Caseload

How to be a Public Interest Attorney at a Private Law Firm

Interested in doing public service while working at a private law firm? How can you find out more about a firm's pro bono policy? What can you ask about pro bono in your interviews?  What advantages will you have over other associates by doing pro bono work?

Please join us for the upcoming panel:  

How to be a Public Interest Attorney at a Private Law Firm
Monday, February 25, 2008
12:00pm-1:00pm
Caplin Pavilion

For more information on the event (including a list of panelists and how to RSVP to receive lunch during the talk), please see the posting on Public Works.   See you Monday!

 

Deadline to sign up on CASE for Mock Interviews

To participate in the Mock Interviews, 1Ls need to sign up on CASE and have your resume uploaded by 10pm on Sunday night, January 27.  1Ls are strongly encouraged to participate.  For more information as well as a list of participating employers, see the email from Career Services or check CASE.

What are Employers Looking For? 1/30/08, 4:30 pm, WB101

In preparation for the mock interviews and the upcoming 1L interview process, please join the Career Services Office for a program entitled "What Are Employers Looking For? A List of Do's and Don't's to Guide you through Interviews" on January 30 at 4:30 in WB101. The program will feature Charles Hadden, the long-time Hiring Partner of Ross, Dixon & Bell in Washington, DC. All first-years are encouraged to attend. 

1L Mock Interview Program

Please join Career Services for our annual Mock Interview Program, held at the Law School on Friday, February 1.  This is a great way to meet potential employers and discover what a legal interview is really like.  Get feedback on your resume and interviewing skills before it really counts!  All first-year students are strongly encouraged to participate, even if you have already lined up your job for the summer. 

Employers will conduct 30-minute interviews for mock summer positions. They will use the final portion of each interview to critique the interviewee’s performance.  Students are asked to prepare for the interview as you would a regular interview, dress in business attire, and peruse the employer’s web site and review information on the employer in the Public Service Center/Career Services Library.  Interviews will not be scheduled during classes.

You will need to sign up on CASE by Sunday, January 27 at 10pm. 

The following employers are scheduled to participate:

• Cadwalader
• Willkie Farr & Gallagher
• Bryan Cave
• Hunton & Williams
• Jackson Walker
• Sullivan & Cromwell
• White & Case
• Bingham McCutchen
• Clifford Chance
• Wilmer Hale
• Choate Hall & Stewart
• McDermott Will & Emery
• Alston & Bird
• US Attorney's Office, District of Columbia
• Legal Aid Justice Center
• Albemarle County Attorney's Office

First-year students may sign up for participating employers using the CASE on-line system, where each employer has an opportunity posted marked "Mock Interview Program".  You can find these opportunities in the Employment Opportunities section of CASE. You can also do an "Opp Search" for "mock interview". Unfamiliar with CASE?  Attend Dean Hopson's CASE Review Session: Thursday, January 24 at 4 pm. and Friday, January 25 at 12 noon.  The sessions will be identical and will take place in Room SL294.

You will be scheduled for one interview only.  While we will attempt to assign everyone to the employer of their choice, we may have to reassign students if too many sign up for a particular employer.  We will let you know the time and place of your interview by e-mail a few days before the event.

Upcoming Events

Welcome back! 
We have some exciting programs coming up this semester. Keep an eye out for an email about the Mock Interview Program to take place Friday, February 1, and save the date for an Etiquette Dinner on Wednesday, February 13.
Be sure to regularly check the Recruiting Events page on the website (lawweb login required) for firm receptions and events.  There are two receptions this week. 

1L Law Firm Employment Offers

For those 1Ls fortunate enough to secure offers from law firms for the upcoming summer, we direct you to Part V, Section D of the NALP timing guidelines on offers and acceptances.  Firms will hold offers open for two weeks for 1Ls.  Please note that we are not referring to judges or other public sector employers, only to law firms.

So what to do if you receive an offer and still have interviews to attend?  If you want to accept the offer, you should do so and cancel your outstanding interviews (and/or requests on CASE, if applicable).  [Once you accept an offer, you are bound to honor that commitment.  You can't change your mind "if something better" comes along.] 

If you have already scheduled other interviews before the time you have to respond to the first firm, you can attend those interviews. You should let the other firms know that you have to respond to another offer by [date], and ask if they'll be able to work within that time frame.  [Not at the outset of the interview, but at the conclusion of your interviews with the recruiting coordinator.  If you don't meet with the recruiting coordinator at the end of the day or don't feel comfortable mentioning it at that time, you can call him or her after the interviews.] You can always ask for an extension, but don't expect much additional time.

If you are considering splitting the summer, you should mention that once you receive the offer.  Firms will often grant extensions to allow a public sector search to continue for part of the summer.  Other firms will end their summer program at the end of July, which gives you a few weeks to set up a pro bono project or another unofficial "split" with a public sector agency.

Best of luck to you!  Please contact Career Services or the Public Service Center if you have questions.

1L Firm Receptions

Many law firms are hosting holiday receptions over the winter break and have graciously invited you to attend.  Please continue to check “1L Employer Receptions” on the Career Services website for upcoming events at http://lawnotes2.law.virginia.edu/lawitc/techinfo.nsf/cdbc?Openview&Expand=2#2. (You must be logged into Lawweb to view the invitations.)

Firm receptions are a great place to begin networking and start your job search.  You can meet attorneys from a variety of practice areas, get a feel for what the lawyers are like a a particular firm, and learn about different practice areas.

Best of luck on finals and have a wonderful break!

 

Mail Merge Instructions

Courtesy of Brian Leung, SBA President, please find attached detailed mail merge instructions. 

Download MailMergeInstructions.doc

Mail Merge Workshop

Dean Hopson will be conducting a Mail Merge workshop for 1Ls on Thursday and Friday of this week.  Both sessions will cover the same information, so you only need to attend one of the two if you are planning to apply to firms on or after December 1. 

Thursday, November 8, noon, SL 258
Friday, November 9, noon, SL 258

1L Mandatory Career Services Orientation

The Career Services Office and Public Service Center will be holding a mandatory orientation session for 1Ls on Thursday, November 1 at noon in Caplin Auditorium.  You are also required to attend one of two resume-writing workshops on Friday, November 2 at 10am or 1pm in WB152.

Appointments to discuss resumes, job strategy, etc. will be available beginning November 5:

Yared Getachew, Director of Public Service, is available for counseling about jobs in the public sector (government, judicial internships, prosecution, public defender).  To set up an appointment, contact Andrew Broaddus at publicservicelaw@virginia.edu. 

Dean Hopson or Dean Lawson are available for counseling about private sector opportunities.  To set up an appointment, contact lawcareer@virginia.edu.  
See you next week!