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Career Services Office

Career Services Office home page
Week of October 31, 2016

Information & Announcements

  • Mandatory 1L Legal Resume and Cover Letter Workshops
  • Welcome, 1Ls!
  • Mandatory Meetings for 2Ls and 3Ls
  • Community-Based Federal Work Study Available for Spring 2017 - Deadline to apply is January 6
  • Interview Preparation and Mock Interviews Available Through the CSO
  • Free ABA Memberships for Students

Fall Recruiting

  • Please Report Callbacks and Offers!

Programming

  • November 1: Lunch with the Law Offices
  • November 1: Tax Law Career Panel
  • November 2: Judicial Clerkships Panel
  • November 2: Spring 2017 Access2Practice Legal Externship Program Information Session
  • November 2: CBA YLS - Marketing Your Skills
  • November 2-4: PLI 48th Annual Institute on Securities Regulation
  • November 3: QuisLex Tour
  • November 3: Women in Law Mentorship Reception 
  • November 3: Get Social with the CBA YLS at Vol.39 
  • November 9: Meet the Public Service Organizations Reception
  • November 15: Chicago Estate Planning Council Presents: Why Estate Planning is an Exciting Career Choice
  • November 15: Opportunities with the City of Chicago Department of Law
  • November 15:  Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law 7th Annual Leadership Forum 
  • November 16: ABA Judicial Intern Opportunity Program (JIOP)/Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Diverse Law Student Panel 
  • November 17: Symposium on Emerging Legal Issues in the Workplace
  • Apply to be a Law Student Reporter at the ABA's 32nd Annual Intellectual Property Law Conference April 5 & 6 - Applications due November 7 
  • CBA YLS Webinar - Illinois Bar Exam Bootcamp

Employment Opportunities

  • PILI 2017 Summer Internships - 2Ls Apply Now! 1Ls Apply December 1! 
  • PILI 2017 Spring Internships - Apply Now!
  • Law Offices In-House Clinics - Spring 2017 Application Now Open
  • Spring 2017 Semester Law Firm Associate Program - Applications due November 3
  • City of Chicago Mayor's Office Fellowship Program - Applications due November 6
  • Spring 2017 Access2Practice Legal Externship Program - Applications due January 6

Fellowships & Scholarships

  • Franczek Radelet LEADS Fellowship Program - Applications due January 9 for 1Ls 
  • EPIC Law Fellowship - Applications due November 2
  • Michael Weiner Scholarship For Labor Studies - Applications due November 7
  • Donald W. Banner Diversity Scholarship for Law Students - Applications due January 6
  • Sidley Austin LLP Diversity & Inclusion Scholarship

Job Fairs  

Diversity

  • ABA Judicial Intern Opportunity Program (JIOP)/Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Diverse Law Student Panel - November 16
  • LCLD Success in Law School Mentoring Program
  • Donald W. Banner Diversity Scholarship for Law Students - Applications due January 6
  • Franczek Radelet LEADS Fellowship Program - Applications due January 9 for 1Ls 
  • Sidley Austin LLP Diversity & Inclusion Scholarship 

Resources

  • Government Honors & Internship Handbook & Public Policy Handbook: log-in now available
  • 2016-2017 PSJD Comprehensive Fellowship Guide
  • 2016-2017 Chicago Area Law Firms List
  • Equal Justice Works’ Student Debt E-Book: Take Control of Your Future: A Guide to Managing Your Student Debt
  • ABA Law Student Podcast: Public Service Loan Forgiveness
  • CareerShift
  • Practising Law Institute (PLI)
  • CSO Resources

Information & Announcements

Mandatory 1L Legal Resume and Cover Letter Workshop

The MANDATORY 1L Legal Resume Workshop and 1L Cover Letter Workshop videos are now available to view. Sign in to Panopto using your kentlaw username and password.

All first-year law students must watch these brief videos. These workshops include detailed instructions for how to draft your legal resume and cover letter.

First-year law students may begin meeting with a Career Advisor on Monday, October 24, 2016Before your first career advising appointment, you must have watched the workshop videos and have uploaded a legal resume to Symplicity. Please also bring a copy of your legal resume to your first appointment.

Welcome 1Ls!

Welcome to your first year at Chicago-Kent! We look forward to assisting you in reaching your career goals.

According to guidelines adopted by the National Association of Legal Professionals (NALP), to which Chicago-Kent College of Law as well as all other ABA-accredited law schools subscribe, 1Ls cannot initiate contact with or interview with certain prospective employers until December 1st. However, there are still many things you can do to start planning for your future career.

  • Attend CSO panels and career development workshops during the fall semester
  • Check our Record page often for updated information on upcoming programs
  • Research various career paths and talk to attorneys and upperclassmen to come up with a list of practice areas and practice settings that interest you
  • Finally, make an appointment with your career services advisor through Symplicity

We hope you have a great first semester, and we look forward to meeting with you!

Mandatory Meetings for 2Ls and 3Ls

Each 2L and 3L student is required to meet with his or her assigned career advisor by the end of this fall semester. For those of you interested in applying to larger federal government agencies with early deadlines (e.g. the Department of Justice), or considering participation in the fall public interest job fair Equal Justice Works, we strongly recommend that you schedule this meeting as soon as possible!

Given the difficult market it is more important than ever that you check in with your career advisor to form a strategy to accomplish your career goals. Please bring your most recent, updated legal resume with you to your meeting with your career advisor.

Community-Based Federal Work Study Available for Spring 2017 - Deadline to apply is January 6, 2017

Federal Work Study (FWS) is a need-based financial aid program established by the federal government. The FWS program provides employment opportunities for eligible students, allowing them to earn, rather than borrow, a portion of their educational costs. Chicago-Kent students who are FWS eligible may receive payment for their work at government and public interest organizations in the Chicago area through FWS funds. However, the number of positions will be limited due to FWS budgetary limitations, and there are other restrictions and limitations as to where students can be funded to work. Please click here for more information and the required request form.

FWS applications for Spring 2017 are currently being accepted; early applications receive first consideration. The deadline for Spring 2017 is Friday, January 6, 2017Processing may take a week or more; allow plenty of time for approval, and the time it takes to be added to the Chicago-Kent payroll. 

Interview Preparation and Mock Interviews Available Through the CSO

The Career Services Office is available to review student resumes and cover letters, and to conduct mock interviews, to help you better prepare for a variety of opportunities! If you have an upcoming interview, please consider scheduling a mock interview with your Career Services counselor. You can schedule an appointment directly through Symplicity! If you have questions about how to schedule an appointment, please email the Career Services Office at kentcso@kentlaw.iit.edu.

Free ABA Memberships for Students

The American Bar Association offers free memberships to all students enrolled in law school. The membership grants law students access to resources tailored to their interests and needs, opportunities to build their professional skills plus access to the ABA’s job listings, clerkships, internships and career events.

You can enroll here - http://www.americanbar.org/abalawstudents.

Fall Recruiting

Please Report Callbacks and Offers!

If you receive callbacks or job offers during the fall interview season, please report this to Tamara McClatchey in the Career Services Office by sending an email to tmcclatc@kentlaw.iit.edu (or email your career advisor directly).

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 advisor.

Programming        

Lunch with the Law Offices

Date: Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Location: Room 590

Join the Law Offices attorneys for an informal luncheon meeting to discuss its many clinical offerings and how to market yourself as a practice-ready law school graduate.

Tax Law Career Panel

Date: Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Time: 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Location: Room 590

Join the Tax Law Society for food, drink and a panel followed by Q&A with three tax law professionals to learn about the exciting and wide-reaching field of Tax Law.

Speakers include:

  • Jeffrey Frishman - National Managing Principal of the Tax Services Practice Policy and Quality group for Grant Thornton and a Chicago-Kent adjunct professor of law in the Graduate Tax Program; formerly Partner at Winston & Strawn LLP
  • Joseph T. Ferrick - Area Counsel, Office of the Chief Counsel to the Internal Revenue Service
  • Courtney Knecht - In-house Tax Attorney at W.W. Grainger, a Fortune 500 industrial supply company, specializing in international and state income tax planning and compliance; C-K alumna, class of 2014

Judicial Clerkships Panel

Date: Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Time: 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Location: Room 590

This panel presentation about judicial clerkships will touch on how to find, apply to and secure these prestigious post-grad opportunities. The discussion will be moderated by Professor Rosen.

Speakers:

Kayla Higgins, Staff Attorney, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Emily Linehan, Hon. Bernice Bouie Donald, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
Alexandra Franco
, Hon. Franklin Valderrama, Circuit Court of Cook County, Chancery
Brian Dodds, Hon. Celia Gamrath, Circuit Court of Cook County, Chancery

Spring 2017 Access2Practice Legal Externship Program Information Session

Date: Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Time: 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Location: Room 545

Professor Gross will conduct an informational meeting about the Spring 2017 Access2Practice Legal Externship Program (LEP) at 3:00 pm on Wednesday, November 2 in Room 545. Come and learn about the structure of LEP and how you can earn course credit while working as an extern, where you can extern and how to apply. Join Professor Gross to hear about this unique and important opportunity to gain exposure to an area of law you are interested in.

CBA YLS - Marketing Your Skills

Date: Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Time: 5:30 pm
Location: The Chicago Bar Association (321 S. Plymouth Ct.)

You are invited to join The Chicago Bar Association Young Lawyers Section’s Career Assistance Committee on November 2 to discover ways to market yourself effectively in the workplace and attend a networking reception at which you can practice your newly acquired skills. Ross Fishman of Fishman Marketing will speak. The program kicks off at 5:30 p.m., and will be followed by a 6:30 p.m. networking reception. RSVP for the in-person program at yls@chicagobar.org. The program will also be live Webcast at www.chicagobar.org/webcasts. Special thanks to Chicago Legal Search Ltd.

PLI 48th Annual Institute on Securities Regulation

Date: Wednesday, November 2 – Friday, November 4, 2016
Time: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Location: Webcast or Roosevelt Hotel in New York City

Practising Law Institute, along with its Co-Chairs, Alan L. Beller (Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP), Carmen J. Lawrence (King & Spalding LLP) and David M. Lynn (Morrison & Foerster LLP), cordially invites law students to join them on a complimentary basis at the 48th Annual Institute on Securities Regulation, November 2-4, 2016 on the Web, or live at New York City’s historic Roosevelt Hotel.  

For more than four decades, PLI’s Annual Institute has been the premier conference on securities regulation and corporate governance for lawyers, from students to seasoned practitioners. This year’s Institute will once again feature the nation’s leading securities and corporate legal experts to deliver the practical information, insights and real-world strategies and solutions to the many challenges facing practitioners today. At the same time, the Institute is a unique opportunity to connect with the best and brightest in the field of securities law.

 The scholarship application must be submitted by Wednesday, October 12, 2016. Click here for the scholarship application form (you must be logged in to Symplicity).

 Space at the live program is limited, so sign up today if you can attend in person. Click here for more information: 48th Annual Institute on Securities Regulation.

QuisLex Tour

Date: Thursday, November 3, 2016
Time: 11:00 am
Location: QuisLex (150 N. Wacker Dr.)
Meet there by 10:55 am, or meet Dean Schreiber in the school lobby by 10:45 am

Dean Harris and Dean Schreiber invite you to meet the QuisLex team on Thursday, November 3rd at 11 am. 

Who and what is QuisLex? QuisLex is an award-winning managed legal services provider specializing in executing complex document review, contract management, and compliance projects for leading corporations and law firms throughout the world.
Since its founding in 2004, QuisLex has been a pioneer in the offshore legal services industry. With more than 1,000 attorneys, process experts, statisticians and linguists, QuisLex continues that tradition today by delivering solutions that reduce costs, mitigate risks, and enhance quality.  

QuisLex's Chicago office (located at 150 N. Wacker Dr.) oversees various foreign language document reviews. If you are fluent in a foreign language, and would like to learn more about participating in foreign language document reviews, please join Dean Harris and Dean Schreiber as they tour QuisLex's office and learn more about the company and its many opportunities for JD and LLM graduates.  

If interested, please RSVP to kentcso@kentlaw.iit.edu by Tuesday, November 1, 2016 with “QuisLex” in the subject line.

You can meet Dean Harris and Dean Schreiber in the lobby of the QuisLex office at 10:55 am that morning, or you can meet Dean Schreiber in the school lobby by 10:45 am, and walk over with a group.

This is a great opportunity to meet with QuisLex's team here in Chicago and hear from some members of their executive staff.

Women in Law Mentorship Reception

Date: Thursday, November 3, 2016
Time: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Location: Morris Hall (10th Floor Event Room)

Join the Women in Law Society for a mentorship reception in Morris Hall at 6 pm on Thursday, November 3rd. Even if you didn't sign up for a mentor, please attend and network with Chicago attorneys!

Get Social with the CBA YLS at Vol.39

Date: Thursday, November 3, 2016
Time: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Location: Vol.39 (39 S. LaSalle St.)

Mingle with members of The Chicago Bar Association Young Lawyers Section on November 3 from 6:00-8:00 pm at the Loop's newest cocktail lounge, Vol.39, at 39 S. LaSalle St. Free drinks while they last!

Meet the Public Service Organizations Reception

Date: Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Time: 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Location: Loyola University Chicago School of Law (25 E. Pearson St., Kasbeer Hall - 15th Floor)

RSVP: If you want to head over to Loyola as a group, leaving CK at 4:30pm, please RSVP to kentcso@kentlaw.iit.edu with "MPSOR" in the subject line.

Meet with representatives from over 50 area public interest and government employers during this evening reception at Loyola Law. Business professional attire, please. Sponsored by the Chicago Area Law School Consortium.

Chicago Estate Planning Council Presents: Why Estate Planning is an Exciting Career Choice

Date: Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Location: Room 355

Join members of the Chicago Estate Planning Council (CEPC) for a panel discussion on why you should consider an estate planning practice as a career option and how the CEPC can help. Hear from lawyers and other industry professionals about their own experiences in the private clients, trusts, and estates field.

Please RSVP to kentcso@kentlaw.iit.edu with “Estate Planning Council” in the subject line.

Opportunities with the City of Chicago Department of Law

Date: Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Location: Room C50

The City of Chicago Department of Law serves the Mayor, City Departments, Boards and Commissioners and the City Council administering policies and programs to benefit Chicago residents. Come to this program to meet City of Chicago attorneys and to learn about the City of Chicago Department of Law’s Externship Program, Summer Volunteer Program, Law Clerk Program (paid and volunteer), and Entry-Level Attorney Program. Learn about Law Department opportunities and what it is like to manage and practice law at one of the premier government law firms in the country.

Space is Limited: RSVP by Tuesday, November 7, 2016 to kentcso@kentlaw.iit.edu with "City of Chicago" in the subject line.

Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law 7th Annual Leadership Forum

Date: Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Time: 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Location: Kirkland & Ellis (300 N. LaSalle St., 6th Floor Conference Center)

The Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law invites you to attend its signature event - The Seventh Annual Leadership Forum. Join more than 200 women attorneys, from across the Chicago area, to honor this year's leadership award winners, as well as become inspired by the featured speaker. 

This year's event will feature the presentation, Courage to Lead: Lessons from Women in the Military, delivered by Brigadier General Maritza S. Ryan, U.S. Army, Brigadier General (Ret). General Ryan, recently retired from the United States Army after a 33-year career, is currently a Fellow with the Helen Gurley Brown Foundation. Her last military assignment was as Professor & Head of the Department of Law, U.S. Military Academy (USMA) at West Point. General Ryan was the first woman USMA graduate and first Hispanic to be selected as a Department Head in the history of West Point. A member of the USMA class of 1982 - the 3rd class to include women - she was commissioned into the Field Artillery and assigned to the 1st Armored Division Artillery in Nuremberg, West Germany. General Ryan is a Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award winner.

Attendees will receive a complimentary copy of 24/7: The First Person You Must Lead Is You, by General Ryan's colleague, Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Becky Halstead.

The Coalition is also proud to announce this year's exceptional winners and honorees of the annual Leadership Forum Awards:

Inspiration Award - Sue Charles, Partner, Lathrop & Gage LLP
Leadership Award - Marcia Owens, Partner, Hamilton Thies & Lorch LLP
Benchmark Award - Walgreen Co., Accepted by Kim Metrick, Director and Managing Counsel, Employment Law

REGISTER TODAY . Event sponsored by Robert Half Legal.

ABA Judicial Intern Opportunity Program (JIOP)/Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Diverse Law Student Panel

Date: Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Time: 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Location: Room 590

The mission of the Judicial Intern Opportunity Program (JIOP) is to provide opportunities to students who are members of racial and ethnic groups that are traditionally underrepresented in the legal profession and opportunities to students with disabilities, students who are economically disadvantaged, women, and students who identify themselves as LGBT. Chicago-Kent students who have participated in the JIOP judicial externship program and the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) diversity program will discuss their experiences applying to and interviewing for these programs, and working with a judge or corporation over the summer.

Symposium on Emerging Legal Issues in the Workplace

Date: Thursday, November 17, 2016
Time: 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Location: Bilandic Building (160 N. LaSalle St., 5th Floor, Room C-500)

The Illinois Attorney General’s Office is hosting a Symposium on Emerging Legal Issues in the Workplace on Thursday, November 17, 2016 from 2 - 5 p.m. This free symposium is geared toward employment attorneys as well as human resources professionals and legal service providers.

The workplace is an ever-changing environment that must respond to shifts in the economy, technology and the law. As employers’ practices change and adapt, new issues may arise concerning legal compliance, as well as the impact on their workforce and bottom line. This symposium will explore current employment law issues for attorneys and their clients from a variety of perspectives, including academic experts, government regulators, employers and workers’ advocates.

The symposium will feature presentations and panel discussions on the following topics:

  • Non-Competition Agreements and Restrictive Covenants for Low-Wage Workers: Recent Trends and Policy Proposals
  • Non-Traditional Employment Relationships: Use of Staffing Agencies and Other Labor Market Intermediaries
  • On-Call Scheduling: Understanding the Impact of Just-in-Time and Flexible Scheduling Practices

To attend this symposium, please complete the registration form (you must be logged in to Symplicity to access the link) and return it to Eileen Baumstark-Pratt, Special Events Director, by fax at 312-814-7105 or by email at specialevents@atg.state.il.us. Please call 866-376-7215 with questions or to request reasonable accommodations.

Apply to be a Law Student Reporter at the ABA's 32nd Annual Intellectual Property Law Conference April 5 & 6 - Applications due November 7, 2016

The American Bar Association Section of Intellectual Property Law’s Law Student Action Group would like to invite law students to apply to its Law Student Reporters Program. Participants selected for the Program are given complimentary registration to the ABA Section of Intellectual Property Law’s 32nd Annual Intellectual Property Law Conference in Arlington, VA on April 5-6, 2017. During the event, students attend the Section’s premier CLE programs and network with Intellectual Property Law attorneys from across the nation while reporting on the content of the CLE programming via social media. This is a great opportunity for students to distinguish themselves in the area of Intellectual Property Law.

Applications are due by Monday, November 7, 2016 at 4:00 p.m. The application can be accessed here: http://goo.gl/forms/X2RfgkWFPV. More opportunities are available for law students who join the Law Student Action Group at http://goo.gl/1KHSU. Any questions about the program can be sent to lawstudentreporters@gmail.com.

CBA YLS Webinar - Illinois Bar Exam Bootcamp

All law students are welcome to register for the webinar of Illinois Bar Exam Bootcamp, sponsored by The Chicago Bar Association Young Lawyers Section’s Law Student and Professional Responsibility Committees.

The webinar includes a comprehensive overview of everything you need to know about applying to and studying for the Illinois Bar and the character and fitness process, and features:

  • Bar exam study tips
  • Overview of professional responsibility and character and fitness rules
  • Navigating the character and fitness process
  • The Lawyers Assistance Program (LAP) as a resource for law students during bar prep and beyond
  • Access to “Study Tips for Bar Takers” Guid
Featured Speakers:
  • Shelley Bethune, Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC)
  • Chelsy Castro, Lawyers Assistance Program (LAP)
  • Bradley Pollock, Walsh, Knippen, Pollock & Cetina, Chtd.; Chair of Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Character and Fitness for 2nd District
  • Phillip Skaggs, The American Association of Insurance Services (AAIS); Co-Chair of YLS Professional Responsibility Committee
  • Danae Weidemann, Barbri, Inc
Click here to register. Complimentary for CBA Law Student Members! Not a Law Student Member of The Chicago Bar Association yet? Join now for only $12 at www.chicagobar.org/jointhecba.

Employment Opportunities

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

PILI 2017 Summer Internships - 2Ls Apply Now! 1Ls Apply December 1, 2016!

PILI's Law Student Internship Program connects law students from across the country with legal service agencies in Illinois. Interns work 400 hours full-time during the summer, with PILI ensuring quality supervision by experienced agency attorneys, and providing extra educational, networking and mentoring opportunities.

Through this program, PILI helps its partner agencies increase their impact while also helping its Interns develop their legal and client interaction skills, build their professional networks, and strengthen their commitment to public interest law and service.

Applicants will apply directly through the PILI website. PILI offers Internships at 27 different legal service agencies in Illinois, and each applicant may apply to up to 10 agencies. You can review the list of agencies approved to host PILI Interns here.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until all agencies have completed their hiring. Please note that each agency supervisor handles hiring differently: some make hiring decisions early in the application period, while others wait until later. Applicants are encouraged to apply early to ensure the fullest consideration of their application.

If you have questions, please contact PILI’s Executive Director, Michael Bergmann, by email or by phone at 312-832-5129.

PILI 2017 Spring Internships - Apply Now!

Applications are being accepted for PILI Law Student Internships during the 2017 Spring Semester beginning November 1, 2016. Each year, PILI offers a limited number of school-year Internships in Chicago during the fall and spring semesters to second and third-year law students. School-year Interns will receive $2,500 for 200 hours of work over the course of a semester.

The agencies that have been approved to host Interns in Spring 2017 are listed below:

Cabrini Green Legal Aid (CGLA)
CARPLS (Coordinated Advice Referral Program for Legal Services)
Chicago Legal Clinic, Inc
Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing (LCBH)
LAF
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF)
National Immigrant Justice Center
Roger Baldwin Foundation of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, Inc.

Students will be able to apply online beginning November 1, 2016 through the PILI website. Students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible, and applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until all positions are filled.

Law Offices In-House Clinics - Spring 2017 Application Now Open

The Law Offices of Chicago-Kent is a teaching law firm that provides high-quality clinical education to students while delivering competitively priced legal services to the public. The firm serves people from every walk of life contending with a wide array of legal problems. By participating in a clinical program, students will learn the day-to-day responsibilities of lawyering—deciding which cases to take and what fees to charge, counseling clients, investigating facts, locating and interviewing witnesses, preparing motions, conducting depositions, filing court documents, writing briefs and selecting juries. Licensed 711 third-year student practitioners may also perform certain trial functions.

Applications are now available for the Spring 2017 semester. If you have any questions, please feel free to email Tracy at tkish@kentlaw.iit.edu. Applications are available in the reception area of Suite 600, outside of the 3rd floor elevators and here.  

Spring 2017 Semester Law Firm Associate Program - Applications due November 3, 2016

Chicago-Kent’s Semester Law Firm Associate Program (SLFAP) is a unique for-credit non-graded program open to 2Ls and 3Ls with a cumulative minimum 3.1 GPA. Semester Associate externs work for academic credit (without pay) as “Associates” for designated and prestigious law firms listed below.

Semester Associate externs receive 6 credits and devote 24 hours a week during the semester to the fieldwork component. Students gain experience and perspective from work on different aspects of litigation and transactions, and firms strive, to the extent possible, to expose students to a range of legal problems demanding varying skill sets or competencies. In conjunction with the fieldwork, there is an accompanying classroom component, scheduled on designated Thursdays from 4:00-5:30 p.m. 

This is a terrific opportunity to learn about life in a law firm, substantive law from highly qualified practicing attorneys and more about your own strengths and interests, and to make an impression on the lawyers with whom you come into contact (even though there is no expectation of future employment). 

To Apply for Spring 2017 SLFAP:

Below are the participating firms and legal practice areas. All prospective 2Ls and 3Ls who wish to apply for an externship at any of the firms listed below should email a current resume and unofficial transcript to Professor Gross (vgross@kentlaw.iit.edu) by no later than 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 3, 2016. Also indicate to which firm(s) you are applying.

Each firm will conduct its own selection process. You must accept the first offer you receive and cannot withdraw after your acceptance with the respective firm.

Participating Firms:

  • Beerman Pritikin Mirabelli Swerdlove LLP (Family Law)
  • Deutsch, Levy & Engel CHTD (Commercial Litigation)
  • Michael Best & Friedrich LLP (IP Law) 
  • Stahl Cowen Crowley Addis LLC (Commercial Litigation)
Please contact Professor Gross immediately if you are selected. 

City of Chicago Mayor's Office Fellowship Program - Applications due November 6, 2016

The Chicago Mayor’s Office Fellowship Program offers a unique opportunity for students to engage in policymaking from inception to implementation. The Fellowship Program is highly-regarded as a leader in municipal fellowship programs. Fellows gain hands-on experience working directly with the Mayor’s Office staff in budgetary, legislative and programmatic areas of city government. Fellows gain a broad understanding of city-level policymaking and have an opportunity to connect what they are learning in the classroom to real world challenges.

Fellows will:

  • Gain an understanding of the work and mission of other City Departments through weekly tours and presentations;
  • Interact with and attend weekly meetings with Commissioners, Aldermen, experts in a variety of policy areas as well as senior level staff; and
  • Attend press conferences, City Council meetings and hearings, staff meetings and strategic planning sessions

The program seeks candidates who:

  • Are enthusiastic to learn about city government;
  • Have demonstrated a substantial commitment to excellence as evidenced by academic honors, leadership ability, extracurricular activities, and involvement in community or public service; and
  • Embody strong personal character and conviction.

Applications are due by Sunday, November 6, 2016. Click here for more information.

Spring 2017 Access2Practice Legal Externship Program - Applications due January 6, 2016

Why Extern? 

Chicago-Kent has long recognized that classes and textbooks alone are not sufficient to complete the education of our students and their transformation into lawyers. Students also need practical experience in the real world to acquire legal skills not accessible in the traditional classroom and to gain insight into the strategic and ethical dimensions of the legal profession.

Some students gain experience when they are hired as part-time clerks, but some do not have access to paid or volunteer positions in a legal setting of their choice and/or one that teaches them the skills they want to acquire. The Legal Externship Program (LEP) presents a unique and important opportunity to gain exposure to an area of law you are interested in and helps you significantly broaden your practical employment opportunities.

What is LEP?

The Access2Practice (A2P) Legal Externship Program is a 4-credit-hour Pass/Fail program which enables Kent 2Ls and 3Ls to gain supervision/mentoring in a wide variety of legal areas – both civil and criminal.  

LEP externships consist of two separate components: fieldwork and class. Externs must work 16 hours a week during the Spring semester for a minimum total of 224 hours. In addition, externs attend a series of classes that meet on designated Wednesdays from 4:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m. Classes focus on different legal areas and the often complex realities at the core of law practice.

Where Can Students Extern?

Students interested in civil law may extern in a wide variety of places. For example, some have externed at the City of Chicago Corporation Counsel’s Office, Office of the Illinois Attorney General, Illinois Commerce Commission, Immigration Court of the U.S. Department of Justice, Internal Revenue Service, and U.S. and Illimois Environmental Protection Agencies.  

Students interested in criminal law have externed at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Office of the Federal Defender, and at the offices of the State’s Attorney and Public Defender in Cook County as well as the surrounding counties.  

In addition, during Spring semester there are a small number of private law firms and in-house corporate legal departments which have been formally screened and approved for LEP placements.  

How to Apply:

Applications are due Friday, January 6, 2017. The Information and Application packets for the Spring 2017 LEP are available online at http://www.kentlaw.iit.edu/academics/jd-program/practical-skills-training/externships/students or in hard copy on the table by the third-floor elevators, in the Career Services Office, and in the Room 600 Law Offices reception area.  

If you would like more information, please check the Externship web page.

Fellowships & Scholarships

Franczek Radelet LEADS Fellowship Program - Applications due January 9, 2017 for 1Ls

Franczek Radelet's Legal Education for the Advancement of Diversity and Scholarship (LEADS) Fellowship Program was established by the firm in 2010 to create a pipeline of talented and diverse law students in the Labor and Employment space.

The LEADS program is an intensive eight-week program designed for diverse first- and second-year law students who have an interest in pursuing a legal career in private practice representing employers in labor and employment matters. The program’s goal is to provide concentrated labor and employment legal experience while developing a pipeline of highly qualified, diverse candidates for potential future employment in the legal profession.

This program, unlike most traditional law firm summer associate programs, includes specific learning and experience modules for the LEADS Fellows during an eight-week fellowship period. The curriculum combines substantive legal experience with practical training provided by Franczek Radelet attorneys. LEADS Fellows will also receive an orientation to the business of practicing law with a focus on transitioning from the life of a law student to that of a private practice attorney.

With each Fellow assigned to a small group of Franczek Radelet attorneys, Fellows will also learn first-hand the work and demands associated with being a practicing labor and employment attorney. Work experience includes substantive exposure to real time labor, employment, employee benefits, immigration and education issues facing employers.

Completed and signed applications and all required supporting documentation is due by Monday, January 9, 2017 for 1L students (the deadline for 2L students has passed). Please note that applications will be reviewed and applicants interviewed and selected on a rolling basis, so please submit your application as early as possible.

Click here for more information.

EPIC Law Fellowship - Applications due November 2, 2016

The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) invites outstanding applications for the 2017 EPIC Law Fellowship. EPIC encourages applications from law students graduating before September 2017.

The EPIC Law Fellow will fill an integral role in EPIC's Washington, DC office. The Fellow will work on various EPIC Projects in areas such as Administrative Law, Appellate Advocacy, Consumer Privacy, International Privacy, Open Government, and State Policy. Creative, highly motivated and accomplished students are encouraged to apply.

The EPIC Law Fellowship is a one-year position to begin September 2017.

Roles and Responsibilities:

  • Undertake legal research
  • Draft complaints, petitions, briefs, and testimony
  • Pursue Freedom of Information Act requests and identify appellate amicus opportunities
  • Prepare posts for EPIC website and EPIC Alert
  • Participate in legal strategy sessions and coalition meetings
  • Provide support and assistance to EPIC staff and EPIC advisory board

Applications are due Wednesday, November 2, 2016. Click here for more information.

Michael Weiner Scholarship For Labor Studies - Applications due November 7, 2016

Major League baseball players are honoring the life of former MLBPA Executive Director Michael Weiner through the Michael Weiner Scholarship for Labor Studies.

Awarded by the Major League Baseball Players Trust, this scholarship seeks to recognize and support the efforts of graduate and/or law school students dedicated to improving the lives of workers. The Players Trust will award up to five $10,000 scholarships annually.

Applications are due Monday, November 7, 2016.

Click here for more information and to apply.

Donald W. Banner Diversity Scholarship for Law Students - Applications due January 6, 2017

Banner & Witcoff is proud to offer the Donald W. Banner Diversity Scholarship for law students. This scholarship is part of Banner & Witcoff’s commitment to fostering the development of intellectual property lawyers from diverse backgrounds. 1Ls and 2Ls who meet the selection criteria are eligible to apply for the scholarship. Applicants must be U.S. citizens. Recipients of the Donald W. Banner Diversity Scholarship will receive $5,000 payable for the Fall semester of their second or third year of law school.

Applications are due Friday, January 6, 2017. Click here for more information.

Sidley Austin LLP Diversity & Inclusion Scholarship

To further promote diversity within the legal profession and to support Sidley’s diversity policies, the firm created the Diversity & Inclusion Scholarship Initiative for second-year law students. Sidley will award a limited number of Diversity & Inclusion Scholarships in the amount of US$20,000 (less any applicable withholdings and taxes) to selected 2017 Sidley summer associates. The Sidley Diversity & Inclusion Scholarship is intended to defray the costs of the recipients’ legal education.

Scholarship recipients will be selected from among the eligible applicants who have demonstrated academic excellence and leadership qualities and who also have demonstrated exceptional ability, including through:

  • Demonstrated contributions to diversity initiatives or to diversity and inclusion more generally, such as in the area(s) of racial or ethnic diversity, sexual orientation or gender identity, disability, veteran status, and/or other areas underrepresented or otherwise important to diversity in the legal profession; and/or
  • Other extraordinary contributions or accomplishments; and/or 
  • Demonstrated ability to overcome adversity, such as first-in-family college attendance or socioeconomic disadvantage; and/or
  • Past participation in and/or interest in assisting with the diversity and inclusion initiatives of the firm such as the Sidley Prelaw Scholars Program or a Sidley 1L Diversity Summer Mentorship Program.

Diversity & Inclusion Scholarship recipients must join Sidley’s summer associate program after their second year of law school. 

Given the highly selective nature of the Diversity & Inclusion Scholarship and the limited number of Scholarships available, students are encouraged to submit applications at their earliest convenience. The firm strongly prefers to receive the application by the time of the candidate’s call-back interview. 

*Please note that the Scholarship application is not an application for employment. Students must apply separately for a summer associate position.

Click here for more information.

Job Fairs

Diversity

ABA Judicial Intern Opportunity Program (JIOP)/Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Diverse Law Student Panel - November 16, 2016
(See above)

LCLD Success in Law School Mentoring Program

The primary objective of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Success in Law School Mentoring Program is to ensure that talented and diverse first-year law students receive the mentoring and preparation that they need to maximize their potential in law school and beyond.

Individual Mentoring Program (IMP):

The IMP is a comprehensive initiative for first-year law students from diverse backgrounds based on the principles of legal excellence and personal involvement. Attorney Mentors are matched 1:1 with talented law student Mentees to ensure that Mentees receive the mentoring they need to navigate their first year of law school and maximize their long-term potential. LCLD provides a comprehensive Mentoring Toolkit to assist both Mentor and Mentee in developing a successful relationship.

Group Mentoring Program (GMP):

The GMP allows diverse 1L, 2L, or 3L law students to receive advice and support from successful attorneys from LCLD Member organizations. Three GMP events are scheduled during the school year in each city in which LCLD hosts the Success in Law School Mentoring Program. GMP events are designed to provide guidance from experienced attorneys in an informal, interactive, and collegial setting. Many GMP events include attorney Mentors in a networking session and a panel presentation. Panel presentations cover a variety of topics including networking and relationship building, interviewing skills, professionalism, practice area choice, and attorney evaluation.

Student registration is now open. Law students may register to be Mentees on the LCLD website. LCLD will match Mentors and Mentees based on geographic proximity.

For additional information about the LCLD Success in Law School Mentoring Program, please visit: http://www.lcldnet.org/programs/law-school-mentoring/. For questions, please contact Nancy Richardson, LCLD Program Manager, at nrichardson@lcldnet.com or 804-787-8009.

Donald W. Banner Diversity Scholarship for Law Students - Applications due January 6, 2017
(See above)

Franczek Radelet LEADS Fellowship Program - Applications due January 9, 2017 for 1Ls
(See above)

Sidley Austin LLP Diversity & Inclusion Scholarship
(See above)

Resources

Government Honors & Internship Handbook and Public Policy Handbook: log-in now available

The Government Honors and Internship Handbook and the Public Policy Handbook are now available! To access the handbooks, use the link, login and password, which can be found in the Document Library in Symplicity. Note that many 3L/post-grad government honors program and 2L summer/semester internship program deadlines are very early in the semester; log in now to avoid missing an opportunity! 

2016-2017 PSJD Comprehensive Fellowship Guide

The 2016-2017 PSJD Fellowship Guide is an online compilation of post-graduate fellowships. To access the database and for information about how to effectively use the database, visit https://www.psjd.org/2016-2017_Comprehensive_Fellowship_Guide. Note that many fellowships have very early fall semester deadlines; 3Ls that are interested in applying for post-graduate fellowships should access the Guide now!

2016-2017 Chicago Area Law Firm List

The Chicago Area Law Firm List is a spreadsheet of the private sector law firms in the Chicagoland area with 4 or more attorneys. Students can use the list to identify firms that include their practice areas of interest. The Chicago Area Law Firm List can be found in the Symplicity Document Library, under the Resources tab.

Equal Justice Works’ Student Debt E-Book: Take Control of Your Future: A Guide to Managing Your Student Debt

Take Control of Your Future: A Guide to Managing Your Student Debt, is now available free on the EJW website.

Take Control of Your Future is a comprehensive guide to managing student debt, with chapters on understanding student loans and loan consolidation, planning before borrowing, income-driven repayment plans and a step-by-step guide to earning Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

ABA Law Student Podcast: Public Service Loan Forgiveness

If you plan to go into public service, you may have heard about public service loan forgiveness (PSLF for short). This economic incentive offers student loan forgiveness following a minimum period of service and on-time payments towards the borrower’s debt. The cost of this benefit is aimed at making public work more attractive.

In this extended two-segment episode of ABA Law Student Podcast, hosts Fabiani Duarte and Madison Burke interview Bryan Tyson, the executive director of the Georgia Public Defender Council and Jonathan Rapping, co-founder of Gideon’s Promise. 

In segment one, you will hear from Bryan about the debt to income gap, his organization’s survey of public defenders about PSLF, and the increased importance of public defenders outside the practice of law.

In segment two, you will hear from Jonathan about student debt’s barrier to public service, the lifelong commitment of student loans, and concerns about poor people not getting justice in the event of PSLF cuts or caps.

Listen now!   

CareerShift

Chicago-Kent has partnered with CareerShift to help with your job search needs. CareerShift is a one-stop search engine that allows users to search and review each and every job posting available (such as those on Monster, Indeed, all other job boards and company websites). In addition, users can search for jobs and save your searches, find and save a list of contacts, create resumes and cover letters, and put them together in a targeted e-mail or postal mail campaigns. Then you can track your responses from “Come in for an interview” to “You’re hired.”
With CareerShift you can:

  • Search every job listing, including job boards and company websites
  • Get inside contact information immediately, including email addresses, for millions of companies
  • Create and organize all of your documents
  • Confidentially market yourself
  • Remain focused and organized
  • Access your secure, private account from anywhere, anytime, 24/7

Log in to Symplicity for the link and password to access CareerShift (search “CareerShift” in the Document Library).

Practising Law Institute (PLI)

Practising Law Institute (PLI) invites law students to attend most of its live CLE programs, or view its live or archived Webcasts, for free, on scholarship (see PLI’s student scholarship form). They are all great sources of cutting-edge, practice-oriented content, and the live programs are terrific networking opportunities.

CSO Resources

The Chicago-Kent Career Services Office has access to hundreds of helpful career resources. A majority of these resources are available in Symplicity under the red "Resources" tab (in the "Document Library"). Some of these resources include:

  • 2016-2017 Government Honors and Internship Handbook
  • Chicago Area Law Firm List
  • 2014-2015 Guide to Internships & Fellowships in Reproductive Rights & Justice
  • Updated Vermont Guide to State Judicial Clerkships
  • BYU Intercollegiate Job Bank
  • DePaul Law School International Guide and Job Resource
  • Music Attorney Registry
  • Prosecution Handbook
  • Public Defender Handbook               
  • Public Interest Job Search Handbooks
  • Various handouts related to the job search, including “Researching Legal Employers,” “The Out of State Job Search,” “Salary Negotiations” and “Writing Samples”

And many more!

Chicago-Kent students can also access various websites like: Policy Jobs (www.policyjobs.net), Political Jobs (www.politicaljobs.net), Human Rights Jobs (www.humanrightsjobs.com) and Ethical Jobs (www.ethicaljobs.net) by using the Login details that can be obtained in the Symplicity "Document Library" (under the Resources tab).

Speak with your Career Advisor today about the various resources available through the Career Services Office!

CALENDARS

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