Starting Your Legal Career as a Law Student

Law students, if the statistics are correct, only 10 percent of legal jobs come from on campus interviews. So how are you going to get a job? By networking.

Start networking after your first semester in law school. Don’t wait!

Here are some suggestions to help you network.

• Figure out where you geographically want to work.
• Figure out the practice areas you like.
• Find lawyers doing what you want to do and contact them.
• Ask these lawyers how they got their jobs.
• Ask these lawyers for other lawyers who might help.

You are not stuck with your Career Service Department, but do not ignore the help they can give you. A fantastic way to make contacts with lawyers is LinkedIn or local bar associations. LinkedIn offers a platform where students can search for users based on their job title or the field that they work in. Local bar associations often set up events allowing you to connect with lawyers, judges, and others in the legal community.

You will be surprised. Most people want to help you. Most lawyers remember the struggle of trying to find a job.

For your part:

• make networking part of your routine;
• set aside time each week to network; and
• remember that networking builds upon itself.

It only takes one job offer to change the course of your career!