Career Services Office

CSO Information & Announcements

• CSO Program Videos Now Available Online!

Fall On-Campus Interviewing Program

• April 7, 8: Mandatory Fall On-Campus Interview (OCI) Orientation
• Don't Forget to Report Callbacks and Offers!

Programming

• April 8: CSO Workshop - How to Handle Assignments
• April 14: Preparing for Diversity Job Fairs
• April 14: The National Association of Women Lawyers Presents: "From Backpack to Briefcase: A Transition Program for Law Students"
• April 15: Public Interest & Government Fellowships Panel
• April 15: Skadden Public Interest Fellowship Program at Northwestern University School of Law
• April 15: Parents As Law Students (PALS) Presents: "Attorneys With Families and Achieving Work Life Balance"
• April 17-19: National Lawyers Guild Midwest Regional Conference: "We Dissent: Taking Back Our Civil Liberties"
• April 18: Attorneys' Title Guaranty Fund, Inc. is Presenting "Navigating a Real Estate Transaction: A Program for Law Students and New Attorneys"
• April 21: CSO Workshop on Dealing with a Bad Economy

Employment Opportunities

• April 11: Deadline to Apply for a Summer Internship with the Midwest Regional Office of Amnesty International
• U.S. Attorney for Northern District of Illinois is Accepting Applications for its Fall 2009 Intern Program
• Political and Civil Service Appointments in the Obama Administration
• Department of Justice Volunteer Legal Internship Opportunities for Spring and Summer 2009

Fellowships & Scholarships

• Indian American Bar Association of Chicago Law Student Public Interest Fellowship - Deadline Extended to April 6
• The Borchard Foundation Center on Law & Aging is Accepting Applications for its 2009-2010 Fellowship in Law & Aging

Job Fairs

• Registration is Now Open for The Cook County Bar Association (CCBA) Minority Law Student Job Fair
• Registration is Now Open for the Boston Lawyers Group Job Fair for Students of Color
• Registration is Now Open for the St. Louis Diversity Job Fair
• Registration is Now Open for the IMPACT Career Fair for Law Students and Attorneys with Disabilities
• April 21: Deadline to Apply for Invitation to Delaware Minority Job Fair for Second & Third-Year Law Students
• Save the Date: The Indianapolis Bar Association 2009 Diversity Job Fair is Being Held August 6-7, 2009
• The National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Bar Association Annual Career Fair and Conference
• Save the Date: The 2009 Tri-State Diversity Recruitment Program is Being Held August 28-29, 2009
• National Black Prosecutors Association (NBPA) 26th Annual Conference and Job Fair
• Heartland Diversity Legal Job Fair in Kansas City, Missouri

Resources

• Access the BYU Intercollegiate Job Bank
• Password Protected Sites Now Available on Symplicity
• Law Bulletin Weekly On-line Employment Bulletin
• NALP Summer Apartment Exchange
• Jenner & Block Summer Apartment Sublet Service
• Career Advisor Network
• International Career Employment Weekly Online
• PSLawNet Fellowship Corner
• PSLawNet
• 2008-09 Government Honors & Internship Handbook

CSO Information & Announcements

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

April 7, 8: Mandatory Fall On-Campus Interview (OCI) Orientation

Tuesday, April 7th: 12:00 - 1:00pm in Room 590

Wednesday, April 8th: 5:00 - 6:00pm in Auditorium

(Students need only attend one of the program times.)

During August and September, legal employers will either visit our campus to interview students or request resumes from students for summer associate and entry-level attorney positions. A member of the CSO will discuss the on-campus interview process, what types of employers participate, how to contact employers directly, what to do if you do not meet a particular employer's hiring criteria, and how to prepare over the summer. This year’s OCI program will begin on August 17th through September 4th.  Since interviews will begin before classes start, it is imperative that students understand the requirements and deadlines for participation, which will be discussed at the program. 

In addition, the information provided will assist students participating in the Patent Law Interview Program, Cook County Bar Association Minority Job Fair, and other interviewing opportunities.  

This program is MANDATORY for all first-time OCI participants.  1L Day students and 1L Evening students who plan to switch to the day program next year and graduate in May 2011 must attend one of these programs in order to participate in the fall OCI program.   2L Day/Evening & 3L Evening students who have not previously participated but intend to next year must also attend.

Please note: If you plan to graduate in May 2010 or December 2009 and are interested in working for the Cook County State's Attorney's Office after graduation, you must participate in OCI and register for an on-campus interview with their office in order to be considered for employment.

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

CSO Workshop - How to Handle Assignments

On April 8 from 3-4pm, Christopher A. McVety, a partner in the Chicago office of Reed Smith LLP and a member of the Corporate & Securities Group in the Business and Finance area, will speak about what to expect when receiving assignments as a summer associate or law clerk. He will address such topics as:

• What information do you need to ask for at the initial assignment meeting;
• How much follow-up is too much?
• How often should you check in with the assigning attorney?
• What should the finished product look like?
• How to handle constructive criticism and edits; and
• How to make sure that you get the best reviews of your work product this summer

To attend this program, students and alumni must RSVP via Symplicity. To RSVP, please go to your Symplicity Career Management System account at https://law-kent-csm.symplicity.com/students and click on the “Events” tab, then select this event and click “RSVP”. 

Preparing for Diversity Job Fairs

On Tuesday, April 14, 2009 from 12:00 - 1:00pm in Room 170, join the Black Law Students Association (BLSA), Hispanic/Latino Law Student Association (HLLSA), South Asian Law Student Association (SALSA), Asian Pacific American Law Student Association (APALSA), Chicago-Kent Lambdas, and the Career Services Office in a panel discussion regarding summer and fall diversity job fairs, interview tips, and how to obtain a summer position. The panel features Chicago-Kent students and alums who have attended and succeeded in finding positions through diversity job fairs.

Students should RSVP for this program through Symplicity. To RSVP, please log onto Symplicity and click on the "Events" tab. Scroll down and click on the appropriate program and click on the "RSVP" button.

The National Association of Women Lawyers Presents: "From Backpack to Briefcase: A Transition Program for Law Students"

The National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL) is sponsoring a program called "From Backpack to Briefcase: A Transition Program for Law Students" on Tuesday, April 14 at Loyola Law School, located at 25 East Pearson Street. The program will take place from 11:30am-2:30pm in Kasbeer Hall, 15th Floor. Lunch will be served.

Leslie Richards-Yellen, a partner at Hinshaw & Culbertson is spearheading this program, along with the Black Women Lawyers Association (BWLA). The purpose of this program is to better prepare law students for the transition from law school to law practice. Four panels will address the following topics:

• Navigating the job market
• Recognizing the change from law student to lawyer
• Working with partners and senior colleagues, and
• Professional development
  

Lawyers from law firms, government, public interest and the judiciary are expected to make up the panels. Please RSVP to urbanl@nawl.org by April 9, 2009.

Public Interest & Government Fellowships Panel

Wednesday, April 15th: 3:00 - 4:00pm in Room 510

Public Interest and Government fellowships are a great way begin a career as a public interest/service attorney! Presenters at this panel will discuss developing a public interest fellowship proposal, as well as resources to use in applying for fellowships. 1Ls and 2Ls interested in public interest and government law would benefit from this program. This program will feature:

• Jason Libby, a Presidential Management Fellow with the DEA
• Nora Phillips, an Equal Justice Works Fellow with the Legal Assistance Foundation
• Margaret Wakelin, an Equal Justice Works Fellow with Equip for Equality
• Elizabeth Mazur, former Skadden Fellow with The Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law
• Adam Schwartz, Senior Staff Counsel with the ACLU of Illinois

This program is sponsored by the Career Services Office. The program will be recorded for those who are not able to attend. Students should RSVP for this program through Symplicity. To RSVP, please log onto Symplicity and click on the "Events" tab. Scroll down to the appropriate program and click on the "RSVP" button.

Skadden Public Interest Fellowship Program at Northwestern University School of Law

Susan Plum of the Skadden Foundation will be at Northwestern on Wednesday, April 15 at 12:00 in Rubloff 15 at Northwestern University School of Law to talk about the Skadden Public Interest Fellowship Program.  Ms. Plum is the founding director of the Skadden Fellowship Program having started it in 1988. She will to talk about the fellowship and the application process and will answer your questions about the program. No RSVP is required.

The Skadden Fellowship Foundation, described as "a legal Peace Corps" by The Los Angeles Times, was established in 1988 to commemorate the firm's 40th anniversary, in recognition of the dire need for greater funding for graduating law students who wish to devote their professional lives to providing legal services to the poor (including the working poor), the elderly, the homeless and the disabled, as well as those deprived of their civil or human rights. Fellowships are awarded for two years. Skadden provides each Fellow with a salary and pays all fringe benefits to which an employee of the sponsoring organization would be entitled. For those Fellows not covered by a law school low income protection plan, the firm will pay a Fellow's law school debt service for the tuition part of the loan for the duration of the fellowship. For more information about the Skadden Fellowship, click here.

Parents As Law Students (PALS) Presents: "Attorneys With Families and Achieving Work-Life Balance"

April 15, 2009: 5:00 - 6:30pm
Room: C50

Are you a student who is a parent, parent-to-be, or thinking about becoming a parent during law school or after starting your legal career? Need some advice about how to balance a legal career with family life? Then please join PALS for a panel discussion with practicing attorneys who are successfully balancing work and family life. Panelists:

• Steven McKenzie - Senior Counsel, Building and License Enforcement Division, City of Chicago Law Department
• Yesenia Villasenor-Rodriguez - Drinker Biddle
• Rebecca Quintero - Cook County State's Attorney
• Karen Doran - DoranMedina, LLC

National Lawyers Guild Midwest Regional Conference: "We Dissent: Taking Back Our Civil Liberties"

April 17-19
Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul, MN

The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) invites students to attend its Midwest Regional Conference entitled "We Dissent Taking Back Our Civil Liberties." This conference will present fifteen diverse topics focused around the central theme of civil liberties and activism. The overall focus of the conference is a call-for-action and education of young law students, lawyers, legal workers and activists and a movement to capitalize the energy within the Midwest regional community regarding human rights and civil liberties. The topics and speakers include:

• Ken Tilson: Keynote Speaker,
• Ramona Africa: Special Guest speaking on political prisoners in America,
• A panel on how non-lawyers can effectively work as faculty for lawyers after law school, and
• Several other panels and workshops including legal observer training

There will also be a special session for NLG student chapter leaders and members to unite and discuss issues with forming and maintaining chapters, sharing programming and development opportunities and other problems students face. This event is hosted by the Hamline Student Chapter with the support of the American Bar Association, NLG Minnesota, Hamline Bar Association and others.

Registration is now open. Please click here for more information on the program and how to register.

Attorneys' Title Guaranty Fund, Inc. is Presenting "Navigating a Real Estate Transaction: A Program for Law Students and New Attorneys"

Free for law students and new attorneys
Saturday, April 18, 2009: 8:45am - 3:45 pm
Chicago-Kent College of Law

In today's market, it is more important than ever that home buyers and sellers have an attorney to represent their interests. Attend this all-day program and learn how to guide your clients through one of the biggest financial investments of their lives. Expert speakers will take you step-by-step through a sample transaction:

• Establishing a real estate practice,
• Preliminary considerations in real estate transactions,
• Representing the buyer and seller,
• Preparing standard contracts, deeds, and other forms,
• Understanding mortgage financing and how to explain it to clients,
• Taking title - different methods and the tax ramifications of each; and
• Ethical considerations in real estate transactions

Free for law students and new attorneys, $65 each for others. Earn 5.00 MCLE. Breakfast is included. To register and for more information, click "ATG Legal Education" at www.atgf.com.

CSO Workshop on Dealing with a Bad Economy

Tuesday, April 21st: Noon - 1:45 pm
Room 270

Facing a permanent job search or even the search for a summer position can be very difficult in an economic downturn. Figuring out how to live on a lower-than-expected salary, or no salary at all, can be difficult, particularly when loan payments are looming, and all of this can take an emotional toll. This program is designed to help current students and recent graduates tackle all of these challenges in a productive and healthy way. Speakers include:

• Susan Mendelsohn, Esq. of Legal Inc., who will address the current market and creative strategies for marketing yourself to legal employers;
• Tiffany Nelson, a 2002 Kent graduate who faced her own search in a difficult economy and who will talk about her own strategies for networking into a great job;
• Jeff Ramaeker and Jonathan De La Cruz from Access Group who will address how to negotiate a change in your loan payment structure, how to request deferment, and ideas for living more simply while looking for a job or working at a job with a less than ideal salary;
• Dr. Erica Berg of IIT's Student Counseling Services who will discuss techniques to recognize and deal with the anxieties, stresses and depression that can accompany a bad economic situation.
• More speakers TBA in the coming weeks.

Students should RSVP for this program through Symplicity. To RSVP, please log onto Symplicity and click on the "Events" tab. Scroll down to the appropriate program and click on the "RSVP" button.

Employment Opportunities

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

April 11: Deadline to Apply for a Summer Internship with the Midwest Regional Office of Amnesty International

Amnesty International USA offers exciting internship opportunities at the Midwest Regional Office in Chicago, IL. This office works with AIUSA members, activists and volunteers in 13 states to continue growing its movement in order to defend human rights worldwide. The office supports AIUSA local groups, student groups, volunteer leaders, and the public through education, events, public speaking, media and outreach.

The Midwest Regional office seeks responsible, dependable and creative people who:

• Are familiar with Amnesty International and human rights issues
• Work well both as part of a team and independently
• Possess strong written and verbal communication skills
• Are self-starters and capable of taking on significant responsibility, and
• meet all visa requirements for working in the U.S.

Interns typically work 10-20 hours per week. Regardless of the capacity in which interns serve, the internship experience at Amnesty in the Midwest is most definitely unique. Interns are considered as a vital part of the team, especially with such a small office. Although the administrative side of work is certainly heavy at times, the opportunity to take initiative and suggest new directions and projects is quite strong as well. AIUSA is looking for candidates who stand out in their desire to do whatever it takes to help Amnesty's work move forward.

For more information and application materials, please click here. The deadline to apply for the 2009 summer session is April 11, 2009.

Political and Civil Service Appointments in the Obama Administration

Please see http://www.change.gov/page/s/application, which provides prospective applicants with information to help them apply for positions in the Obama-Biden Administration. President Obama will make appointments throughout the federal government. Some positions will require Senate confirmation while others will not. Some appointments will be made during the transition process and others during the early part of the new Administration.

Applicants for any of these non-career positions - whether in the White House or in any Federal Department, Agency or Commission - should use this website, as applying on-line is the fastest and most accurate way to get your information to us. (If you are interested instead in a career, civil service position with the federal government, you should proceed to the Office of Personnel Management website at http://www.usajobs.gov.)

If you apply for a position now, you will not need to apply again after January 20th. Applications submitted now to the Obama-Biden Transition Project will be retained and considered by the Office of Presidential Personnel after President Obama takes office.

Application Process:

1. Please complete and submit the on-line Expression of Interest Form.
2. Within a few days, you will receive an email with a link to a more complete on-line application.
3. Upon submitting your full on-line application you will receive an e-mail acknowledgment.
4. If and when you are considered for a specific position, you will be asked to fill out additional forms, including financial disclosures, and be subject to other reviews which may include FBI background checks.

Department of Justice Volunteer Legal Internship Opportunities for Spring and Summer 2009

The Department of Justice offers approximately 1,800 volunteer internships each year. Approximately 1000 are available during the summer; with the remaining 800 offered during the academic year.

First-year (second-semester), second-year and third-year law students are eligible to apply at any time. First-year, first-semester law students may apply after December 1 for internships the following summer. The Department follows the National Association of Law Placement guidelines that prohibit employer contact with first-year (first-semester) students regarding summer employment prior to that date. Law students may work in volunteer positions only while attending law school. Law school graduation terminates eligibility, except for graduate law students enrolled at least half time and who are not practicing law. Part-time and joint-degree law students may apply provided they meet eligibility requirements.

How to Apply: The Department publishes detailed information about volunteer opportunities and announces upcoming vacancies for specific offices in late summer (for internships during the academic year) and in December (for summer internships). Each participating office conducts its internship program independently and has its own internal deadlines. Students should apply separately to each office in which they have an interest. Offices typically request a resume and a law school transcript. Application requirements vary and are outlined in the "Qualifications" section of each announcement. Some organizations request a writing sample, a cover letter listing times and dates of availability, and references. For more information, visit OARM's website at http://www.usdoj.gov/oarm/arm/int/legalinternjq.htm.

U.S. Attorney for Northern District of Illinois is Accepting Applications for its Fall 2009 Intern Program

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois will offer intern positions to approximately 15 law students during the Fall Semester. Interns are required to work at least 16 hours a week for 12 weeks. All of the intern positions are uncompensated. The work of law student interns includes assisting in all aspects of trial preparation, legal research, writing memoranda of law, drafting pleadings and appellate briefs, assisting in preparation and taking of depositions, assisting in pre-trial conferences and the trials of civil and criminal cases.

Due to the large number of applications received each term, only students who will be in their second or third year of law school by the beginning of the fall term will be considered. To apply, pick up an application form in the Career Services Office (Handout 44). For more information, contact Monica LeKostaj, Administrative Assistant for the Intern Program, at (312) 353-1091 or click here. Applications are due no later than Friday, April 17, 2009.

Fellowships & Scholarships

Indian-American Bar Association of Chicago Law Student Public Interest Fellowship - Deadline Extended to April 6

The Indian-American Bar Association (IABA) of Chicago is accepting applications for its Law Student Public Interest Fellowship, which provides a $2,500 grant to a law school student who works in an unpaid or low-paid summer job benefiting the public interest. Work benefiting the South Asian community is preferable, but not required. For application materials, please stop by the career services office for handout #49.

To be eligible for the fellowship, the applicant must be a current first-year or second-year law student and must work in a public interest job in a legal capacity during the summer of 2009. The applicant may receive up to, but no more than, $5,000 in summer earnings, including the IABA-Chicago Fellowship, to remain eligible for funding. IABA-Chicago defines "public interest" jobs as jobs that provide services to underrepresented persons or interests, to the government (including judicial externships), or to non-profit entities serving community interests.

All applications must be submitted to IABA-Chicago by midnight on April 6, 2009. Questions should be directed to Harpreet Khera, IABA-Chicago's Vice President of Professional Development, who can be reached at 734-883-3919 or at harpreetkhera@gmail.com.

The Borchard Foundation Center on Law & Aging is Accepting Applications for its 2009-2010 Fellowship in Law & Aging

The Borchard Fellowship in Law & Aging affords one year for two law school graduates interested in, and perhaps already in the early stages of pursuing, an academic and/or professional career in law and aging, the opportunity to pursue their research and professional interests.

During the Fellowship period, the Center’s Executive Director and Assistant Director stand ready to assist each Fellow with the further development of his/her knowledge, skills, and contacts. A legal services or other non-profit organization involved in law and aging must supervise a Fellow’s activities and projects.  In addition to the Fellow's planned activities and project (unless the Fellow's project includes the provision of legal services), the Fellow must also provide some pro bono direct legal services to older persons under appropriate supervision.  A Fellow is expected to provide the Center with monthly activities reports.

The Fellowship is $40,000 and is intended as a full-time position only.  The Fellow’s sponsoring agency is responsible for providing employee benefits, workspace, administrative support, computer, telephone, email access, and employer’s FICA payment.  Fellows may live and work where they choose in the United States; Fellows must be either U.S. citizens or legal residents of the U.S. The Fellowship period runs from July 1 to June 30 each year, or for the calendar year beginning the month after the Fellow's completion of a state Bar examination.

Examples of activities and projects by recent Borchard Fellows includes:

• Writing and publication of law review articles on law and aging issues
• Writing and publication of state specific, consumer oriented handbooks on legal issues affecting older persons
• Teaching elder law and related courses at law schools where fellows reside
• Development of a non-profit senior law resource center providing direct legal services and public education
• Development of an interdisciplinary elder law clinical program at a major public university law school
• Development of a mediation component for a legal services program elder law hotline
• Development of an interdisciplinary project for graduate students in law, medicine, and health advocacy to foster understanding and collaboration between professions
• Development of training materials and statewide trainings for lawyers, judges and other court personnel, and social service providers on new comprehensive state guardianship laws
• Organizing and/or attending national conferences on law and aging issues
• Providing supervised pro bono legal representation of older clients
• Analysis of Medicare policies
• Development of legal services programs for older clients in consumer law and small claims matters

Applicants must submit a completed application form, an explanation of the applicant’s planned activities and projects, a current curriculum vitae, a law school transcript, a letter of support from the proposed supervisor, and two other letters of support.  Fellowship application information and form are available at www.borchardcenter.org.   

Completed applications should be sent to:

The Borchard Foundation Center on Law & Aging
Mary Jane Ciccarello, Assistant Director
335 4th Avenue
Salt Lake City, Utah 84103

Applications must be postmarked by April 15, 2009.  Selections are made by June 1, 2009.  For further information, please contact:  Mary Jane Ciccarello, 801-598-5810, mjcr@xmission.com.

Job Fairs

Registration is Now Open for The Cook County Bar Association (CCBA) Minority Law Student Job Fair

Registration is now open for the Cook County Bar Association (CCBA) Minority Law Student Job Fair. The Cook County Bar Association's 26th Annual Minority Law Student Job Fair will be held on August 21, 2009 at the Embassy Suites Chicago - Downtown/Lakefront, located at 511 North Columbus Drive. Minority law students in the classes of 2010 and 2011 are invited to participate in this job fair. Student registration begins on April 1, 2009 and each student must upload their resume by Friday, May 15, 2009. In April, additional details regarding registration, cost, eligibility, etc. will be available.

Anticipated states represented by employer participants include: California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Washington D.C. and Wisconsin. The anticipated number of employer participants is 145 and will include:

• Large, medium, and small law firms
• Corporations
• Government agencies

Registration is Now Open For the Boston Lawyers Group Job Fairs for Law Students of Color

Boston Job Fair for Law Students of Color
Thursday, August 13, 2009
The InterContinental Hotel
510 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, MA

Washington D.C. Area Job Fair for Law Students of Color
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Renaissance Mayflower Hotel
1127 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC

The Boston Lawyers Group (BLG) is a consortium of over 40 of the largest law firms, government agencies, and corporations in Boston. Its mission is to promote the hiring, retention, and professional development of attorneys of color in its member organizations. A primary goal of the BLG is to increase the number of law students of color that member organizations hire for their Boston office. One of the significant ways in which this goal is accomplished, is through member participation in the annual BLG Job Fairs in Boston and D.C.

Employers who participate in either job fair hire for positions in their Boston office. Employers will interview second-year law students for 2010 summer associate/law clerk positions, and in a limited number of cases employers will interview third-year law students for Fall 2010 first year associate positions. Students who have been selected for one or more interviews can potentially obtain additional interviews through the lottery selection process.

To be eligible to participate in the job fairs, students must be entering their second or third year of law school in the Fall of 2009. Student registration begins April 1, 2009 and ends on July 8, 2009. Students can register for only one fair. Please note that students are not allowed to bid, instead, participating BLG Members select the students they wish to interview. To register, please click here. For more information, please visit the BLG website at www.thebostonlawyersgroup.com.

Registration is Now Open for the St. Louis Diversity Job Fair

August 14-15, 2009
Venue in downtown St. Louis: TBA

The St. Louis Diversity Job Fair is being held August 14-15, 2009. J.D. students in the classes of 2010 and 2011 (3L and 2L) are invited to participate. The Job Fair will kick off with a Welcome Reception and Expo on Friday, August 14, from 5:30pm - 6:30pm, during which employers and students will have the opportunity to meet on a more informal basis. Students who attend the Welcome Reception will get an opportunity to meet with the representatives and learn more about all that a legal career in St. Louis has to offer. Students who did not receive a formal interview with employers will also get an opportunity to network with employers. Interviews will be held Saturday, August 15 from 9:00am - 4:00pm. Both events will take place at a venue located in downtown St. Louis. Specific details will be provided in the near future.

Each employer schedule allows or 16 interviews, and each interview is 20 minutes in length. A sit-down lunch will be provided for all employers and students from 12:00pm - 1:00pm. Students will not be scheduled for back-to-back interviews to ensure that they will be on time for their next interview.

The deadline for law student registration is Friday, May 1, 2009. To register, please click here. You will be asked to designate a contact person in the Career services Office. Your CSO contact is Yadi Trujillo. For additional information, please visit www.stldiversityjobfair.com.

Registration is Now Open for the IMPACT Career Fair for Law Students and Attorneys with Disabilities

Friday, August 7, 2009: 10am - 6:00 pm
Sheraton Crystal City Hotel - Arlington, VA

Registration is now open for the IMPACT Career Fair for Law Students and Attorneys with Diabilities. This job fair is open to law students returning to school in Fall 2009 and graduates from Classes of 2009 and earlier. The deadline to register and upload application materials electronically for each employer is Sunday, July 5, 2009, 11:59 pm.

To register and for more information, please click here.

For a list of 2008 employer participants, please click here.

The National Association of Law Students with Disabilities will be hosting their 2nd Annual Conference the same weekend as IMPACT. Click here for details.

April 21: Deadline to Apply for Invitation to Delaware Minority Job Fair for Second & Third-Year Law Students

As part of an effort to recruit talented students and increase diversity in the Delaware Bar, a number of law firms, corporations, and governmental legal employers will participate in the Delaware Minority Job Fair for Second & Third-Year Law Students, which is being held on Saturday, August 15, 2009 on the Wilmington campus of Widener University School of Law. This job fair is by invitation only and is limited to students who are in their second or third year of law school during the 2008-2009 school year and interested in employment opportunities in Delaware.

The Delaware Minority Job Fair differs from many other job fairs in that students must be invited to attend rather than simply registering and attending. In return, the students invited receive considerable more individual attention than is possible in a very large job fair. When you submit an application for invitation, you are, in effect, submitting an application to all of the Delaware legal employers who participate in the program.

To become eligible by an invitation you must complete the application form, which is available in the career services office as handout #50, and return it via mail, fax or email, along with your resume and college and law school transcripts (if available), no later than Tuesday, April 21, 2009.

You will be eligible for an invitation if two or more of the Job Fair employers wish to meet with you. Invitations enclosing a proposed interview schedule will be sent by mid-June. Your response, accepting or declining the invitation, will be due by Tuesday, June 30, 2009.

There are no application or registration fees. If you are invited you will need to arrange for your own transportation to Wilmington. The organizers of the job fair hope to be able to reimburse you for all or at least a portion of your transportation expenses. They have historically been able to reimburse 100% of such expenses. A breakfast will be provided to all invited students. A number of experienced attorneys and leaders from the Delaware Bench and Bar will join students for breakfast to answer any questions you might have about life and the practice of law in Delaware.

Save the Date: The Indianapolis Bar Association (IBA) 2009 Diversity Job Fair is Being Held August 6-7, 2009

The Indianapolis Bar Association (IBA) invites fall 2009, 2L law students (graduating May 2011) to participate in the IBA Diversity Job Fair. The IBA is seeking candidates who represent all aspects of diversity, who are looking for a one-of-a-kind legal community in a Midwestern city that has both cosmopolitan style and small-town charm.

Student registration opens April 1, 2009. Students will register via Symplicity's web site at https://law-indybar-csm.symplicity.com/students/. After the student submits his/her registration, an automatically-generated password will be provided, which will enable him/her to use the system throughout the next few months. The registration deadline is July 10, 2009. There is no fee to register for the IBA Diversity Job Fair.

Schedule of Events:
Thursday, August 6, 2009
4-8pm: Student Registration, Embassy Suites Indianapolis Downtown
5:30-7pm: Welcome Reception, location TBA
Friday, August 7, 2009
8:00am: Registration Re-opens, Embassy Suites Indianapolis Downtown
9:00am - 12pm: Interviews held in guest suites
11:45am - 1:15pm: Keynote Luncheon
1:20 - 4:00pm: Interviews held in guest suites

The IBA Diversity Job Fair will be held at the Embassy Suites Downtown Indianapolis in Indianapolis, IN, August 6-7, 2009. Room rates for students are $189 for the nights of August 6 & 7. Students should contact the hotel directly at 1-800-EMBASSY or 1-317-236-1800 and reference the IBA Diversity Job Fair to receive the group rate. If you need special accomodations, please contact Caren Chopp at cchopp@indybar.org or 317-269-2000. The hotel reservation deadline to receive the special rate is July 7, 2009.

The current list of participating employers includes: Baker & Daniels LLP, Barnes & Thornburg LLP, Bingham McHale LLP, Dann Pecar Newman & Kleiman PC, Frost Brown Todd LLC, Kightlinger & Gray LLP, Krieg DeVault LLP, Lewis Wagner LLP, Marion County Prosecutor's Office, Office of the Indiana Attorney General, Scopelitis Garvin Hansen Light & Feary PC, and Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP.

The National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Bar Association Annual Career Fair and Conference

The National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Bar Association is a national organization of LGBT judges, lawyers, law students and other legal professionals committed to promoting diversity within the legal profession. Each year, the LGBT Bar hosts the only national career fair and legal education conference (formerly known as Lavender Law) for LGBT law students. The LGBT Bar will host the 21st such conference on September 10-12, 2009 in Brooklyn, NY. The 2008 Career Fair featured 169 recruiters and over 590 students from across the country. Students interested in learning more about the conference should visit www.lgbtbar.org/annual.

Save the Date: The 2009 Tri-State Diversity Recruitment Program is Being Held August 28-29, 2009

The 2009 Tri-State Diversity Recruitment Program is being held August 28-29 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Covington, Kentucky. The Tri-State Diversity Recruiting Program offers employers the opportunity to conveniently recruit summer associates and entry-level attorneys for attorney positions in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. Additional information, along with application materials, will be available in late March.

National Black Prosecutors Association (NBPA) 26th Annual Conference and Job Fair

The goal of the National Black Prosecutors Association’s (NBPA) Job Fair is to promote diversity in prosecutors’ offices. The Job Fair will provide a unique forum where law students, recent law graduates, and experienced attorneys from across the nation can meet and interview with prospective prosecutorial employers at the local, state, and federal levels. This year's job fair will be held on Tuesday, July 21, 2009 at the Marriott Memphis Downtown in Memphis, Tennessee.

In addition to the job fair, all job fair participants are invited to attend a free career seminar entitled "Strategies for a Successful Interview," which will take place on Monday, July 20 from 4-6pm and will provide job fair participants with effective interviewing tips.

The Job Fair early registration fee for law students and 2009 law school graduates is $25.00; for laterals/licensed attorneys is $50.00. After March 31st, the registration fee will be $50.00 for law students and 2009 graduates and $75.00 for laterals/licensed attorneys. After June 12th, the late registration fee will be $100.00 for law students and 2009 law school graduates and $150.00 for laterals/licensed attorneys.

To register for the Job Fair, pick up an applicant registration form (handout # 47 ) from the Career Services Office and submit it along with a resume and a check for the appropriate fee payable to the NBPA 26th Annual Conference. After March 1st, registration will also be available online with a credit card at www.blackprosecutors.org.

Additional information about the NBPA and its conference is available at www.blackprosecutors.org. If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Audrey Moore, National Black Prosecutors Association Job Fair Coordinator at 212-335-4205 or moorea@dany.nyc.gov.

2009 Loyola Patent Law Interview Program

Loyola University Chicago School of Law is hosting the 2009 Patent Law Interview Program on Thursday, July 30 and Friday, July 31 in Chicago, Illinois. This is a nationwide interview program that targets patent law employers, rising 2L and 3L students, and students in Intellectual Property LLM programs.

Last year roughly 150 employers, 150 law schools, and 1,500 law students from across the country participated in the program. The program is entirely pre-selected, which means that students submit resumes and bid on interviews with the employers they are interested in, and employers then review the resumes of the students who bid on them and select the students they wish to interview at the program. Last year, approximately half of the participating students were selected for interviews.

Students with undergraduate or graduate degrees in engineering or a technical science should consider registering for the program. You do not need to be patent bar eligible to register, although the vast majority of employers participating in the program are seeking patent bar eligible students.

For more information on the program, please refer to the program website at http://www.luc.edu/law/career/Patent_Program_-_Stu.html.

Online student registration for this year's Patent Law Interview Program will begin on Monday, February 23 and close on Friday, March 13. On February 23, a "Register Now" link will appear on the above web page. At this stage of registration, you will only need to enter some basic information (you will upload your resume and bid on interviews later in the semester). Please note that our school is listed alphabetically as INSERT SCHOOL NAME HERE on the registration form's drop down menu of law schools.

The 2009 Patent Law Interview Program will be accepting registrations from:

• JD students graduating in May/June 2010 (3Ls)
• JD students graduating in May/June 2011 (2Ls)
• JD students graduating in December 2009/January 2010 (3Ls)
• JD students graduating in December 2010/January 2011 (2Ls)
• Students in Intellectual Property LLM programs with anticipated graduation dates in 2010 and 2011 (LLMs)

Students who will graduate before the program is held in July 2009, and students who plan to graduate after May/June 2011, are not eligible for the 2009 Patent Law Interview program and should not register. Dual degree students should use the date that they will complete both of their degrees as their anticipated graduation date.

There is a non-refundable $35 registration fee which you must pay by credit card to complete your online registration. Please have your credit card ready when you register.

Please direct any questions about the program to the Patent Program Liaison in our office, Jeanne Kraft at jkraft@kentlaw.edu.

Heartland Diversity Legal Job Fair in Kansas City, Missouri

The Fifth Annual Heartland Diversity Legal Job Fair (HDLJF) will be held August 7-8, 2009, in Kansas City, Missouri. Students who are interested in becoming part of Kansas City's dynamic legal community should strongly consider attending this event. Students who will be returning to school in August and those graduating in May are eligible to attend the job fair, as employers will be interviewing for both summer and post-graduate positions.

The HDLJF is the result of Kansas City's leading law firms, legal associations, and corporate legal departments coming together to encourage law students to practice law in Kansas City. The HDLJF is designed to expose law students of diverse backgrounds to both traditional and non-traditional legal employers. In addition, the event is a great way to learn more about living in this wonderful city.

The HDLJF will be held at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center. It will kick off with an evening Welcome Reception on Friday, August 7th at the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association. The Saturday schedule includes a continental breakfast, interviewing from 8:30am to 5:00pm, and a luncheon at which participants will be greeted and addressed by a special Keynote Speaker.

Please register as soon as possible after registration opens on March 26, 2009. Students who register before May 25th will be entered into a drawing for exciting prizes. The final deadline for registering is June 20, 2009.

Students can register on-line and find more information about the Job Fair at www.heartlanddiversity.org. Students may also contact Emily Perry at 816-474-4322.

Resources

Access the BYU Intercollegiate Job Bank

Kent students and alumni now have an additional resource for their job searches. The BYU Intercollegiate Job Bank compiles entry level job postings from schools throughout the country. This resource will be especially useful for students and alumni conducting an out-of-town job search, but through this service you can also access the postings of other Illinois and Chicago area schools.

To access this resource, log into Symplicity and select the “Documents” tab. Within Documents, select “Document Library.” The link for the Job Bank will be listed there. Clicking on the link will take you to a page with a username and password, which you should write down before clicking the link. The link takes you to the BYU Alumni page, and the Job Bank is about halfway down the page. After clicking that link you will be prompted to enter the user name and password. Then you will have access to a drop list of all 50 states. Picking a state will give you access to the job postings from the schools in that state. If you have any difficulties accessing the Job Bank, please contact the Career Services Office by emailing kentcso@kentlaw.edu.

Password Protected Sites Now Available through Symplicity

To access password protected sites including:

• The Federal Government Honors & Internship Handbook;
• The Vermont Guide to State Judicial Clerkships;
• The BYU Intercollegiate Job Bank; and
• The Four or More List of Chicago Employers

log into Symplicity and select the “Documents” tab. Within Documents, select “Document Library.” The links for the sites listed above will be listed there. Clicking on each link will take you to a page with a username and password, which you should write down before clicking the link on the page. If you have any difficulties accessing Symplicity or the individual sites, please contact the Career Services Office by emailing kentcso@kentlaw.edu.

Law Bulletin Weekly On-line Employment Bulletin

The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin is now offering a free on-line Legal Employment Weekly e-blast of open jobs in the Chicago area. Every issue contains up-to-date job postings, an article and sign-up sheet from the Illinois Paralegal Association, and an Ask an Expert column. You can view each week's installment at http://jobs.lawbulletin.com/ELEW.pdf or you can sign up to receive the "E-LEW" in your own inbox. To receive the weekly email, go to http://jobs.lawbulletin.com and select the "E-LEW" tab at the top of the page. At the bottom of the page, click on the link and complete the resulting form.

NALP Summer Apartment Exchange

If you are a student who is working out of town this summer and looking for housing options, please see www.nalpexchange.org. NALP is offering the opportunity to exchange housing information through an online Apartment Exchange. On this site you can search for housing as well as post a listing to sublet your place.

Jenner & Block Summer Apartment Sublet Service

Jenner and Block is looking for students who want to sublet their apartments this summer. Send information to Ben Litman at blitman@jenner.com. Please include details regarding location, rent, dates available, amenities, and utilities included.

Career Advisor Network

In an effort to help you connect with a strong network of Chicago-Kent alumni, the Office of Alumni Relations and Office of Career Services are happy to announce a new Alumni Career Advisor Network.

Alumni from around the world are available to discuss issues such as practice trends, legal markets in specific geographic areas, and other career-related topics. This is an excellent opportunity to start building your personal network with Chicago-Kent alumni!

To search for an Alumni Career Advisor, all you have to do is log-in to the Chicago-Kent Alumni Online Community:

First Time Login Instructions:

1. Go to www.alumni.kentlaw.edu/firstlogin
2. In the Constituent ID field, enter your Banner CWID.
   To find your Banner CWID login to http://my.iit.edu. Once you are logged, on the right side of your screen you should see a box called IIT Personal ID numbers. The Banner CWID is the number beginning with “A.”
3. In the Class Year Field:
   1. If you are an LLM student, enter LLM
   2. If you are a Visiting student, enter LV
   3. If you are a JD student your Class Year will be three characters. The first letter for all class years will be L. The second letter is your division. The third is your year number.
      Examples: A 2nd year night student’s class year is LN2. A 1st  year day student’s class year is LD1.

During your first time login you will create a username and password. Afterwards, you may log in directly at www.alumni.kentlaw.edu/advisorsearch using the username and password you created.

If you need assistance with your first time login, please contact Celeste Addyman in the Office of Career Services at kentcso@kentlaw.edu or visit her in Suite 360.

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.