The Guide offers a broad-based review of different career opportunities and paths to federal employment for law students and graduates. With tips on everything from the application process to looking for the ideal position, the Guide makes applying for federal jobs much less overwhelming.

When you’re done with the Guide, there’s even more helpful resources on PSJD’s Careers in Federal Government page. If you’re looking for information on working at any level of government practice – local, state, and/or federal – our Government Careers page contains a list of guides and links, including a state-by-state list of resources.

If you’re looking for government jobs and internships, log in or register on PSJD.org (it’s free for law students and alum!) and run an advanced search for  job postings in the Government/Regulatory Affairs practice area. Happy job hunting!

An alternative way to help fund your summer public interest work or finance your legal education is to enter writing competitions! Listed below are a handful of opportunities with upcoming deadlines. Click on the name of the competition to go to their website:

Smith-Doheny Legal Ethics Writing Competition – Sponsored by Notre Dame University

Deadline: April 26, 2013

All students with an interest in legal ethics are invited and encouraged to participate. Entries should concern any issue within the general category of legal ethics, and must be original, unpublished work. Submissions will be judged by a panel of faculty at Notre Dame School of Law.

NAWL’s 2013 Selma Moidel Smith Writing Competition

Deadline: May 1, 2013

The National Association of Women Lawyers is a national voluntary legal professional organization whose mission is the advancement of women in the legal profession and women’s rights. They have established this annual writing competition to encourage and reward law student writing on issues concerning women and the law. Entrants have to submit a paper on an issuesconcerning women’s rights or the status of women in the law – the most recent winning essay was “All Things Being Equal, Women Lose. Investigating the Lack of Diversity Among the Recent Appointments to the Iowa Supreme Court,” written by Abigail Rury, Michigan State University School of Law.

American Judges Association – 25th Annual Law Student Essay Competition

Deadline: June 1, 2013

The American Judges Association is hosting its annual essay competition, open to all full-time law students. Essays submitted for the 2013 competition must be under the topic of “Comparing Hearsay Rules in Different Courts”.

2013 Jacques Leroy International Prize – Student Competition

Deadline: June 30, 2013

The Union Internationale des Avocats (International Association of Lawyers – UIA), established in 1927, is the oldest association of lawyers. Representing over 2 million attorneys, its main purpose is the defense and future of the legal profession within the national and international contexts. The 4th Annual Jacques Leroy international prize will reward a law student of less than 30 years for his or her legal work. Interested students must send a dissertation (plea, study, commentary of a practical case) before the deadline that deals with the following theme: “Fair Trade: How can we establish rules that are specific and realistic?

2013 Theodore Tannewald, Jr. Writing Competition

Deadline: July 1, 2013

Named for the late Tax Court Judge Theodore Tannewald, Jr., and designed to perpetuate his dedication to legal scholarship of the highest quality, the Tannewald Writing Competition is open to all full- or part-time law school students. Papers on any federal or state tax-related topic may be submitted in accordance with the Competition Rules.

2013 American Inns of Court Warren E. Burger Prize Writing Competition

Deadline: July 15, 2013

The Warren E. Burger Prize is a writing competition designed to encourage outstanding scholarship that “promotes the ideas of excellence, civility, ethics and professionalism within the legal profession” – the core mission of the American Inns of Court. Interested authors are asked to submit an original, unpublished essay of 10,000 – 25,000 words on a topic that addresses issues of legal excellence, civility, ethics and professionalism.

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For a list of more upcoming writing competitions, check out Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law’s list of writing competitions for law students!

The Asian American Bar Association Educational Fund is currently accepting applications for the 2013 AEF Bar Assistance Grant!

This fellowship award grants a $1,500 stipend and a reduced-fee Barbri course to recent graduates who have taken or are planning to take a 2013 bar exam prior to embarking on a public interest legal career. The only catch is that the job must benefit either the Asian Pacific American community and/or the metropolitan Washington, DC community-at-large. AEF created the self-funded fellowship because public interest and government employers rarely provide direct financial support to their employees for bar-related expenses. With this award, grantees don’t have to take out additional loans or find part-time jobs while studying for the bar.

With that being said, the AEF Bar Assistance Grant is a great way to relieve some of the financial pressure associated with taking the bar, allowing grantees to focus on passing the bar. The deadline to apply is May 1, 2013!

Colloquial urban slang aside, we can’t stress enough how important it is to find funding for your summer public interest work. Receiving a stipend or fellowship can be a huge financial burden off of your unpaid-intern shoulders, while allowing you the freedom to de-stress after those long hours providing legal assistance to communities in need.

If you haven’t found funding just yet, no worries! PSJD is always updating our Summer Funding lists, which contain links and deadline information on organizations that fund summer public interest work in any geographic location or specific geographical locations. Many deadlines are approaching fast (mid-March/early April), so check this list out ASAP!

With or without funding, all interns are interested in stretching their paycheck over the summer. PSJD is here to help –  check out our guides to Having Fun on the Cheap in Washington DC, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. If you’re interning at a city that’s not on this list and you want to see a guide, just shoot us an email at psjd@nalp.org letting us know!

If you’re interested in working for the federal government, the 2012-13 Federal Legal Employment Opportunities Guide (with the unfortunate acronym  of “FLEOG”) is a good place to start.

The Guide offers a broad-based review of different career opportunities and paths to federal employment for law students and graduates. With tips on everything from the application process to looking for the ideal position, the Guide makes applying for federal jobs much less overwhelming.

When you’re done with the Guide, there’s even more helpful resources on PSJD’s Careers in Federal Government page. If you’re looking for information on working at any level of government practice – local, state, and/or federal – our Government Careers page contains a list of guides and links, including a state-by-state list of resources.

If you’re looking for government jobs and internships, log in or register on PSJD.org (it’s free for law students and alum!) and run an advanced search for  job postings in the Government/Regulatory Affairs practice area. Happy job hunting!

Did you know that postgraduate fellowships are one of the best ways for recent law graduates to lay a strong foundation for a public interest law career? These fellowships allow recent law graduates to secure entry-level jobs with organizations that serve marginalized or vulnerable client populations, while gaining a entire network of like-minded colleagues in the public interest legal community.

With that being said, it’s time to gear up and get ready to apply! Our Postgraduate Public Interest Fellowships Application Deadline Calendar offers a running list of deadlines to help you keep track, along with links to the organization’s profile and job description.

The list is always being updated, so check back on a consistent basis for approaching dates. Since the summer/fall is prime-time to apply, be sure to check last year’s deadlines to get a feel for how you might manage your applications in the upcoming months. Good luck!

Did you know PSJD has a section in our Resource Center focused entirely on international careers? Well, we do – and it could help you get started on your journey to making a global impact in public interest law.

For advice on how to start an international development career, the Guide on International Development: Public Service Careers and Opportunities is a good place to begin research. This guide provides real-world accounts on working in the international field, and you can search for employers through a comprehensive directory of international organizations.

If you’re interesting in working with the United Nations, there are great tips in PSJD’s Jobs with the UN & International Organizations: A Brief Guide. Created for NALP/PSJD by the New York University Public Interest Law Center, this guide offers advice on how to pursue a broad array of legal careers on the international stage. Also, you can view a webinar on Landing a Job at the United Nations, presented by Akua Akea, the Director of Public Interest Advising at Yale Law, and Sara Rakita, Associate Director of NYU Law School’s Public Interest Law Center.

Last, but certainly not least, you have to figure out a way to fund your work abroad! For help with financing an international public interest position, check out the “Finding and Funding International Public Interest Opportunities” page. This guide proves useful background info and recommendations for students and attorneys embarking on international public interest careers.

It’s almost time for every recent law grad’s favorite time of year: postgraduate fellowship application season!

Okay, we’ll admit – like most other PSJD content, this maybe only applies to public interest law students interested in working with non-profit or legal aid organizations. These fellowships allow recent law graduates to secure entry-level jobs with organizations that serve marginalized or vulnerable client populations, while gaining a entire network of like-minded colleagues in the public interest legal community.

With that being said, it’s time to gear up and get ready to apply! Our Postgraduate Public Interest Fellowships Application Deadline Calendar offers a running list of deadlines to help you keep track, along with links to the organization’s profile and job description.

The list is always being updated, so check back on a consistent basis for approaching dates. Since the summer/fall is prime-time to apply, be sure to check last year’s deadlines to get a feel for how you might manage your applications.

PSJD‘s Career Center has links to everything from Georgetown Law’s take on cover letters, to a Harvard Law guide on careers in conservative public interest law, with a lot in between. If you’re looking for nuts-and-bolts advice on becoming a successful job or internship applicant for a public interest law job, be sure to stop by!

Here are a few quick links to helpful content, complete with dramatic metaphors.

• Discover your public interest law path with Harvard Law’s Career Search Self-Assessment.
• Learn how to navigate that path with Yale Law’s Public Service Career Guide.
• Explore different ways to express yourself through the art of public interest law cover letter drafting with Berkeley’s Law’s Cover Letter Samples.

Good luck, job-seekers!