Out of State Job Search Strategies

 Job searching outside your current geographic area can be difficult, but it's not impossible!  We are here to help make it a little easier.  If you should encounter any difficulties in your search, please let us know.  You can e-mail us at kentcso@
kentlaw.edu or, better yet, drop by the office to talk to us.

First, call the bar admission authority in the state.

This will help you determine exactly which requirements must be met prior to practicing law in that state.  The ABA website, www.abanet.org/legaled/baradmissions/bar.html contains a nationwide directory of bar admission offices.  A guide to bar admission requirements is published by the ABA and is available in the Career Services Office Resource Center.

Second, know the area as well, if not better, than the locals!

Immerse yourself in the local legal community.  Start by requesting reciprocity from a local law school's career services office.  Reciprocity is available to current students and those students who have graduated within the past year.  For more information stop by the office to speak with a staff member or e-mail your questions to kentcso@kentlaw.edu.  To apply for reciprocity at another law school you must complete a Reciprocity Request Form, which details necessary timing issues & limits on reciprocity.  This form is available in the Career Services Office and on the Career Services Web site.

Utilize the Career Services Office at Chicago-Kent.  We will, from time to time, receive job listings from out of state employers, which we list in our job posting system.  Our office also keeps a binder titled, "Job Opportunities Outside Illinois", which houses job postings from other law schools.  We also have files on law firms, government and public interest organizations throughout the United States.

Find publications which cater to attorneys in that city and read them!  These will be the equivalent of the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin.  Use these publications (and the Lexis NEWS directory) to research trends in the area; such as, spurts in hiring and defections, salary shifts, and even changes in local laws and procedures.

Call the local bar associations to get information about: Continuing Learning Education (CLE) classes; upcoming speakers and events; and look for helpful local publications offered by the association; i.e., Chicago Lawyers' Court Handbook from the Chicago Bar Association.  If you know which practice area you're interested in, keep in mind that there are many smaller and highly specialized bar associations out there, you must search for them.

Conduct an Internet search for employers.  Using Google, Yahoo, or any of a multitude of other search engines, you can search for legal employers in whatever geographical location you are looking at. You can also search on-line for job opportunities throughout the United States using national job search databases such as Monster or CareerBuilder.  Check out the "Legal Jobs Web Sites"  handout on the Career Services Web page to review, and then link to, the various sites.

Research local attorneys & firms with Martindale-Hubbell, available at www.martindale.com.  If you are searching on the Martindale-Hubbell Web site, choose lawyer locator advanced search, then search; this allows searches for specific attorneys OR law firms within a city OR within a practice area.

If you experience any difficulties in researching, please contact the Resource Specialist, Celeste Addyman, in person, on the phone (312-906-5200), or via e-mail at kentcso@kentlaw.edu.

Third, emphasize your commitment to the city/state

Employers will be wary of those making drastic changes without a clear commitment to the change; so show them your commitment in your words & actions.  In your cover letter and during interviews, let others know you didn't just choose this area out of a hat (even if you did).  Be able to clearly articulate why you chose this city, at this time, and what you have to offer.  Let them know that you are registered to sit for the bar exam or that you have family living in the area.  Help them to see that you have a real connection to their city.  Scan the city/state homepage to find important information about government positions or just to determine the livability of the area.  Become immediately involved in the local bar associations.

Fourth, NETWORK with local attorneys

Use your involvement in the local bar associations as a starting point.  Identify alumnae/i using the Chicago-Kent Alumni Advisor Network and the Chicago-Kent Alumnae/i Directory.  Both resources have geographic indexes.  You may want to consider calling the Chicago-Kent Alumnae/i Office at (312) 906-5246 to identify additional alums in a given city.

Don't forget to call your undergraduate Career Services Office to identify alumni who are lawyers in the area.  Search Martindale-Hubbell, for attorneys in the area from either Chicago-Kent or your alma mater.

Once you've located alums, conduct informational interviews.  Don't limit yourself to only alumni.  If you read an article from the local paper that interests you and it mentions a local attorney, call him/her to set up an informational interview.  Any connection you might have to that person should be used as basis for requesting an informational interview.  For more information about this type of interview see the Career Development Handout titled, "Informational Interviewing".

If you are still in school, consider applying for a judicial clerkship in the area.  Judicial clerkships are a wonderful way to learn the local court system from the inside and introduce yourself to the local bar.

Fifth, get a leg up on the local job seekers

Access the Web pages of ALL the local area law schools.  Most local attorneys will only access their own school's information, if even that much.  Law schools, in an effort to recruit students, will often provide unrestricted access to their pages.  The pages usually contain: job search strategies; networking ideas & opportunities; and, if you're lucky, there are a few which do not restrict access to their job postings.