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Career Services Office

Career Services Office home page
Week of October 13th, 2008

CSO Information & Announcements

  • Staff Changes & Additions
  • CSO Program Videos Now Available Online!

Fall On-Campus Interviewing Program

  • Don't Forget to Report Callbacks and Offers!

Programming

  • October 21: “From the Courtroom to the Board room: Using your law degree in the business world.”
  • November 6-7: 18th Annual National Institute on ERISA Litigation

Employment Opportunities

  • ABA Judicial Intern Opportunity Program
  • Presidential Management Fellows Program

Fellowships & Scholarships

  • 2009 McAndrews Diversity in Patent Law Fellowship
  • Winston & Strawn Diversity Scholarship Program

Job Fairs

  • Updated Diversity Job Fair Dates & Deadlines

Resources

  • International Career Employment Weekly Online
  • PSLawNet Fellowship Corner
  • PSLawNet
  • 2008-09 Government Honors & Internship Handbook

CSO Information & Announcements

Staff Changes & Additions

We are pleased to announce that Jenny Tank and Michelle Mohr Vodenik have recently been promoted to Directors of the Career Services Office.  In addition to new responsibilities, Jenny continues to be Manager of Recruitment Programs and Michelle continues in her role as Public Interest & Diversity Advisor.  

We are equally pleased to announce that Elsa “Yadi” Trujillo has joined the office as a Career Counselor.  Yadi graduated with High Honors from the law school in 2001.  Prior to joining us on October 6th, Yadi served as a judicial clerk for several state court judges and as an associate at Lord, Bissell & Brook (n/k/a Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell) and Jenner & Block.  Yadi’s office is 360E in the CSO suite and she can be reached at 906-5204 or etrujillo@kentlaw.edu.  

Last, but definitely not least, we are very happy to announce that Jenny Tank and her husband, Paul Freeborn, welcomed Paxton Keller Freeborn on Tuesday, September 30th.  Pax weighed in at eight lbs nine oz and is twenty-one and a half inches long. 

Congratulations to the Tank/Freeborn family!

CSO Program Videos Now Available Online!

The Career Services Office is pleased to announce that videos of our programming are now available to be viewed online. Most of our programming will be available on our website within 1-2 days of the original program date and will remain available for viewing for 2-3 weeks, due to limited server space. Program videotapes will still be available in our office. A password is required to view these programs. Please call our office at 312-906-5200 or email kentcso@kentlaw.edu for the username and password. To watch videos of our programming, go to the CSO's web page, click on the right hand navigation bar "For Students" and select "Watch Program Videos." Or, click here to be taken directly to the page.

On-Campus Interviews

Don't Forget to Report Callbacks and Offers!

If you receive callbacks/offers during the fall interview season, please report this to our office by sending an email to kentcso@kentlaw.edu every couple weeks or so.  Please include from what source you obtained the interview/offer (OCI, resume collect, CCBA job fair, Loyola Patent Fair, etc.).  We keep track of these in order to determine how students are doing and where our students end up working during the summer/after graduation.  Also, if you have any concerns about how your interviews are progressing or questions about the interview process, please make an appointment to talk with a career counselor.   

Programming

October 21: “From the Courtroom to the Board room: Using your law degree in the business world.”

This program, cosponsored with the Corporate Law Society, will feature a panel of former attorneys turned business executives in the areas of finance, real estate development, and retail. Noon on Tuesday October 21st, Room TBA. Pizza and refreshments will be served. Please note date change.

October 30: CBA Young Lawyers Section Pro Bono and Community Service Fair

On Thursday, October 30, 2008, from 5:00-7:00 p.m., meet with representatives from over 40 of Chicago’s legal aid, pro bono and community service organizations to network with like minded professionals and uncover the volunteer opportunity you have been seeking. Refreshments and light appetizers will be served. The Fair is co-sponsored by The Chicago Bar Foundation, Exelon, Jenner & Block LLP and Public Interest Law Initiative. The event is hosted by Jenner & Block LLP, 330 N. Wabash, 40th Floor. RSVP to yls@chicagobar.org.

For full descriptions of the events listed above, visit www.chicagobar.org/probonoweek.

November 6-7: 18th Annual National Institute on ERISA Litigation 

Employee benefits law is a constantly-growing field of practice that can put you right in the middle of the news with hot topics of concern to everyone, such as health insurance, pension and severance benefits.   The practice area focuses on a complex federal statute, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (“ERISA”), which is administered and enforced by six federal agencies. 

Employee benefits can be used to mold the work force and to save money.  Several cases a year generally go to the Supreme Court.   ERISA lawyers practice in different environments and from different affiliations.  For example, there are management lawyers, plaintiffs’ lawyers, and union lawyers who practice in diverse areas such as tax law, health law labor law and business and finance law.  ERISA lawyers represent plaintiffs or defendants or can be neutral.  They can be litigators, advisors or transaction lawyers. 

The ABA will host their 18th Annual National Institute on ERISA Litigation at the Conrad Chicago on November 6-7th. There are scholarships available for up to three Chicago-area students to attend the conference. The deadline for the application is October 8, and any student applying needs to attach a short essay of why they would like to attend the program. Applications are available in the Career Services Office, handout #11.

Students are also invited to come to an informal get together at John Marshall Law School (315 S. Plymouth Court, Room 3 East) on November 5th, hosted by the American Bar Association’s Section of Labor and Employment Law with several ERISA lawyers who are presenting topics at the ERISA Litigation National Institute. Attendance is free, but please RSVP to: Nancy Matthews, (202) 662-8640 or matthewsn@staff.abanet.org.  Dress is business casual.  Please bring your resume.

Employment Opportunities

Please check the new job posting system ("Symplicity") on a regular basis. Check out Symplicity's general instructions for more information.

ABA Judicial Intern Opportunity Program

The Judicial Intern Opportunity Program is a summer internship program open to all first or second year minority or financially disadvantaged law students who want to do legal research and writing for state or federal judges in Illinois, Texas, Washington DC, Miami, Phoenix, and California. Interns will receive an award of $1,500. The time commitment can vary by student, subject to a six-week minimum. Students will be expected to coordinate their schedule with their individual judges and to work the hours required by each judge. Students are asked to submit a completed application, legal writing sample and a statement of interest. Detailed program information and applications are available at the program website. Applications will be accepted beginning October 1st for second year students and December 1st for first year students. The deadline for applications is December 31st. Questions about the program should be directed to Gail Howard at howardg@staff.abanet.org.

The CSO will hold an informational program on this opportunity later in the semester. Watch the Record for details.

Presidential Management Fellowship Information

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM:  3Ls and LLMs may participate in the 2-year program, which places applicants in public policy and management positions with a wide variety of federal government agencies and departments.  This year, the program has a particular interest in law students and graduates from other specified disciplines.  Strong emphasis is placed on challenging career opportunities and career development and employers offer seminars, briefings, conferences, orientation programs and on-the-job training.  Rotational assignments expose Fellows to other agency areas, as well as another agency or branch of the federal government.  Participants receive initial 2-year appointment, generally at GS-9, but possibly GS-11 or GS-12 depending on experience, and promotions after the first year.  Upon completion of the internship, PMFs are eligible for conversion to career or career-conditional status.  Loan forgiveness programs are administered at the discretion of individual agencies. 

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS: Candidates must receive graduate degrees by Aug. 31, 2009.  Criteria include breadth and quality of accomplishments, capacity for leadership, and commitment to excellence in leadership and management of public policies and programs, and other criteria developed by each school.  Candidates are generally eligible to apply only once.  Veterans meeting PMF and school criteria must be nominated, and schools are encouraged to nominate women, minorities and people with disabilities.  Federal agencies may not hire non-U.S. citizens, with a few exceptions listed on the website.

For more information: www.pmf.opm.gov. Applicants will apply from October 1-15, 2008 and the application window will be open for a brief time. If interested in applying, you must express that interest to Michelle Mohr Vodenik in the Career Services Office, so that you can be informed about the nomination process for students from Chicago-Kent and so that we know that you wish to be nominated. Any student can apply to be a PMF, but applicants must be nominated by Chicago-Kent in order to receive consideration and an interview.

Fellowships & Scholarships

2009 McAndrews Diversity in Patent Law Fellowship

Each year, McAndrews offers a $5,000 fellowship and a paid summer clerkship to a qualified first-year law student at an ABA-accredited law school who has a diverse background, possesses a degree in science or engineering, and is committed to pursuing a career in patent law in Chicago. Applications for the 2009 fellowship will be accepted from Dec. 1, 2008, through Jan. 15, 2009. As a summer associate, the Diversity Fellow will gain experience in a wide range of intellectual property law and will be eligible to receive an offer to return for a second summer. To facilitate the Diversity Fellow’s professional growth and learning, a member of the McAndrews Diversity Committee will serve as a mentor and resource. For more information or to download an application, visit their website.

Winston & Strawn LLP Diversity Scholarship Program

Winston & Strawn LLP is offering six scholarships to diverse law school students who join the 2009 summer program in one of our domestic offices following the conclusion of their second year of law school. The $10,000 scholarship will be paid during the students’ third year of law school.

In selecting the scholarship recipients, Winston & Strawn will consider the students’:

  • Interest in practicing law after graduation in a large law firm in one of the cities in the United States in which Winston & Strawn has an office (currently, Charlotte, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Washington, DC)
  • Law school and undergraduate record, including academic achievements and involvement in extra-curricular activities
  • Demonstrated leadership skills Interpersonal skills

Scholarship recipients will be announced on or about December 15, 2008. To apply for the Winston & Strawn Diversity Scholarship, please complete and submit the application along with your resume, law school transcript, and a brief personal statement by November 1, 2008 to diversityscholarship@winston.com.

Job Fairs


No new fairs.

Resources

International Career Employment Weekly Online

International Career Employment Weekly's goal is to make it easy for international professionals to keep abreast of all current job opportunities in their field. They collect information on current international job openings with governments, government contractors, United Nations agencies and other intergovernmental organizations, private voluntary organizations working overseas, corporations involved in international trade and finance, engineering firms, associations, foundations, student exchange organizations, universities, and state governments and present that information to job seekers in a clear and concise format.

The Career Services Office subscribes to this resource in an online format. Contact kentcso@kentlaw.edu for the username and password.

PSLawNet

PSLawNet is a premier resource for career-related information in legal and law-related public interest work. Students and alumni from over 170 law schools search our site every day to find internships, fellowships, pro bono opportunities, and jobs in public service. Chicago-Kent College of Law is a member school, therefore you have unlimited access to search the database for FREE. The PSLawNet website is filled with useful resources for public interest-minded law students and graduates, as well as those who may simply be exploring their options. Students can access PSLawNet here: PSLawNet home page. On the home page, click on "sign-up now" to create an account using your email address and your own password. List Chicago-Kent College of Law as your school.

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. Visit the Fellowship Corner at: http://pslawnet.org/postgraduatefellowships

2008-09 Government Honors & Internship Handbook

The 2008-09 Government Honors & Internship Handbook is now available. It may be accessed online or there is a printed copy available in our office. Please contact our office for the password for the online edition.

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