A recurring feature on the blog will be “Five Questions for a Public Interest Leader” – a short interview with a variety of public interest legal leaders including non-profit directors, public defenders, law school administrators, and more. For our third “Five Questions” we turn to the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), which includes the Attorneys General from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, as well as the United States Commonwealths and Territories. NAAG works to “foster interstate cooperation on legal and law enforcement issues, conducts policy research and analysis of issues, conducts training, and facilitates communication between the states’ chief legal officers and all levels of government.”

Now, the five questions!

Jennifer Thomas, Director of Legal Recruiting for D.C. PDS

A recurring feature on the blog will be “Five Questions for a Public Interest Leader” – a short interview with a variety of public interest legal leaders including non-profit directors, public defenders, law school administrators, and more. For our second “Five Questions” we feature Jen Thomas, Director of Legal Recruiting for the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia. At PDS she is in charge of entry-level and lateral recruiting, and oversees the law clerkship program.

Now, the five questions!

A recurring feature on the blog will be “Five Questions for a Public Interest Leader” – a short interview with a variety of public interest legal leaders including non-profit directors, public defenders, law school administrators, and more. Our inaugural “Five Questions” is with Sara Woods, Executive Director of Philadelphia VIP.

Sara Woods, Executive Director of Philadelphia VIP

In her own words, VIP “is the hub of pro bono services in Philadelphia, a position we’ve proudly held for 28 years. Our mission is to provide access to justice for low-income individuals, families, small businesses and nonprofit organizations by recruiting, training and supporting volunteer attorneys who are matched with pro bono clients.” As Executive Director, Sara ensures that the organization runs smoothly, engages in fundraising, hires and manages the staff, and does extensive outreach and coalition-building.

Now, the five questions!

1.  How did you get to your current job?

I have worked in the public sector for my entire legal career. During my first job as a staff attorney at a legal services agency, I coordinated the volunteer attorney program and got hooked! I then moved on to running the pro bono programs at a law school…and from there, I found my dream job at VIP.

2. What advice do you have for law students who are interested in civil legal services and/or non-profit management?

Good question!  In this challenging economic climate, it may feel impossible to find a job in the legal services world.  My advice would be first don’t give up!  There are jobs, but it just may take a while.  In the meantime, position yourself as well as possible, starting in law school by maximizing your public sector experience and minimizing debt.  Volunteer during the school year, take clinical courses, participate in bar association activities that involve the public sector….anything you can do to network.

3. Top 3 Dos and Don’ts for public interest job applications (resumes and cover letters in particular)

Dos

• list all the public sector experience you’ve had, whether legally related or not
• show me your accomplishments at the jobs you have had, as opposed to listing tasks
• tell me how you can help my agency and our clients

Don’ts

• typos (no surprise there!)
• generic cover letters (Dear Sir/Madam, or “I want to work at your firm because…”
• focusing on how working at my agency will benefit YOU

4. Relatedly, what’s the worst mistake you’ve seen someone make in a job application?

I had a student who lied about grades on the application.  That one takes the cake.

5. What has been your most valuable experience(s) either in law school or professionally in getting where you are today?

In a word, relationships.  I was taught early on by my parents that everything in life is about relationships, so it’s important to always play fair, develop networks and never burn bridges.  That has definitely helped get me where I am today.

We’d like to thank Sara for agreeing to be our first Public Interest Leader, and we look forward to many more interesting and informational interviews.  If you have ideas for people we should interview or questions we should ask, email us at pslawnet (at) nalp (dot) org or leave a comment here.

Today’s Expert: Barbara Moulton is the Assistant Dean for Public Interest Programs at Georgetown University Law Center, from which she also graduated in 1989.  Since 1995, Dean Moulton has directed the Office of Public Interest and Community Service (OPICS) at GULC.  OPICS provides career advice to students pursuing public interest legal careers, and runs the school’s extensive pro bono program.  Dean Moulton formerly served as a staff attorney with the Alliance for Justice in Washington, DC.

New Year’s Resolutions for Your Summer Job Search:

1. I will be proactive in finding the right position for me. Public sector job searching should never be reactive!  If you wait for specific positions to be posted on PSLawNet, on your school’s internship database, or through a formal recruitment fair, you will miss hundreds of opportunities that might be better suited for you.  Remember, many public sector employers never formally advertise positions, and not being pro-active means you could miss the perfect beginning to your public sector career.
   • TIP: Do an organizational search on PSLawNet rather than an opportunity search.  Doing so will help you identify more organizations that fit your particular subject-matter and/or geographic interests.
2. I will not assume that “unpaid” means “low-quality.” Too many law students believe that unpaid internships offer less value than paid positions.  This is categorically untrue.  Ideally, all public sector summer positions would be paid, but unfortunately only a small number of them are, and many of the most competitive and prestigious ones are not.  If your plan is to pursue a public sector career – or even if you just want an excellent public sector position for a summer – you shouldn’t conduct your summer search on the basis of paid vs. unpaid.  You should be looking at how a position will help you down the road.  Will it help you break into a particular geographic location?  Will it get you a foot in the door with a specific employer?  Will you develop practical skills that will be of interest to future employers?   Financial considerations aside, these are much more important questions to consider than whether a position is paid or not.
   • TIP:  Check out PSLawNet’s Summer Funding page; many outside sources of funding exist for public interest internships.  Even if your school offers some summer funding, you can often supplement that with outside funding.
3. I will spend more time on my cover letters. Cover letters are the key to successful public sector applications.  But they take a lot of time and effort, and many law students give them far too little attention.  Employers seek candidates who are genuinely interested in them and committed to the work they do.  Your cover letter is the vehicle for convincing them that you are such a candidate.  It should address convincingly why you are interested in that organization, providing specifics about how your background, skills, and interests dovetail with its mission and work.
   • TIP:  Highlight unique skills and background.  Listing basic law school coursework or legal research and writing skills is fine, but neither will make you stand out among your peers.  Relevant language skills, work experience, or even undergraduate coursework are more likely to differentiate you from others.
4. I will be persistent. If you don’t hear back immediately from an employer, do not assume it means the employer is not interested.  Instead, follow up with a short, polite email or phone call inquiring about the status of your application.  It is perfectly appropriate to do so unless an employer has stated it does not want inquiries.  Be persistent!  Sometimes it makes all the difference.
   • TIP:  If you get a vibe from an employer that it does not want additional follow-up, trust your instinct and back off at least for a bit.  Your career services advisor can help you determine when it’s appropriate to contact the employer again.
5. I will persevere and not get discouraged. Thousands of public interest summer opportunities exist, but unfortunately there is no one-stop shopping for them.  Employers have different timing and different requirements, making the process sometimes seem drawn-out and discouraging.  If your first round of applications doesn’t yield positive results, meet with your career services advisor to come up with a plan for round two.  Many organizations do not hire until later in the spring, so perseverance is important.  Remember, it only takes one positive response to put you on the path to a rewarding and reinvigorating summer!
   
   • TIP: Have both ‘reach’ and ‘safety’ employers in your round-one applications.  If your preference is to be in a major metropolitan area for the summer, be mindful that positions in those areas are likely to be the most competitive.  You might think about also applying to some employers in less popular locations where you would be willing to spend the summer.