directing you as you explore different options both within and beyond the legal profession. Optimally, students should come in early during their law school career and continue with regular visits to expand and modify their individual approach to obtaining satisfying employment after graduation.

The Market:

Statistically, the small firm is one of the larger employment markets for entry-level attorney positions for new law graduates.

• At UF Law, of the 181 recent graduates ho gained employment in a law firm, 49 percent began their first-post graduation position in a small firm.

• Solo and small firms currently make up 63 percent of lawyers in private practice according to the American Bar Association’s Issues Update.

• The ABA General Practice Section Committee Update disclosed that 86 percent of today’s law students expect yo practice in small firms.

• Some 73 percent of The Florida Bar is made up of solo and small firms of 10 or fewer attorneys.

Typical Benefits of Small Firm Practice:

• Small firms concentrate on finding the right person for the job instead of emphasizing the highest academic credentials.

• More autonomy and responsibility sooner.

• Accelerated hands-on experience in the courtroom and greater case management.

• Actual client contact sooner.

• More relaxed and personal environment.

• Greater variability in the types of work.

• Faster advancement opportunities— large firms promote on a routinized seniority-based model (second-year associates, third-year associates, etc.) as opposed to an individual’s own industry and merit.

• Not as harshly impacted by economic changes and fluctuations.

• More amenable to flexible compensation plans such as incentives for bringing in new clients or variable compensation based upon fee dollars generated.

Challenges of Small Firm Practice:

• Starting pay is typically less, but potential to earn bonuses, incentives or percentage of new cases brought in develops faster.

• Greater expectation that the new associate will be able to hit the ground running.

• Requires more diligence and selfdirected job search to locate positions.

• No formal summer associate program, but they do hire law clerks.

Hiring Trends:

• Small firms are unable to predict their hiring needs in advance and hire as the need arises.

• Most small firms do not interview on campus in the fall. Some interview during spring OCI.

• Small firms do not have recruiting directors nor hiring partners.

• Timing is everything. Respond quickly to postings. If you have the option of responding by email or fax, opt for that means over snail mail.

• Small firms may defer hiring decisions until bar results are posted.

Finding Openings:

• Law students cannot rely solely upon advertised positions when seeking small firm employment as small firm practitioners may simply be too busy to carve out the time to advertise and search for help. Most small firms welcome and presume that they will receive unsolicited letters of interest and resumes from law students or recent graduates.

• No national directory of small firms, unlike NALP’s Directory of Legal Employers.

• Check state and local bar directories.

• Martindale Hubbell search (although this is a subscription-based service and not all small firm practitioners pay for this listing service).

• Network: Let it be known that you are interested in gaining small firm experience.

• Join The Florida Bar, General Practice, Solo, & Small Firm Section http://www.gpssf.org/ to network with the professionals, learn about small firm practice, and access the Small Firm Directory of Practitioners.

To Make Yourself More Marketable:

• Gain experience. Clerking for one of these firms can be a successful means of securing a job.

• Generally speaking, the ideal small firm candidate possesses the “total package.” They are well-rounded, ambitious and self-motivated individuals with local ties, who can work with minimum supervision while excelling in both written and verbal communication skills, and who can “hit the ground running.”

• Take practical courses in law school such as lawyering skills, interviewing & counseling, negotiation & mediation, law practice management, legal accounting and/or any skills-based clinics.

• Participate in Moot Court or Trial Team competitions.

• Attend CLE’s relevant to small firm practitioners.

• Learn about rainmaking, bringing in new clients, how and why to get involved in the local community, and about trust accounts and billing.

The NALP publication, Jobs & JD’s, Class of 2005, provides valuable employment and salary data. For example, it shows that Florida ranked fifth in terms of the number of entrylevel legal positions gained within the state, even finishing ahead of Washington, D.C.

A total of 1,877 new law graduates began their careers in Florida, of which 75.8% of the jobs went to graduates of Florida’s law schools. New York tops the list with 4,445 positions obtained in New York. California comes in second with 4,067 in-state positions. Texas is third with 2,204 in-state positions, while Illinois is fourth with 1,959 new legal positions.

If you plan to leave Florida upon graduation, the chart would provide a good reference point to determine the states that hire the largest number of out-of-state graduates such as Virginia, Delaware, Washington, D.C., Michigan, Indiana, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.

Gainesville Has Lowest Salaries Across Florida

Jobs & JD’s, Class of 2005 also lists the mean starting salaries by city for law firm jobs taken by recent graduates, as follows:

1. $80,488—Miami

2. $72,778—Naples 

3. $68,941—Orlando

4. $67,299—Tampa

5. $64,609—Coral Gables

6. $64,571—West Palm Beach

7. $63,714—Pensacola

8. $62,752—Ft. Lauderdale

9. $59,700—Tallahassee

10. $59,608—Jacksonville

11. $59,400—Sarasota

12. $58,214—Daytona Beach

13. $57,500—Ft. Myers

14. $57,083—St. Petersburg

15. $55,833—Clearwater

16. $53,500—Lakeland

17. $52,923—Boca Raton

18. $51,550—Hollywood

19. $46,658—Plantation

20. $38,800—Gainesville

The mean entry-level salary for Atlanta firms was $92,847 and for Washington, D.C. $118,165.

How the Grads Found Their Job

For those graduates who received their offer of employment after graduation, the most common sources of employment were described as:

• 28.8% a result of a targeted mailing or other self-initiated contact with the employer.

• 20.1% a referral by a business colleague, professor, friend, or relative

• 19.8% a response to a job posting listed by their career services office

If you wish job search assistance or cover letter or resume review, please schedule an appointment with one of Career Services knowledgeable, attorney counselors.

Employment Advisory to Students

While gaining legal experience provides a meaningful way to enrich your legal education and enhance your legal credentials, it is critical that law students recognize that there are limits to the work they legally can perform without violating the Florida Bar Rules prohibiting the unlicensed practice of law. Law students and law graduates, yet to be sworn in to the bar, may not practice law nor provide legal advice.

Chapter 10 of the Rules regulating the Florida Bar regulates the unlicensed practice of law. These rules caution that while nonlawyers can “engage in limited oral communications…reasonably necessary to elicit factual information … to assist a person in the completion of blanks on a legal form approved by the Supreme Court of Florida… and inform the person how to file the form,” the nonlawyer preparer/assistant must include on the document a signed, written disclosure as stated in Florida Bar Rule 10- 2.1(a)

A law student or law graduate who is certified by the Supreme Court of Florida as a certified legal intern (CLI) pursuant to Chapter 11 of the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar, may represent certain individuals in limited circumstances while performing under the supervision of a Florida licensed attorney in good standing. The only mechanism for becoming a CLI is to register for and participate in certain clinical programs offered by the University of Florida Levin College of Law.

The Florida Bar possesses the authority to investigate UPL (Unlicensed Practice of Law) complaints and to prosecute these cases. Please ask before you act. The Florida Bar’s UPL Division can be reached at (850) 561-5840 or check with your professor about whether an act you are considering would constitute the unlicensed practice of law.

Business and corporate legal employers tend to hire on an “as needed” basis, although if you are interested in summering in a corporate legal department, you would want to focus your targeted mailings in the fall and early spring. These employers typically do not participate in on-campus interviewing programs.

Some federal government agencies, particularly those with Honors Programs, recruit each fall for positions beginning the following summer or beyond. Other agencies hire only when vacancies occur so a targeted mailing can be effective for these agencies.

Most state and local agencies hire on an “as needed” basis depending on funding and personnel needs. In Florida, government employers operate on a July 1 fiscal year so typically, more of the public defender and state attorney’s offices participate in spring OCI for anticipated openings after July 1. Students, however, should stay in contact with the judicial circuit offices of interest throughout the year as unanticipated openings can occur anytime. Follow-through and persistence are essential for under-resourced state and local agencies.

The majority of public interest agencies hire on an “as needed” basis when vacancies occur or as new grants are received. Typically they hire first- and second-year law students for the summer on a fellowship or volunteer basis. The agencies are less likely to recruit on campus than hire someone who has worked for them during a summer. A demonstrated prior commitment to public interest and networking is critical to obtaining these positions.

Federal courts under the federal hiring guidelines accept applications for postgraduate judicial clerkships the day after Labor Day of your third year of law school. Typically interviews are conducted and hiring decisions made fairly soon after that time. Florida state courts accept applications for postgraduate judicial clerkships at various times, although many accept them during the spring semester for vacancies the following fall.

Small law firms tend to recruit second year law students in the spring and third year law students in the spring, summer, following admission to the bar, or on an “as needed” basis. They usually do not recruit on campus but expect students to apply directly to them. They often hire students who have been working for them on a parttime basis during the academic year.

Medium-large (50-99 attorneys) and medium (20-50) sized law firms are more challenging to characterize recruiting methods. Those in large cities such as Atlanta or Miami tend to follow large firm practices by hosting a formal summer program, with recruitment exclusively in the fall except for a couple of slots for outstanding 1Ls. Other medium-sized firms are less structured and may recruit in the spring, fall or on an “as needed” basis. Targeted mailings can prove successful for these employers, who are not as likely to visit campus.

Large law firms (100+ attorneys) recruit second- and third-year students almost exclusively in the fall for summer associates through on-campus interviews and targeted mailings. The law firm’s second year summer program typically is used as a mechanism for hiring new permanent associates.

It is critical to remain professional and respectful of the legal employers and your classmates during the callback and offer stage of the recruitment process. You do not want to be perceived as having wasted legal employers time and resources without a legitimate reason. To hoard callbacks and hold open multiple offers will not ultimately benefit your reputation in the legal community. Recruiters do talk. Please remember that when you release an offer, it may well be extended to one of your UF Law classmates. Therefore, it is not only unfair but also discourteous to hold offers open that you do not intend to accept.

Timing of Accepting Offers

Student and employer expectations and obligations are listed in the NALP Standards for the Timing of Offers & Decision available at www.nalp.org. For those students who received an offer from their summer employer before Sept. 15, Nov. 1 is the deadline for students to accept or decline the offer of employment. With the permission of the employer, a student with an offer deadline of Nov. 1 who is holding only one other offer may extend to Dec. 1. All other offers must be accepted by or preferably before Dec. 1. Additionally, it is important to advise prospective employers if you are competing for a fellowships or judicial clerkships with late hiring decisions. If you are holding an offer(s), it is to your professional benefit to:

• Make timely decisions.

• Promptly and graciously decline callbacks or offers from firms you are no longer seriously considering.

• Maintain contact with the firm to keep them apprised of your status and to reaffirm your continued interest.

Accepting the Offer

Please remember that accepting an offer from an employer represents a serious commitment. It is highly recommended that you carefully consider an offer before accepting and that you fully intend to honor the commitment once you have made your decision. A Career Services professional counselor can help you assess your options to determine the best fit for you. Rescinding your summer or permanent job acceptance is unprofessional conduct that may impair your reputation in the legal community. If your circumstances change and you are weighing whether to back out of your decision, please talk to Career Services BEFORE calling the employer. UF Law must maintain a solid working relationship with all legal employers and we want to help you do what is in the best interest of your professional career and reputation.

Drafting Powerful Cover Letters

Writing an effective cover letter can seem like the hardest part of your job search. It is worth spending a lot of time on your letters, however, as many employers view them as the most important part of your search.

Network & Research

• As with other aspects of your job search, networking plays a pivotal role in letter writing.

• Extra time spent networking and learning about an employer can really pay off.

• Finding contacts to whom you can address your letters is the essential first step to writing a good letter.

• At the very least, target fellow UF alumni or your fellow undergrad alumni.

• Try to set up your connections so that you not only can address each letter to a person with whom you share some commonality, but so that you can start your letter with “Mr./Ms. X suggested that I contact you.”

• Target your mailings based upon your networking and research. MASS MAILINGS DON’T WORK. Ten targeted letters are better than 100 form letters.

Tone

• Entice your audience. Keep them reading.

• Everything in your letters needs to be relevant, but not boring.

• Maintain a tone that explains to an employer what you can do for them, not what a position with them will do for your career.

• Convince the employer that they need to see you for an interview. Keep enticing them with your relevant skills that fit their needs.

• Be enthusiastic and alive.

• Be confident but not arrogant.

• Don’t be too cute, informal or presumptuous.

Basics

• Be sure that your cover letter is printed on the same paper as your resume.

• Write to a named individual, not to “Hiring Partner” or any other generic term. This is where networking really pays off.

• Edit, edit, edit. Have a friend edit. Have Career Services edit. Read it out loud. Edit it again to ensure that it is flawless.

First Paragraph

• A cover letter should start with the connection you have to the addressee.

• Tell the addressee why you are contacting them.

• Introduce yourself, including your law school, your anticipated date of graduation, and the position for which you are applying.

Middle Paragraph(s)

• Sell yourself!

• Explain why the employer should want to meet and hire you.

• Go through your background and consider what the employer needs. Match your experiences and skills with their needs.

• Use the word BECAUSE and give them EVIDENCE about how you match. Make the connection between your experiences and skills and the skills needed for the position.

• Explain how specific experiences transfer into specific skills. Don’t just tell them what you did, but why what you did is useful to them.

• Give proof for everything you say you are good at.

• Show your research about the firm/employer.

• Express your interest or connection in the city the employer is located. Show your ties.

• Do not just repeat your resume.

Last Paragraph

• Close by making a specific request for an interview.

• Explain how you plan to follow up.

• Re-express your interest in the employer.

• It is not necessary to give them your contact information that can already be found in your letter head and on your resume.

Thank You Letters

• Send thank you letters IMMEDIATELY (no later than a week) after an interview or contact.

• Send them to each person with whom you spent a considerable amount of time. If your visit was arranged by a recruiting coordinator who you met and talked with, it is wise to send that individual a thank you letter as well. If you met with an interview panel, you could send one letter to the lead person or most senior person and include a sentence asking that they please convey your appreciation to the others on the panel.

• You also should send a thank you letter to someone who referred you to an employer, as well as the person who has provided a letter of recommendation for you.

• Thank you letters, besides thanking someone for taking the time to meet with you, are a good time to clarify something from your interview and to reiterate your qualifications and commitment to working with that employer. Be sure to include specific reference to the conversa- tion to assist the interviewer in recalling who you are and demonstrating that it was a meaningful experience.

• Highlight something that went par- ticularly well in the interview (“I really enjoyed our conversation about”), or add something that you forgot to mention (“After the interview I realized that I failed to mention a research project that I am working on that you may find interesting . . .”).

• A thank you letter is generally short, perhaps only two paragraphs.

• Employers differ on whether typed, handwritten, or email thank yous are preferred. For something like OCI where call back decisions might be made quickly, send a quick email, but it can never hurt to also send a formal, written thank you.

Acceptance Letters

When accepting a position, confirm the details such as a start date, salary, benefits, any other conditions in writing, even if you have already accepted the offer verbally.

• This correspondence need only be sent to one individual at the organization, but others can be copied (cc:) if you deem that appropriate.

• You may want to write a second letter to an individual who was particularly influential in your decision to accept a position, and acknowledge their impact in your decision, as that person may become a future mentor or friend.

Declination Letters

• If you wish to decline an offer that has been extended to you, send a letter to the person conveying the offer. Thank the interviewer for his/her time and let the individual know that you valued the opportunity to meet with them. In declining you may wish to note that the decision was a difficult one to reach and that you hope to work with them in the future. Letters to Withdraw from Consideration

• Send a letter to an employer stating that you wish to withdraw from consideration for the position. Thank the interviewer for his/her time and let the individual know that you valued the opportunity to meet with them.

• If you wish to leave the door open for future possibilities, you may wish to let them know that you accepted another offer and with whom.

• If you are under consideration for a judicial clerkship, it is imperative that you immediately send a letter withdrawing from consideration as soon as you have accepted another offer or know that you are not interested in clerking for that particular judge.

New Titles in the CCS Library

• The FBI Career Guide: Inside Information on Getting Chosen for and Succeeding in One of the Toughest, Most Prestigious Jobs in the World

• How to Build and Manage an Entertainment Law Practice The Career Education Institute has recently released the following publications in their Internship Series:

• Internships with America’s Top Companies 2007

• The Sports Internship Book 2007

• Legal Services Internships 2007

• Human Rights Internship Book

• Fedlaw-Internships with Federal Legal Agencies 2007

Check Out These Websites

Non-Traditional Legal Careers Report:

UF Law now subscribes to an online  publication that is released about the first and fifteenth of each month. The Oct. 1 issue lists positions for 38 states for law clerk positions with entry-level as well as lateral openings advertised. The focus is on non-law firm postings in business, education, government, legal publishing, legislative and policy, public interest and international law. To access, contact CCS for the password and user id and then go to http://www.nontradlegal.com/.

ABA Career Counsel Website at http://www.abanet.org/careercounsel. The site offers job search Q&A and over 300 pro-files of attorneys in 57 practice areas and alternative careers.

• For those interested in pursuing a career in public interest law, experience and desire can outweigh grades. Public interest law employers always ask for candidates with a demonstrated commitment to public interest law work. Obtaining this experience also helps you become more competent. Your resume suggests competence, but working with particular organizations demonstrates it.

• The public interest law community is tight-knit. Experience will help you get to know the people and the organizations. Being known to the organization as a volunteer could lead to an opportunity to fill the opening when it becomes available.

• One of the differences in the public interest job search process is that jobs cannot be predicted very far in advance. Networking, putting yourself out there through volunteering, and being in the right place at the right time is key to obtaining a public interest job.

• If you are passionate about a particular issue, having experience with related organizations can also assist in your development of expertise in the particular area. All in all, experience helps develop maturity no matter what area of law you hope to pursue.

Public Interest vs. Pro Bono vs. Community Service

• Public interest law is the field of law encompassing service to the people through non-profit organizations, gov- ernment work, direct legal services and even policy and legislative work.

• Pro bono is legal work done in the public interest through volunteer efforts. Vol- unteering for a law firm, while a valuable experience, is not pro bono in that it does not reach the larger goal of pro bono: bringing services to an under-served or under-represented individual or group.

• Community service is a way to give back to the community. Community service can occur in a wide variety of locations and through a wide variety of work.

Pro Bono and Community Service Projects

The UF Pro Bono Project offers local placements, which provide valuable experience in assisting with children’s issues, prisoners’ rights, and the general concerns of people with low income, including access to public benefits, landlord tenant issues and more. There are also many other opportunities to do pro bono work in your hometown during breaks from school, or elsewhere.

To qualify for the Pro Bono Project, the following criteria must be met:

• You must be doing work that is legal in nature.

• Your work must be with a government agency, court, or non-profit organization.

• You must be supervised by an attorney.

• You cannot receive pay or academic credit for your work.

• Your work must benefit the under-served, under-represented, or those with limited resources.

• All other volunteer work that benefits the community falls under the Community Service Project. Consider participating in community service projects through APIL and CCS.

• To participate in the Pro Bono Project, check out the pro bono/community service links on the Career Services website or contact Assistant Director Sam Sarno in Career Services.

Fellowships: Post-graduate and During Law School

 • Historically, fellowships were only designed to provide law grads with employment for one or two years following graduation. Today, however, it is not uncommon to also find fellowships available to law students for summer or for a year-long program.

• These highly competitive paid fellowships are funded through various sources and typically match law students or graduates with public service organizations or law school programs.

• Concentrations can include: civil and human rights, legal services to the disadvantaged, children and women’s issues, immigrants and immigration, innocence projects, farm workers, environmental and wilderness issues and much more.

• Deadlines for many fellowship opportuni- ties occur during the fall. To learn more,be sure to check out the PSLawNet “Fellowship Corner.” This resource includes a calendar of fellowship applica- tion deadlines, a PDF version of Yale’s Fellowship Application Tips for 2006 and Fellowship and Grant Resources, as well as Georgetown University Law Center’s Post-Graduate International Fellowship Guide. Students can access the Fellow- ship Corner at the top of the menu on the www. pslawnet.org/.

The Center for Career Services and Lexis recently co-sponsored a program on Out- of-State Job Searches. Assistant Director Samara Sarno discussed the challenges of conducting an out-of-area employment search and outlined search and marketing strategies. For example, students interested in clerking out of state next summer or gaining a position after graduation need to take steps NOW to be most competitive. The key to a successful out-of-state job search is to prepare early in your law school career and be resourceful.

•Timing: Check out the websites of law schools in your geographic area of interest and see if they list the firms who will be interviewing, along with the dates of OCI. To compete with the local applicant pool, you will need to target your mailing to reach those firms before or at the same time as the local OCIs are occurring.
• Also consider arranging an internship or volunteer opportunity for the summer in the city to get involved and make contacts. Government agencies often sponsor summer programs. These programs require independent research and typically have early application dates. A starting point can be the Government Honors & Internship Handbook available in the CCS.
• Be prepared to demonstrate your connection:  Assess how you will demonstrate your commitment or connection with the geographic area that you are interested in. Potential employers tend to be leery of out-of-area applicants and will be less likely to invest in that person absent a demonstration of ties to or an interest in the area. Let them know that you grew up in the area, or that you have relatives living there. Employers will be looking for your ties to the area on your resume and  cover letter as well as during the interview.
• Develop your network: Re-establish any ties you may have to the area.

Let them know you are interested in relocating to the area and ask them to keep you in mind if they become aware of opportunities or can share contacts. You also can contact CCS for the name of an alumni mentor in the area and make contact. Consider obtaining a student membership to the local bar association. Try to get on their mailing list for events or periodically check their website for news.

• Lexis Account Executive Bonita Young urges students to carefully research employers. Run a LexisNexis/Martindale Hubbell search using the search parameters of UF Law alumni, city desired, and perhaps practice area.  She also mentioned that students can access her custom-created quick links by city on the Lexis UF Law webcourse and even set up alerts to be notified of additions or changes to the search.
• CCS also has employer directories available such as Government Agencies and Public Interest Organizations, along with the NALP Directory of Legal Employers, 2006 Directory. While it is true that the NALP Directory contains predominantly large law firms, most firms have websites that commonly list their recruiting information and contacts. Employers routinely consider submissions from interested law students from outside of the area or from law schools where they do not visit campus.
• Conduct outreach: Schedule a visit over a break or during the summer.

If you are able to spend some time in the area, see if there are any scheduled Continuing Legal Education (CLE) seminars, bar receptions, speaker programs or events that you can attend to meet practitioners. Look for volunteer judicial internships to enhance your credentials while bringing you in contact with the local bar. This also may provide a path to a coveted judicial clerkship upon graduation that can segue into a larger firm position upon completion of your term.

• The key is to begin early. You do not want to miss out on opportunities because you were unaware of the timing process.

Keeping OCI In Perspective

Fact: Most UF Law graduates did not obtain their employment through Fall OCI.
• Often cited means of obtaining post- graduate positions included:
• Referral by a business colleague, friend, relative, alumni, or school personnel or
• Iinitiated contact by a targeted mailing or
• Informational interview or
• As a result of networking.

Fact: The majority of Florida law firms are medium-sized and not just seeking students at the top of their class.
• Only 10 percent of all practicing lawyers nationally work at firms of more than 100 lawyers.

Fact: Small- and medium-sized law firms are less likely to participate in Fall OCI.
• Many legal employers hire on an “as needed” basis as opposed to the hiring cycle of large firms.

Fact: Different employers participate in Spring OCI and seek a broader range of students.
• More government employers interview in spring.

Fact: 80 percent of all current job openings are never advertised.
Fact: The best jobs do not always go to the best candidate. They go to the best job strategist. Persistence pays.
Fact: There are myriad job opportunties available to you beyond OCI. Be sure to attend the Beyond OCI: Exploring All Your Career Options program scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 26, in Room 285B at noon to learn more.