Student Planning Timeline
Welcome to the Center for Professional and Leadership Development Timeline, where you can find tips and goals for each month of the year.
September 1L Year
October 1L Year
- Create a spreadsheet (Excel) or other system to keep track of your networking contacts
- Check in with your 1L professional mentor; faculty mentor and peer mentor
- Schedule an appointment with your career coach for after November 1st
- Contact any pre-law school individuals you would like to use as references
- Fill Out Your Marketing Plan (in the Center for Professional and Leadership Development Manual) and Bring to Your First Coaching Meeting
November 1L Year
- Draft a cover letter and finalize your legal resume, send to your career coach for review this month
- Look at the Center for Professional and Leadership Development info sheets on different practice areas
- Use online resources: Symplicity, UW Law Center for Professional and Leadership Development blog, Career Planning Website and links
- Begin research for summer jobs
- Set up informational interviews for Thanksgiving break and December, especially if looking for out-of-state job
- Develop a system for keeping track of resumes sent and responses received
- If you are interested in working for a large law firm, get your mailing ready to go out on December 1st
December 1L Year
- Mail applications to larger firms starting December 1st
- Check out the Equal Justice Works, PSLawNet websites for public interest jobs and fellowships
- Look in the Center for Professional and Leadership Development Website under Public Interest Careers for links to job postings
- Brainstorm other employment options for the summer like externships or volunteer work
- Check in with your 1L mentors before exams and break
- Remember to write thank you notes to any mock, informational or job interviewers
- Follow up on resumes to make sure they have been received
January 1L Year
- Attend the Meet the Legal Professionals Event
- Check 1L diversity fellowship program application dates and info sessions this month
- Attend the 1L mock interview program in mid-January
- Begin research into summer funding possibilities for public interest work
- Prepare application materials for the public interest career fair
- Applications for summer judicial externships due later this month
- Check Prosecutors and Public Defender summer job openings here and nationally
- Remember to write thank you notes to any mock, informational or job interviewers
February 1L Year
- Attend the Public Interest Career Fair & Write thank you notes
- Look at the
Government Honors Handbook (Password on Symplicity Document Library)
- Diversity Fellowship interviews held
- Finish applying to public interest organizations for externships
- Brainstorm a "Plan B" with your career coach for summer i.e. classes, study abroad, volunteering
March 1L Year
- Consider working in a law school clinic
- Consider being a research assistant for faculty
- Update your resume
- Email you summer job to your career coach
April 1L Year
- Fall judicial externship applications are due at end of April
- Update your networking list with new contacts
- Meet with your career coach if you are still looking for summer work
- PILA Grants, Africa Public Interest Fellowship Available, Law School Rome Program, Ireland Program
- Identify potential employers through the NALP directory, martindale.com for alumni, and Vault websites
- Connect with your summer employer to insure a start date
May 1L Year
- Attend Fall Recruiting Events
- View Mandatory PowerPoint Information on Fall Recruiting
- Remember Fall Recruiting begins with bidding in July and Interviews in August and September
- Have you connected with Professors who can be good references?
- Provide summer contact info to your career coach
June 1L Year
- Be sure to fill out any forms for Externships
- Employers participating in On-Campus Interviews published on Symplicity
- Meet with your career coach if you are still looking for summer work
- Meet with your career coach if you are going out-of-state during the summer
- Contact out-of-state alumni, send employers application materials (non-OCI)
- Participate in the National Law School Consortium Off-Campus Interview Program
- Review your resume and re-draft a cover letter for use during OCI; submit it to your career coach
July 1L Year
- Participate in the National Law School Consortium Off-Campus Interview Program-Check website/Symplicity
- Participate in the On-Campus Interview Program
- Bid for interviews
- Send application materials to employer list.
- Have you connected with Professors who can be good references?
August 1L Year
- Make sure you are doing substantive writing assignments at work
- Update your networking list with new contacts
- Review your resume and re-draft a cover letter for use during OCI; submit it to your career coach
- Consider attending the Equal Justice Works Conference in DC at the end of October