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Career Services Office

Career Services Office home page
Week of September 12

Fall Office Hours

The Career Services Office regular hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday - Friday. Evening appointments with career counselors are available by appointment only on Wednesdays, from 5 - 6:30 p.m. Please call the office at (312) 906-5200 to arrange a time or email, stating the times that you are available, to kentcso@kentlaw.edu.

Please let us know how we can assist you--whether it is a current transition, preparing for graduation, or just a "quick question." Individual appointments, programming, and a wealth of resources are all available through our office. Please read the Record weekly and frequent the bulletin board outside our office for information on upcoming programs, employment opportunities, and articles of interest.

Summer Experience Survey

Did you clerk at a law firm this summer? Volunteer for a public interest organization? Serve as a summer associate? Research for a professor? Work for a government agency? Take summer classes or study abroad? If so, we want to know about it! We would appreciate it if all returning students would take a few minutes to complete our "Summer Experience Survey," now electronically submittable through the web. Many of you may remember using these surveys as a means of researching employers and/or finding employers who hired 1Ls! Now it's time to repay the favor. Simply fill out the form and hit the submit button for a quick and painless entry to win a Starbucks Gift Card. The Winner will be announced in the Record at the end of September.

Programs

Alternatives to FOCI series:
Government Careers Panel

Interested in working for the local, state, or federal government? Career Services Office and Phi Alpha Delta are hosting two sessions of "Government Careers Panel" on Tuesday, September 13, at noon and 5:15 pm. At both panels, presenters will discuss their respective career paths as well as how to become involved in working with their organizations.

Tuesday, September 13

12 noon - 1pm, Room 170
Mandy Weiss, Cook County State's Attorney's Office
Barbara Flores, Illinois Attorney General's Office
Joe Graham, City of Chicago, Law Department
Scott Paccagnini, US Department of Treasury / Office of the Comptroller

5:15 pm - 6pm, Room C40
Mandy Weiss, Cook County State's Attorney's Office
Victor Erbing, Cook County Public Defender's Office
Lorna Lucken Steuer, Mediator, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Catherine Garypie, Environmental Protection Agency

Food will be available.

More "Alternatives to Fall On-Campus" Programming

Small and Midsize Firms on Sept. 27
Public Interest Law on Oct. 11
Alternative Careers on Oct. 18

For further information regarding these programs as well as room numbers, watch for updates on this page. In the meantime, you are encouraged to meet with a career counselor to revise your resume and discuss your short and long term career goals. Call 312/906-5200 to arrange a time.


Careers in Intellectual Property

September 15, 2005 o 12:00-2:00 p.m.
Chicago Bar Association Building o 321 S. Plymouth Court

If you are considering a career in patent, trademark, copyright or trade secret law - don't miss this free event. Experienced attorneys who practice intellectual property law in Chicago will share how to get a job in the practice area, what day-to-day practice is like, what's hot, and how to move ahead in the field. September 15, 2005 o 12:00-2:00 p.m. RSVP your attendance to 312-554-2032 or yls@chicagobar.org by September 14 (include your name, phone and address).

"Hot Topics in Family Law"
Friday, September 15th, 2005

This seminar will include a judges' panel discussion of custody evidence and evaluators, as well as bringing you up to date on the latest case law and legislation.

In addition, the program addresses:
- New Bankruptcy Act and Its Effect on the Family Law Practitioner
- How to get Paid Practicing Family Law
- Effective Cross Examination of a Custody Evaluator
- Use of Psychological Testing by a Custody Evaluator
- Judges Panel Discussion of Custody Evidence

Full information is available at: http://www.isba.org/lawed/family9-05.html

Register for the Chicago program at: https://secure.isba.org/lawed/famliy9-05reg2.html

Or fax your completed registration to Trish at 217-525-0712, or by telephone (800) 252-8908(toll free) or 217-525-1760, ask for Trish Ashton, CLE Registrar.

Employment Related Opportunities

Please check the job posting system on a regular basis.  If you do not have a password, please e-mail kentcso@kentlaw.edu.

US Securities and Exchange Commission Internships
Summer Honors Law Program: Applications online only!

Compensated summer positions for law students who are in their first or second year or entering judicial clerkships or continued education post-internship.
The open application period for 2L law students is from August 8th through October 17th, 2005. The open application period for 1L's is from December 1st, 2005 through February 1st, 2006.

Please note that applications may not be sent to the Commission via US Mail, as in previous years. For more information, check out the SEC website.

Applications are accepted via the following link: https://www.avuedigitalservices.com/casting/agencyspecific/sec-sp/eligQuest/summerPrograms.jsp


Cook County State's Attorney Law Clerking

The Cook County's State's Attorney's Office offers Law Clerk opportunities during the summer, fall, and spring for law students as volunteers or externs. Students can apply to clerk in any of the legal bureaus: Criminal Prosecutions, Juvenile Justice, Narcotics, Special Prosecutions, Public Interest, Civil Actions, Investigations and Administrative Services.

To obtain an application for a Law Clerk position with the Office, go to the Cook County State's Attorney website, then follow the instructions for submission to the Office that are printed on the application. Applications are also available in the Career Services Office, marked Handout #6. See Professor Vivien Gross about externship requirements.


United States Attorney Northern District Spring Internship

The Office of the Unites States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois will conduct a Spring 2006 Intern Program. The primary goals of this program are to provide law students with the greatest possible exposure to and participation in federal trial and appellate practice and to obtain excellent legal talent to assist this Office in handling its multitude if cases.

Interns will be expected to serve at least 16 hours a week in the Office. Students must second year or third year law students by the beginning of the spring term. We understand that many schools offer course credit to participating students and the Office will cooperate in providing to the schools any necessary evaluations. See Professor Vivien Gross about the possibility of receiving class credit.

Contact: Monica LeKostaj, Administrative Assistant for the Intern Program, United States Attorney’s Office, 219 South Dearborn Street 5th Floor, Chicago, IL 60604. Please no faxes or e-mails.

Application is available in the Career Service Office, marked Handout #5. Applications are due September 26th.

The Legal Career Center: Online Job Resource

The Legal Career Center offers job seekers a quick and easy way to search jobs posted in the Law Bulletin as well as submit their resumes to be viewed by prospective employers - private, public and corporate. Take a look at the Legal Career Center site: http://jobs.lawbulletin.com/rc_index.cfm to view job postings and other legal resources. Check out this great free service!

 

Fellowship & Scholarship Information

National Litigation Fellowships
Pacific Legal Foundation

EXCEPTIONAL OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN AND LITIGATE ISSUES OF CONSTITUTIONAL LAW
**$52,000 NATIONAL FELLOWSHIPS**

Pacific Legal Foundation's College of Public Interest Law is offering a limited number of national litigation fellowships to top graduates interested in rapidly gaining experience in the litigation of major cases. The fellowships are open to all graduating individuals of demonstrated high achievement and offer an exceptional opportunity as a stepping stone to private practice, public agency law, an academic career in the teaching of law, or a permanent position with Pacific Legal Foundation.

Positions in this program are expected to be available in the Sacramento, California, headquarters of Pacific Legal Foundation, the largest and oldest national public interest law foundation litigating in support of private property rights, individual liberties, limited government, and the free enterprise system. As a participant in this program, you will receive concentrated litigation and writing experience in the areas of the Foundation's legal practice.

Additional information and applications are available on the Pacific Legal Foundaton website. See also Job Listing # 1896.



STIPENDS FOR PUBLIC INTEREST INTERNSHIPS
IN THE CHICAGO METROPOLITAN AREA: SPRING SEMESTER

The Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) offers a limited School-Year Internship Program. PILI recruits law students from area law schools for internships with one of seven public interest law agencies in the Chicago metropolitan area. Selected interns receive a stipend of $2,250 for 200 hours of work during the spring term.
In order to apply for a school-year internship, an applicant must prepare the PILI Application Form, and a cover letter and resume for each agency to which you are applying (up to seven sets, collated and stapled). The application and additional information may be found on the PILI website.

The application materials should be submitted before mid-January. However, since each agency hires at a different time, it is advisable to apply early.

The Vedder Price Diversity Scholarship
Deadline: September 15, 2005

The Vedder Price Diversity Scholarship will be awarded in the fall of 2005. Eligible candidates are first year law students enrolled at and attending one of the following Illinois law schools: Chicago Kent College of Law, DePaul University, Loyola University Chicago, Northwestern University, University of Chicago and University of Illinois.

Commencing with the class entering law school in 2005, Vedder Price offers a special scholarship in the amount of $5,000 designed to assist a qualified student with tuition and provide a "guaranteed" position in our highly competitive and well-regarded summer program after the first year of law school (2005 summer associates will earn approx. $24,000). The scholarship is renewable for each year of law school, provided that the student remains in good standing. The complete details of this program are set forth in the Careers Section of the Vedder Price website (www.vedderprice.com). The application is also available in the Career Services Office, marked Handout # 3.

Applications must be postmarked by September 15, 2005.

Equal Justice Works Fellowship

The Equal Justice Works (formerly NAPIL) Fellowships Program was launched in 1992 to address the shortage of attorneys working on behalf of traditionally under-served populations and causes in the United States and its territories. Recognizing that many obstacles prevent committed attorneys from practicing public interest law, including the shortage of entry-level jobs and daunting educational debts, the program provides financial and technical support to lawyers working on much-needed legal projects.
The two-year Fellowships offer salary and generous loan repayment assistance; a national training and leadership development program; and other forms of support.

3Ls and recent graduates are encouraged to apply. All applications for fellows to commence 2006 must be submitted online through the Equal Justice Works website at www.equaljusticeworks.org. No hard copies or email copies will be accepted. Informational packets can be found in the CSO, marked Handout # 44. Applications are due September 20, 2005 by 5 p.m. EST.

Rockefeller Brothers Fund Fellowship in Nonprofit Law

The Fellowship, funded by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, permits one Fellow each year to spend one year in residence at the Vera Institute of Justice in New York City, working closely with Vera's General Counsel and Special Counsel on legal issues faced by Vera. In addition, the Fellow will be deployed to Vera's various projects and programs to address the legal, business, and organizational issues confronted by these programs and projects.

A Fellowship at Vera will provide a law school graduate with exposure to an unusually wide variety of legal and organizational issues encountered by nonprofit organizations. It also will provide the opportunity to identify an emerging or changing area of law with particular significance for nonprofits, and to explore that area in depth, examining it in the real-life context of a complex, legally-sophisticated organization.

To apply, download the PDF application or apply online at http://www.law.nyu.edu/ncpl/. Informational brochures can be found in the CSO, marked Handout # 2. Applications are due December 9, 2005.

PSLawNet Fellowship Corner

Interested in pursuing a fellowship upon graduation? Then be sure to check out PSLawNet's new "Fellowship Corner" which includes the full text of Yale's Fellowship Application Tips for 2002-2003, along with the expanded Appendix listing print and online fellowship resources. The site also contains a Fellowship Calendar with a chronological listing of application deadlines--a big help for potential applicants in planning and preparing their materials. Students can access the Fellowship Corner at the top of the left sidebar menu on the PSLawNet home page.


Resources

NOTE: This section is for highlighting new resources or existing sources that have been updated, or as a reminder of existing resources that are especially useful at certain times during the year. To view the list of available resources go to http://www.kentlaw.edu/depts/cso/book-inv.pdf

New Additions to Our Library

  • New Resource! The Comprehensive Fellowship Guide: The Ultimate Resource for Law Students & Lawyers 2005-2006
    The bulk of the Guide is devoted to individual listings of over 200 fellowships, organized into six topical sections, and arranged by location.
  • Serving the Public: A Job Search Guide 2005-2006
  • Public Sector & Public Interest Attorney Salary Report
  • 2005 Associate Salary Survey
  • Starting Salaries: What New Law Graduates Earn
  • Government Honors & Internship Handbook: 2005-2006, published by the Arizona Board of Regents. This guide to federal, State and Local government opportunities is available in a binder and on the internet. A password is required for internet access. Contact Abigail Staudt for the password.

NALP Directory of Legal Employers

NALP is pleased to announce that the 2005-06 edition of the NALP Directory of Legal Employers is now available online at www.nalpdirectory.com, with more participating employers than ever before. This free resource from NALP allows users to search for employers based on specific criteria, to access NALP Form and Workplace Questionnaire information on participating employers, to save custom lists of employers for up to two weeks at a time, and to create comparison charts of employers based on certain criteria.



Chicago Area Law Firm List

The Chicago Area Law Firm List of Firms with Four or More Attorneys is available on-line in a password protected searchable database. This resource can aid you in your job search by helping you identify local law firms that practice in the area(s) in which you are interested. Although every attempt is made at keeping the database current, information may become out of date due to firm mergers, contact people leaving their firms, etc. Therefore, it's suggested that all information be double-checked prior to sending out any cover letters and resumes. If you should learn of any changes, please notify our office via e-mail so we can update the database accordingly. Please contact kentcso@kentlaw.edu for the password to access the list. Please note, the password for this site is not the same as your job posting password.

Job Bulletins

We receive job bulletins from the federal government and other law schools for opportunities in Illinois as well as other states. They are only available in hard copy in the Career Services Office.

 

CALENDARS

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