Career Planning Office
The Office for Career Planning & Public Service Welcomes the Class of 2012
Your legal career is a priority to you and to our office. The Career Planning Office, unlike career placement offices that work solely for employers, works for the benefit of students and provides recruiting support for employers. The Career Planning Office is a member school of the National Association for Legal Placement (NALP) along with the majority of law schools. We, like other law school career offices, serve a set of functions intended to promote employment. Career Planning staff are here to educate you about opportunities in the law, to help you figure out the type of legal career that appeals to you, and to coach you in strategies to find it. Start learning about our services and programs, visit the Career Planning website.
Prepare today for your life as a lawyer. We’ve compiled a career-planning timeline – broken down by quarter – with actions we recommend you take as a 1L, 2L and 3L. View the Career Planning Timeline.
The School of Law subscribes to several online tools (Symplicity, Vault Law Guides and PSLawNet) to help you find job opportunities and research employers. We will let you know when they’re available for you to use. In addition to online resources, come to Room 346, and view reading materials on career paths, legal employers, and salaries. We are excited about partnering with you as you plan your career. We do emphasize two things:
- The search for employment is ultimately your responsibility, although we will assist you in the process and provide opportunities for you to meet people and learn about careers at employment fairs and events. Though the majority of UW law students and graduates find employment, given our current economy, you will need to work on your career strategy and be active each year of law school.
- The longer you postpone developing a career plan, the more time and effort it will take. So, meet with your Career Coach in November (the earliest you’re allowed to do so as a 1L). You will receive an assigned career coach fall quarter. In the meantime, look at the Career Planning Office website and read the UW Law Career Planning Blog.
In the meantime, we strongly recommend that you read the book, Your Guide to Law School Success by Donna Gerson which can be found at Borders Book Store.
Assignment Due Prior to September 2009
Once fall quarter begins, it is very difficult to find time to update resumes due to other time conflicts; therefore, please revise your resume into a legal format before school starts. Sample resume templates are available on this page. Please email your revised resume to Dean Naomi Sanchez at prior to September 2009. This will save you considerable time fall quarter.
There are many different kinds of legal jobs, and a special one is out there waiting for you. We’re here to help you find it. View a list of recent graduate employers.
Have a great summer, and we look forward to seeing you soon.
Best regards,
The UW Law Career Planning Team