Information for Prospective Students
Choosing a law school is a highly personal decision, and career-related matters are important factors to consider.
First-Year Orientation
Under NALP—the National Association for Legal Career Professionals—standards, law schools may not offer career services to first-year law students before Nov. 1. This permits students to focus their attention on their studies and adjust to their new environment. Therefore, the first time we meet with first-year law students is at their Career Services Orientation, which takes place on or about Nov. 1. At that time, you will be introduced to the fundamentals of a legal job search and the services and support that the Office of Career Services offers.
Career Advising
Students who are currently enrolled in the law school are assigned a career adviser who will work with them throughout their time at Emory Law. Students are encouraged to seek advice from their adviser. Appointments may be made for career planning and job search advice, resume and cover letter preparation, videotaped mock interviews, tips on salary negotiation and more.
Recruitment Programs
For second- and third-year students, Emory Law hosts two On-Campus Interview (OCI) programs during the late summer and early fall. During the spring semester, we host an additional, smaller OCI program that is open for all students, but primarily geared toward first-year students. Legal employers from across the country are invited to participate. Recruiting organizations include large, medium and small law firms, corporations, and some public interest and government agencies. In addition, Emory Law participates in several regional interview programs held in cities throughout the country. Instead of interviewing on campus, many employers choose to post job listings for part-time positions during the academic year, as well as summer and post-graduate employment opportunities.
For more information, including a list of interview programs and participating employers, please click here.
Public Interest/Government Resources
Our office provides a variety of programs and a designated public interest/government adviser to educate students interested in both summer and post-graduate employment in the public sector. We have a number of resources, directories and other information available for student use, and the law school is a sponsor-school member of Equal Justice Works, an organization that provides the training and skills that enable attorneys to provide effective representation to vulnerable populations. Emory Law has a very active public interest student organization, the Emory Public Interest Committee (EPIC), which sponsors programs, co-sponsors a public interest mentor program and job fair with our office, and provides summer grants to enable select students—who engage in a competitive application process—to perform public interest/government work.
Judicial Clerkships
The Office of Career Services partners with the faculty judicial clerkship committee to present a number of programs designed to introduce students to judicial clerkships and the process for applying for and obtaining clerkships at the federal, state and local level. A faculty committee conducts an advisory process to assist students interested in applying for judicial clerkships, and clerkship coordinators also are available for assistance.
Speakers and Programs
Every year, we sponsor a large number of career skills and legal career information programs and invite attorneys from the private and public sector, as well as nationally-known speakers, to provide career and job search advice to students. Our annual programming calendar is full and varied but typically includes a judicial clerkship program, a first-year etiquette dinner, and our "Law 101" series which introduces first-year students to broad practice areas. Most programs are podcast and available on our website.
Resource Center
Publications and printed materials located at the Office of Career Services Resource Center include:
- A variety of handouts on topics such as resume preparation, networking and interviewing skills, the judicial clerkship application and interview process, and public interest/government employment.
- Periodicals (such as the Fulton County Daily Report, Atlanta Business Chronicle and Wall Street Journal) which list job openings nationwide and provide information about the current legal job market.
- Books and publications from a variety of sources which discuss career planning, job search techniques and particular legal practice areas.
Mentoring and Networking
The Office of Career Services and Emory Law's Office of Development and University Relations co-sponsor a mentor program that annually matches students with alumni mentors. An e-mentor program matches dozens more students with alumni nationwide for e-mail mentoring. EPIC co-sponsors a public sector mentor program as well. A variety of alumni functions and other law school community activities offer a wide range of opportunities to network with practitioners, judges and others, and students are strongly encouraged to participate.