It was all worth it! How to get a job after law school

A close friend of mine, who is finishing law school, asked me the other day if she could use me as a reference as she searches for her first paying attorney job. She is understandably anxious. It’s not easy for anyone to get a job nowadays, and times have been especially tough for law students—although it’s a little better now than when I graduated.

It’s especially worrisome when you’re nearing the end of law school with no firm job offers in hand. The stakes are higher for you as a law school graduate than they are for undergrads: You’ve just poured your heart and soul into three years of arduous study, and you’ve likely amassed six figures in debt.

While M.D.s take even longer to graduate and spend even more money, their job market is a lot kinder. Doctors are more in-demand, and their accrediting authority, the American Medical Association (AMA), limits the number of medical school students (and therefore job-hunting doctors), which keeps the demand healthy and salaries steady.

Meanwhile, the American Bar Association (ABA) continues to accredit new law schools and does nothing to decrease the demand. It also supported the outsourcing of attorney jobs overseas. The ABA is happy, however, to publish nightmare-inducing “you’ll never get a job” stories—without suggesting solutions—in the American Bar Journal.

I found all of this talk negative and NOT at all helpful when I graduated, so I thought I would offer some positive advice and tips that actually work. While this post is aimed at graduating law students, I think it applies broadly.

1. Stop listening to negative talk

            You will get a job. You will pay off your student loans. You will find a way to make it work. I promise. All of us did, and you will, too.

            Maybe there are some people in your life who seem to find joy in mentioning the bleak job market or your student loan debt. Maybe these people are in your circle of friends or even your family. That’s too bad. Stop listening. If someone is not offering you helpful advice, encouragement, or even constructive criticism, tune them out for now. If you can finish law school and pass the bar, you can certainly do this.

2. Some things matter. Some things don’t.

            In law school, you’re constantly told that if you don’t get perfect grades, work at the right externship, have well-placed contacts, or land a prestigious summer clerkship, all is lost! This is not true at all.

            I went to a small, regional (but awesome!) law school in the Pacific Northwest, where I had decent grades but was by no means first in my class. I worked at a local, one-person law firm for my externship, and I took care of my ailing mother during the summer months. (I volunteered at the local probate court at the same time.) I moved back to the South after law school, where I settled in Nashville—knowing no one and having no job prospects whatsoever. I did just fine!

            Maybe some employers care which clubs you joined in law school or how well-connected your parents are. I have never been asked about such things in a job interview. What does matter is your attitude, experience, and hard work. This is very good news, because these factors are completely within your control.

3. How to get experience

            No matter where (or whether) you worked in law school or whether you had a clerkship or externship, you can build your resume at any time. You will likely have to work for free for a while, but you can support yourself during off-hours by working temp jobs and odd jobs, as I did. Yes, it can be demoralizing to have a doctoral degree and wait tables just like when you were a teenager, but sometimes it’s the only way.

            Some great places to get great experience:

            a. Volunteer at Legal Aid or similar agencies

                        Even small towns have at least one agency that provides legal services to the poor—or wishes that it could if only it had a lawyer who was willing to help. Be that lawyer! If you live in a larger city, you may have to be persistent to get your foot in the door at Legal Aid. Even though they were desperate for help, I couldn’t get the head attorney at the local Legal Aid to call me back. She was too swamped! Instead, I showed up at the office and offered to help answer phones, file, whatever, and the Development Director (who is still a good friend and has been a supportive contact) said: “I’ve got some envelopes you can stuff!” So… I stuffed envelopes, made copies, organized the self-help pamphlets, made phone calls. Once I had my foot in the door, it wasn’t long before they started giving me cases.

            b. Create your own judicial clerkship

                        My sister was friends with a staffer at the local probate court in the small town where she lives, so she called him and asked if I could work there for free one summer. Due to the budget restrictions that hamstring every government office, they were happy to have an extra set of hands to do research, help customers, file, organize the docket, etc. It was fun and very educational.

                        I read an article about how hard it can be to get a judicial clerkship because they are prestigious and there are only so many federal judges. The author wondered why no one ever clerks for a state court. What a great plan! It’s the same idea as my probate court experience, and even small towns have to hold court. There are many, many state court judges. One of them will let you work there—especially because most of them are elected officials who want to foster goodwill in the community. State court would be a wonderful experience. You could be in real, live court all day while you research law on everything from property line disputes to traffic court to criminal cases—maybe even capital cases! Think of the many, many amazing contacts you’d make.

            c. Work for a local lawyer for free

                        If all else fails, you may be able to find a smaller law firm that has landed a big case. You could offer to help do research or draft motions for free. When I was graduating from undergrad in journalism, I went to the local newspaper and said I’d work for free. I worked so hard that they started paying me on the second day I was there. You never know.

The key, of course, is hard work. When you’re out in the legal community, working for free, impress everyone with your work ethic, quality work product, and good attitude. If you don’t have those things, figure out how to cultivate them. Make everyone you encounter wonder how they can help you get a job, because you deserve it so much.

            d. Make the rounds of the contract agencies

                        One of them may have just landed a huge document review project and need all the help they can get—even new folks who don’t have much experience. Try to get a personal interview, and let them give you feedback. Keep in touch with them.

4. Network, of course

            While I love people, I’m frankly not the schmoozing type, but I bit the bullet and did it. I joined the local and state bar association, and I went to just about every function they had to offer. I mean, I went to barbecues and cocktail hours—I even painted an elementary school.

            I also joined my local hiking group, and I would strike up conversations with every lawyer I met. I told everyone I was looking for a job. I was pretty shameless, as I recall. It worked, though, because one of those lawyers I chatted up remembered me when someone told him of a job opening, and the rest is history.