By Jamie Bence

Stephen Reba is an Equal Justice Works Fellow (Class of 2009) working with the Barton Juvenile Defender Clinic at the Emory University School of Law. He is a native of Decatur, GA and is a 2008 graduate of Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School. Reba spent the year before his fellowship working with abused and neglected children and on the issues that affect them.  His project, Appeal for Youth, seeks reform in Georgia through the holistic appellate representation of youthful offenders in our juvenile and criminal justice systems.

Tell us a little bit about your proposal process. What made you want to try for an Equal Justice Works fellowship? How did you select your sponsoring organization?

My project, Appeal for Youth, provides holistic, post-conviction representation to youthful offenders in Georgia’s juvenile detention centers and prisons. We wage legal battles to free our clients from secure detention and to ensure fair and humane treatment during their incarceration.  In doing this, we often associate private attorneys from some of Atlanta’s largest law firms to help take on the fight for these youth.

When I initially came up with the general idea for the project, I went to the director of my now host organization (where I interned as a rising 2L) to make a pitch.  After agreeing to serve as host, we brainstormed about funding. Considering our target group was youthful offenders who committed serious and often violent offenses, we needed a funding source that truly cared about justice and was willing to focus on an (unsympathetic to many) underserved population. An Equal Justice Works fellowship was our first thought.

In crafting my Equal Justice Works proposal, I had multiple meetings with my host organization where we hammered out details and logistics. Throughout this joint process, the project came to life.

How does this fellowship fit with goals you had in law school or before? Is this the sort of work you envisioned yourself doing?

Both as a law student and as a lawyer following law school, I worked with youth in Georgia’s child welfare system. My current project is derived from that work and the often seamless progression of foster children into our juvenile and criminal justice systems. Through my work as a law student, I knew that I wanted to practice in the area of public interest juvenile law.

What is a typical day like in your fellowship? Is there such a thing as a typical day?

A typical day in my fellowship brings me to middle and south Georgia. The vast majority of our juvenile detention centers, prisons, and consequently, habeas courts, are in rural Georgia.  With a large caseload and a project driven by attorney-client contact, I spend much of my time on Georgia’s country roads, zipping by pecan trees and churches on my way to or from a client visit or court appearance.

Where do you see yourself in the future? What roll you think your fellowship might play in your professional trajectory, going forward?

Through Appeal for Youth, we’ve created a project that fights for kids who have been discarded by our system. We’ve not only won the release of many clients, we’ve also established partnerships that place our clients in a position where they can successfully reintegrate into our communities. In my view, no policy or legislative reform can bring about the same level of systemic change that begins on the ground. Equal Justice Works has enabled me to begin the fight for systemic reform in Georgia, and I plan on fighting until it’s won.

What would you say are the 3 most important pieces of advice for rising 3L’s who are putting together their fellowship applications? What about for students trying to decide if the program might be right for them?

The most important piece of advice I can offer is collaboration with your host organization during the application process. This partnership allows you to shape your project idea, which is essential to a strong application. Next, I suggest that you begin the application process sooner rather than later. If you’re going to meet and draft, meet and draft, you’ll need time. Finally, be passionate. If you’ve taken the time to come up with a project that will impact a group of people you care about, you clearly care. Let that passion show!

As an aside: Tell us a little bit about your work for the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange. How did you end up writing for them? What has your experience been like?

I hooked up with the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange because they were looking for a voice working with youthful offenders. I’ve used that opportunity to tell some of my clients’ stories. I’ve enjoyed being able to venture outside of legal writing and to focus on aspects of my clients’ childhoods for which there is no other forum. I’m privileged to be a part of the great work JJIE is doing.

By Jamie Bence (with snaps to Lauren Forbes)

Based on your response to our blog posts about New York and Washington, D.C., we have launched a new page on PSLawNet called Having Fun on the Cheap in Big Cities.

Each city’s write up features free and cheap activities, as well as resources for finding things to do.  Whether you are a law student completing an internship or a public interest lawyer, there are suggestions for everything from day trips to happy hours. We’ve picked the best (and cheapest) for Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

Of course, if you’ve been to or lived in one of these locales, we welcome your suggestions in the comments or via pslawnet@nalp.org.

We continue PSLawNet’s Expert Opinion series with an interview with Seema Ahmad, a staff attorney at Advancement Project.  She works on the “Ending the Schoolhouse to Jailhouse Track” team to end policies that over-criminalize youth and push them out of school.  In addition to speaking about the substance of the work she does, Seema provides insights into professional networking, building interpersonal relationships, and being flexible about the beginning of a career in public interest. Thanks, Seema!

Seema, tell us generally about the work of Advancement Project. Can you also talk to us about the work you to on a day-to-day basis, specifically for the program you work on?

Advancement Project is a civil rights organization committed to advancing universal opportunity and a just democracy.  AP specifically seeks to support and amplify the work of community groups and coalitions throughout the country and to support the national movement for social justice.

Specifically, I work within our “Ending the Schoolhouse to Jailhouse Track” project where we seek to combat overly harsh school discipline practices as well as other policies that criminalize youth within the public school system and that set them on a path toward incarceration instead of education.  As an organization committed to racial justice, this “school to jail” track is particularly disturbing in that it disproportionately affects low-income youth and youth of color.  The exciting thing about my work is that it varies greatly depending on the day.  I essentially work in partnership with a number of community organizations and on any given day, I may be at a school district meeting in Philly or working with organizers in Denver to shoot a video depicting the school-to-jail-track.  When I’m in my office, I’m often  reviewing school policies and state laws on school discipline and strategizing with organizers about their campaigns to end the school-to-jail-track.

You started your career as a fellow at the Open Society Institute, and then transitioned to Advancement Project.  Could you tell us how that process played out for you and any advice you found helpful for new attorneys interested in public interest work?

Immediately following law school, I was on a 1-year fellowship at OSI which I received from the Human Rights Institute at Georgetown Law.  I worked on post-9/11 civil liberties issues and had an incredible experience.  As my fellowship was coming to a close, I depended heavily on my OSI supervisors to both keep me in mind as they heard of job openings and to serve as references.  Obviously, finding a public interest job is incredibly difficult and it helps if you have mentors and supervisors that may know of opportunities that don’t have formal postings or that are willing to make a phone call for you,  It can make all the difference.

Are there particular activities that you undertook in law school that gave you the skills and abilities you utilize now?

Aside from learning traditional legal skills, being an active student leader on campus was tremendously helpful.  Much of the coalition work we do at AP or the work we do with our community partners is not completely unlike organizing and I feel like my experience in school gave me at least a small window into the amazing work of our community partners.  In addition, I feel very lucky to have taken some incredible classes on organizing, critical race theory, and race and the criminal justice system that made me well-prepared for my current job.

Can you give us three pieces of advice you’d offer law students or recent graduates who are on public interest career paths to arm them in their job search?

1)     I honestly don’t think I have any pearls of wisdom that folks haven’t read in a handbook or heard a million times over.  I think the job search process is extremely difficult and stressful.  I know this isn’t concrete advice geared toward getting a job specifically, but I would say it’s important to not get down on yourself and treat yourself well!

2)     Don’t be afraid to cold-call people at potential places of employment and try to set up a time to chat – even if by phone.  I think in general that kind of enthusiasm can only be seen as a positive thing.

3)     I think expanding the search to all possible things you could be interested in is important.  Sometimes we have a fixed vision of what we want to do or what area of law we want to work in but I do think it’s important to be flexible and allow opportunities you wouldn’t have thought of to surprise you.

Steering back to your work for our final question: some have speculated that one of the recession’s silver linings is that fact that states have been forced to visit the impact that mass incarceration has on their budgets as they must pay for heavily crowded incarceration systems.  Have you seen any signs that post-recession fiscal considerations may compel states to revisit the policy debates about non-violent crimes that incarcerate many young people?

This is an excellent and very timely question.   The resounding answer is yes.  One of our main arguments at AP is that harsh school discipline and the criminalization of youth has extraordinarily high costs (in addition to being ineffective when it comes to promoting school safety and academic achievement).  There is a host of proven interventions that help youth grow into productive, healthy adults, that create safe school environments, and that improve academic achievement.  Over the long run, these interventions certainly cost less than incarcerating our youth for relatively minor misbehavior in school.  After all, the latter approach results in not only costs emanating from the juvenile justice system, but broader costs to communities and to society at large.

By Jamie Bence and Lauren Forbes

Our last post focused on free things you can do in the District. These activities aren’t free, per se, but they can accommodate the summer public interest intern budget. At the bottom, you can find our list of the best Happy Hours, as well as suggestions from The Washington Post.

Sunday at Eastern Market:  By far, one of the best places to eat great food, people-watch and sample local arts and crafts in DC on a Sunday. The market first opened in 1873 and is on Capitol Hill. Plan to spend the whole morning as there is plenty to enjoy.

Take in a show at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company:  Keep your wallet full with Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company’s “Pay-What-You-Can” tickets for the first two performances (usually Monday and Tuesday) of every main stage subscription series production. Tickets are sold at the theatre 90 minutes prior to showtime. Two per person, cash or check only. Check the individual show calendars for specific dates, times and locations.

Farmer’s Markets:  The DC area has several excellent options for locally grown, fresh produce. The White House Farmer’s Market is located at 810 Vermont Avenue, NW (between H St, NW and I St, NW), Thursdays from 3 to 7pm. Another large and popular market is located in Dupont Circle on 20^th Street, Sundays from 8:30am to 1pm. If you’re looking the get out of the city, the nation’s oldest farmer’s market (and the one where George Washington’s vegetables were sold) takes place at 301 King Street, Alexandria, on Saturdays from 5:30 to 11am.

Kennedy Center: If you’re going to take in a show, you might as well go all out and see it where presidents do. Even if Wicked is outside your price range, the Kennedy Center has plenty of free events, and discounted young adult tickets. The theater is a beautiful monument in itself- with a rooftop view that can’t be beat!

Happy Hour Roundup:

Farragut North/Dupont

Café Citron, 1343 Connecticut Ave., NW:Check out this Dupont Circle hotspot for a tropical-flavored happy hour. The fried plantains and mini crab cakes are delicious. Fruity drinks like mojitos ($4) and tropical rum lemonade ($4), and bottled beers like Corona ($3) and Portuguese Sagres ($3) are discounted. Happy hours: Monday through Friday, 5 to 7 PM.

Capitol Hill

Capitol Lounge 229 Pennsylvania Ave., SE: After a fire ripped through this popular Hill bar in August 2005, it reopened with a fresher look, the same quirky political posters, and the same good happy-hour deals. Suit- and khaki-clad Hill staffers talk politics and sip on $2.50 beers and $3.50 rail drinks.

Georgetown

Rhino Bar & Pumphouse 3295 M Street, NW: A great sports bar with specials every night of the week!

Check out The Washington Post‘s Guide to Intern Happy Hours for additional suggestions!

By Jamie Bence and Lauren Forbes

Welcome to DC, summer interns! Make the most of your summer in the District by seeing all that the nation’s capital has to offer and attending events geared towards you. You won’t have to break the bank either, as some of the most fun and interesting things to do are free! Here are a few of our favorite things, followed by a list of resources to help you find additional activities.

The National Zoo: The Zoo currently has a record number of lion cubs, a pregnant panda and baby apes. Admission is free, and if you go early, you can avoid the crowds.

Jazz in the Sculpture Garden: In the summer, the National Gallery of Art’s Sculpture Garden is a great place to spend a couple of hours. In the summer you can enjoy Jazz in the Park on Friday afternoons after 5 PM.

Monuments in the Dark: When the sun is out in Washington, so are the tourists — especially at the monuments. That is why it is best to see them at night.  Not only will you avoid the crowds, you will also get to enjoy the beautiful lighting.

Outdoor movies for free:  One of the more well-know is Screen on the Green.  Every Monday night starting in mid-July, there are free movies on the National Mall (an outside area of land in the middle of the district). Bring a blanket, some snacks and a friend to enjoy an outdoor movie… for free!

Walk Up the Exorcist Stairs: If you haven’t seen The Exorcist, firstly, go see it. Georgetown alumnus William Peter Blatty wrote the 1973 thriller and he included the dark stairs in one of the most chilling scenes of his movies. On the brighter side, Georgetown athletes use the stairs to train.

More Resources

• Washington Post’s Intern Guide covers everything from Happy Hour to theater tickets on the cheap.
• NPR provides another great list of things to do, geared toward interns.
• For information about happenings on the Hill, sign up for The People’s List by sending a message to geoffrey.browning@gmail.com.

Take it from those who know!  The folks at the Department of Justice share some insights with the PSLawNet Blog about opportunities at DOJ.

1.            What are the traditional points of entry for attorneys into the Department of Justice?

The good news is there are multiple points of entry into legal positions at the Department of Justice.  Many law students (more than 1800 annually) enter the Department as volunteer legal interns and many of those same interns rejoin the Department at some point in their career.  The same holds true for the 100 to 120 law students who participate in the compensated Summer Law Intern Program.  The Attorney General’s Honors Program, which is the only way you can enter the Department as a graduating law student, is the entry point for anywhere from 150 to 200 law students every year, and another 600 – 700 experienced attorneys join the Department annually.  In other words, wherever you are in your legal career, there is an opportunity to join the Department.

2.            How about for attorneys who no longer wish to practice? Are there employment opportunities for them? If so, could you talk about how attorneys apply for them?

Law school and legal work experience gives you valuable skills that are transferable to a wide range of professions, not just practicing law.  There are more than 120,000 individuals working for the Department and only 10,000 works as attorneys.  Based on these numbers, we have many opportunities for attorneys who no longer wish to practice. The types of positions vary widely, and include jobs such as investigator, administrator, program analyst, paralegal, program manager, and human resources specialist.  Most of these positions are available through the competitive service and all of them are advertised on USAJOBS.

3.            Steering back to hiring, we’re keeping ourselves abreast of the efforts that Office of Personnel Management’s application reform process.  To what extent are these reforms affecting DOJ attorney hiring?

The purpose of the hiring reforms is to streamline the hiring process, and make it simpler for job applicants who wish to serve their country through federal sector employment.  Through a more efficient and user friendly hiring process, the DOJ will be better able to hire quality, mission-critical personnel such as those who carry out the Department’s important law enforcement mission.  Attorneys and non-attorneys alike serve to benefit from the enhanced transparency and efficiency brought about by OPM’s hiring reforms.

4.            We also know that the federal government has imposed a hiring freeze at all agencies.  How has the freeze impacted hiring at DOJ?

In light of budget reductions, all Federal Agencies, including DOJ, have taken additional steps to ensure there continued ability to comply with critical mission requirements.  Proposed expenditures, not just hiring, are being carefully reviewed with these requirements in mind.  All future experienced career attorney positions as well as entry level attorney opportunities through the Attorney General’s Honors Program will continue to be posted on DOJ’s attorney vacancy web site (www.justice.gov/oarm) in normal course.

5.            Turning now to those who are selected for an interview, what are three pieces of advice you’d give a candidate?

The Department of Justice is a mission driven organization.  We are interested in talented candidates who demonstrate that they want to contribute to the overall mission of the Department, as well as the specific mission of the individual office.  Our three interview tips:

1. Do your homework. Have a clear understanding of the mission and work of the office. Consult the web, career services, alumni, and other contacts.
2. Have a clear and persuasive answer to the question: “Why are you interested in working with us?” Be able to draw a clear connection between your skills and experience and the work of the office.
3. Know who you are and what you bring to the table. DOJ values authenticity, integrity, enthusiasm, and confidence.

6.            Programs like the Presidential Management Fellowship have recently become an increasingly attractive route for law graduates not wanting to practice.  Has DOJ made any PMF or similar program placements recently?

The Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management does not manage the Department’s Presidential Management Fellowship program.  However, PMFs with law degrees are welcome to apply for the Attorney General’s Honors Program provided they meet other eligibility requirements.  In addition, PMFs qualify for many non legal positions in the Department.

[Editor’s Note: we’re reviving our Expert Opinion series this summer, so that we can bring you advice and wisdom from a broad cross section of today’s and tomorrow’s public service advocates.  Look for an Expert Opinion post every Tuesday. Our first such post sets the bar pretty high, coming from our friend and colleague Deb Ellis at NYU Law.  Thanks, Deb!]

By: Deb Ellis*, Assistant Dean for Public Service, NYU School of Law

Summer in NYC on the Cheap!

Are you a student interning in New York City this summer on a public interest stipend? There are many articles out there to help you maximize the educational value of your internship.  Today we want to give you tips on how to flourish while being frugal!

While New York City has a reputation for being expensive, it also boasts numerous cheap outdoor eats, entertaining inexpensive or even free activities, and great outdoor events. NYU School of Law has compiled a “Guide to Living in New York on a Public Interest Salary” that has lots of great advice. Below are ten tips from the Guide on how to enjoy NYC while saving your cash (selected especially for folks who are here on summer internships.)

1) Ride the Staten Island Ferry

Perhaps the best-kept secret in NYC, the Staten Island Ferry is the cheapest option for that breathtaking glimpse of major sights like the Statue of Liberty, Governor’s Island, and the downtown skyline. It is FREE. It has a coffee shop on board. It also sells inexpensive beer: one NYU student calls it “the best bar in the city.” And if you’re a baseball fan, tickets are cheap to watch the “Staten Island Yankees” play in the stadium next to the ferry terminal on the Staten Island side.

2) Eat at Roving Restaurants and Farmer’s Markets

Need a great bite on the go? While you should definitely sample from NYC’s ubiquitous hot dog and pretzel carts, a gourmet food truck is a fun way to partake of great cuisine on a budget. While many trucks have semi-permanent locations, most trucks post where they’ll be on their twitter or webpage. Some great ones include Wafels & Dinges, Rickshaw Dumpling Truck, and Moshe’s Falafel.

You may be surprised to learn that NYC now hosts dozens of Farmers Markets in all 5 boroughs, http://www.grownyc.org/ourmarkets, where you can buy super fresh and delicious produce!

3) Enjoy some Gelato or Other Frozen Treats

From Grom to Il Laboratorio del Gelato there is no summer treat New Yorkers have become fonder of. Another favorite local summertime dessert is tart frozen yogurt available from the original yogurt outpost Pinkberry or one of many followers.

4) See a Play at a Discount…

Manhattan: it's not Philly, but it's not too shabby

TKTS – the Theater Development Fund’s project to help make theater more accessible – offers same day, half priced tickets to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. The line might be long, but it is worth it. There are two locations: one in Times Square and the other in the South Street Seaport. Don’t forget about Student Rush offers (each theater has its own policy so check their website) which provide students tickets for $20-$30 or the Public Theater’s free summer Shakespeare in the Park.

4) …Or a Movie or Museum for Free!

Many public parks offer a free outdoor movie series. RiverFlicks at Hudson River Park, HBO Bryan Park Film Series, and Outdoor Cinema at the Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens are among local favorites. Also, the MoMA, the Brooklyn Museum, the Guggenheim, and many more museums all have at least one free night a month, if not once a week.

5) Don’t Just Sit There … Bike, Skate, or Swing!

Renting a bike is a great way to enjoy the City; you can rent from Tribeca’s Frank’s Bike Shop to Midtown’s Central Park Bike Rental and everywhere in between. You can bike up nearly the entire Hudson River on the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway or find your own favorite path at http://www.nycbikemaps.com.

Visit Union Square Park on Wednesday nights for a free group skate or head up to Lincoln Center for a swing lesson and open dance at A Midsummer’s Night Swing for $17 – or sit and listen for free!

6) Explore NYC’s layered history

Amidst tall skyscrapers and modern plazas, layers of history wait to be discovered in all 5 boroughs. There’s no better way to get to know your neighborhood, or someone else’s, then by taking a walking tour or guiding yourself on your own. To complement your public service work, visit some of the City’s radical history sites such as:

• African Burial Ground, where free and enslaved African Americans were buried during the 17th and 18th centuries
• Cooper Union, where in 1860 Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous Cooper Union Address
• Site of Triangle Shirtwaist Fire of 1911, which spurred the labor movement
• Stonewall Inn, 1969 birthplace of the modern gay rights movement

7) Visit a Public Park or Public Beach

Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pelham Bay Park, and The High Line are just a few of the city’s expansive, beautiful parks. Some have great summer music festivals with many free events, like Central Park’s SummerStage. You can take a free ferry to Governor’s Island and rent a bike or enjoy a homemade picnic. Rockaway Beach is a free way to beat the heat while Long Beach and Jones Beach will cost you from $ 8 – $14 per visit. For more information, visit www.nycgovparks.org.

8) De- Stress In The Great Outdoors

After long days in an office or court room, relax beside the Hudson River at one of the summer’s many outdoor yoga sessions. Additionally, Bryant Park offers free Tuesday morning and Thursday evening yoga and Open Air Yoga offers classes in Battery Park City in the morning and Central Park in the evening for $12.

9) Buy At a Discount

These days Kmart, JCPenny, Target, Marshalls, Ikea, and Costco can be found in multiple boroughs. Go with a friend and stock up for savings or hit their clothing departments for low cost professional wear. Trader Joe’s has also opened up several outposts in Manhattan and Brooklyn.  Finally, do your research and sign up for group coupon sites; there are great deals to be had all summer long.

I hope that these tips help you have a fun, relaxing, and memorable summer in New York City!

*Thanks to Dana Wax and Vesna Petrin for assistance with this article.

By Lauren Forbes

Recently, student loan expert Heather Jarvis shared two very timely and helpful blog posts on Income-Based Repayment,or IBR, an acronym with which this blogette and many other recent grads have become intimately familiar.

Check out “3 Best Things About IBR,” a video in which Heather tells students how to get a grip on student loans.   And to ensure that we’re fully educated, Heather also posted a video about an IBR eccentricity, because IBR is unusual in that a borrower’s monthly payment may be even less than the interest that is accruing each month.  Watch the video to find out what happens to that interest…

Time to hit the books again.  Last week, Golden Gate University School of Law Professor Rachel van Cleave gave law.com readers a primer on teaching as an adjunct professor.  And, for many lawyers and law graduates in public interest, being an adjunct professor is a great way to supplement a full or part-time position while sharing skills and gaining teaching experience.  Not to mention additional income.

“After practicing law and perhaps specializing in a particular area for several years, you cannot help but think, ‘I wish they had taught me [blank] in law school.” You start to wonder whether you could teach a class at a local law school.’

Luckily, for the readers of PSLawNet Blog, she didn’t leave us hanging. She’s provided information about the hiring process, preparing to teach, and what the in-the-classroom-experience is like. Incredibly helpful! Here are some excerpted tips from her piece.

On hiring:

“Send a cover letter and your curriculum vitae to the person who hires adjunct professors. The cover letter should explain which courses you believe best match your areas of expertise. I strongly recommend that you send a traditional resume rather than a link to your website; however, an email with these attachments is completely acceptable.”

“Do not be discouraged if the associate dean responds that at that time there are no courses for you to teach. I typically keep these applications on file and when a need arises, I will take another look at applications I have received. In addition, I recommend that every few months you resend your application with an email that simply indicates you are checking to see if a need has arisen. Try to avoid sounding even mildly annoyed.”

Getting ready to teach:

“You should first focus on which textbook to use. Someone at the law school, probably a faculty assistant, can help you contact publishers to obtain examination copies of relevant textbooks. While you want to consider the organization of the book, as well as the types of problems it includes, it is often difficult to really know which textbook works best with your teaching style until you use it. I suggest that you contact professors at other law schools who teach the same course to learn from their experience using different texts.”

In the classroom:

The semester has begun. You come to class fully prepared, students are interested in the materials and they have good questions.  Occasionally, there is a disruptive student, or one who is absent too often. Again, the associate dean will be able to suggest how to address such situations, or put you in touch with someone who can.

…

Grading exams — where we really earn our compensation! It can be particularly helpful to prepare an outline of what your essay tested and your allocation of points among those areas. In addition, it is a good idea to write comments on the student essays as you grade them. Students are encouraged to meet with professors about their exams and since this could occur two to three months after you have graded, these comments will help you remember why you scored the essay as you did.

The PSLawNet Blog is grateful for primers like this one, particularly regarding employment in this tough economy.  Keep ’em coming!

–Lauren

Nicole Vikan is the Assistant Director for Public Interest and Government Careers at Georgetown Law Center’s Office of Public Interest and Community Service. Before moving to Washington DC, Nicole advised  students seeking employment in the private and public sectors as a member of Fordham Law School’s Career Planning Center and practiced law for five years as a criminal prosecutor at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.  Nicole’s NALP activities include service for the Public Service Section (Chair), LGBT Section, Newer Professionals Section (Vice Chair), and Bylaws Committee.  She has written numerous articles for the NALP Bulletin and participated on panels at the Annual Education Conferences.  Nicole received her J.D. from New York University and her B.A. from Carleton College.

Job Seekers from the Class of 2010 . . . You graduated in May 2010 and passed the Bar—congrats! But (as we all know) the job market is tight, and you’re still looking for a public interest job. What should you be doing as you look for that first legal position?

Volunteer. Find a pro bono position in a practice area of interest so you can meet professionals in the field, make a great impression for when the organization (or a similar employer) is ready to hire, and develop your legal skills.

Make ends meet. I know—this isn’t completely compatible with my first suggestion. But many organizations will be excited to have part-time volunteers, so you can work part-time in a non-legal position (bartending, holiday sales, LSAT tutoring, etc.) to pay the bills.  I understand that this can be a shot to the ego, and not what you expected when you began law school.  But you will get the job you want soon, and a few months from now you won’t care at all about what you did to stay afloat financially in those first few months out of school.

Handle your student loan debt. Yes, it’s painful to think about sometimes. But do not bury your head in the sand—defaulting on your loans could be a reason for prospective employers to reject your application. If necessary, find out your options for deferment on the Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid site. Learn about debt repayment options – including the Income Based Repayment (IBR) program – on the Equal Justice Works Student Debt Relief page and PSLawNet’s own Financing a Public Interest Career site so you know how different jobs will impact you.

Keep in touch. Write polite, friendly email updates to former supervisors, professors, and mentors to share your good news about the Bar Exam—and to tell them you’re looking for a job. Don’t ask them point-blank if they can hire you; instead, let them know what type of work you hope to find, provide an updated resume so they can see what skills you have developed, and ask them to please keep you in mind if they learn of a position that might be appropriate for you. Ask them if they know people in your field of interest who you can contact.

Which brings me to my next point: Meet more people in the field. Yes, that means NETWORK. Using your undergrad and law school connections, suggestions from family, friends, and professors, and online searching, make a list of two dozen people at various career stages in your practice area and location of interest. Write to at least two of those people each week to request informational interviews: Tell them why their background interests you and ask if you can meet for coffee to learn more about their work. Again, do not ask for a job, but do attach your resume.

Make a To Do list, with a timetable, so you make sure to send job applications and do personal outreach (i.e., networking) on a regular basis. Find affordable ways to reward your efforts—a long walk with friends, an item off the dollar menu at your favorite fast food restaurant, or a new library book, for example.

Take care of yourself and remember that you graduated into one of the toughest legal job markets in history. You shouldn’t despair and give up; instead, remind yourself that you are indeed a talented attorney, and in this economy it will take more persistence, patience, and effort to find that first job—but you can do it!

Visit PSLawNet for more job search fundamentals.