Government Should Change Grad Student Hiring, Schools Argue
The National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration released a white paper urging the federal government to overhaul hiring practices to allow more non-competitive hiring of graduate students (including law students for programs other than Legal Honors Programs). Government Executive had the story, and does a good job summarizing the recommendations. Two suggestions were expanding the Presidential Management Fellows program, or supplementing other internship programs such as the Federal Career Intern Program, but in a coordinated way across agencies.
It would be interesting to see how these changes would affect law school grads, since attorneys are already exempt from the competitive hiring process. However, many law school grads are working in the federal government in non-attorney positions working on public policy and enforcement issues. As always, to learn more about federal employment, check out the PSLawNet Federal Government Resources page.