CAREER PLANNING SERVICES
AND RESOURCES

CAREER SERVICES OFFICE
THOMAS M. COOLEY LAW SCHOOL

I.  Career Counseling

A.  Individual Consultation: Personal appointments are encouraged for students and alumni. Topics of discussion may include:

C    General job-hunting advice

C    Preparation or revision of resumes and cover letters

C    Interview preparation

$       Career exploration

$       Networking options

II. Job Searching Resources

A.  Weekly Job Listings: The Cooley Classifieds consist of a graduate edition and student edition that are updated every Friday.  

B. National Employment Listings: The CSO subscribes to national employment listings that can be viewed and copied in our office. 

C. Job Bulletin Exchange: The CSO receives job bulletins from over 100 other law schools on a regular basis. Students interested in practicing law in a specific state or geographical region will find these bulletins helpful for researching the legal job market.

III. Job Fairs

A.  Programs for Minority Students: The CSO participates in numerous job fairs and conferences that broaden the opportunities of minority students in the legal community. These programs include:

·       Cook County Bar Association Minority Student Job Fair

·       Grand Rapids Bar Association/Floyd Skinner Bar Association Minority Clerkship

·       BLSA Midwest Regional Minority Recruitment Conference

·       Minnesota Minority Recruitment Conference

·       Hispanic National Bar Association Law Student Job Fair

·       National Black Prosecutors Association Job Fair

·       Sweet Home Chicago Networking Reception

·       Lawyers Coordinating Committee (LCC) Minority Outreach Program

·       Annual Prosecutorial Opportunities Symposium

·       Wolverine Bar Association Summer Clerkship Program

B.  Specialty Job Fairs and Conferences: The CSO participates in various job fairs and conferences to assist students who are seeking to specialize in a particular area of law. These programs include:

·       Midwest Public Interest Law Career Conference

·       Equal Justice Works Career Fair and Conference

·       Patent Law Interview Program

·       NAPIL Public Interest Law Career Fair

IV. Career Resources

 A.  News & Notices: The CSO produces a monthly newsletter providing valuable information regarding scholarships, fellowships, writing competitions, career programs, job fairs, internships, state bar information, LL.M. programs, conferences, helpful career search tips, and resources which are available in the CSO.

 B. Career Library: The CSO Career Resource Center features a wide variety of materials.  Books on resume and cover letter writing, practice areas, starting your own practice, internships, government jobs, and exploring non-legal careers are available.  Faxing and computer services are also available for students to use in their job search.

 C. Newspapers: The CSO receives legal and non-legal newspapers that list employment opportunities.

 V. Employment & Networking Opportunities

 A.  On-Campus Interview Season (FOCIS and STAR): Two times during the academic year, the CSO invites law firms, government agencies, corporations, and legal services providers to interview students on-campus or to collect resumes from students for interviewing at the employer's place of business.  The Fall On-Campus Interview Season (FOCIS) runs from late August through mid-October and the Spring Term Associate Recruitment Season (STAR) runs from mid-January through mid-March. Sign-up for FOCIS begins in mid-July and sign-up for STAR begins at the start of November.

 B.  Workshops and Special Programs: The CSO hosts attorneys speaking on various career-related topics for informational and networking purposes.  The CSO also presents a number of career-related workshops designed to prepare the student for the rigors of a legal job search.  Past topics have included: Mock Interview Programs, Interview Technique Workshops, and Resume and Cover Letter Workshops.

 C.  On-line Resources: The CSO has created a Legal Job Hunting Sources Guide listing websites where legal employment job listings are posted on a regular basis.  The CSO also publishes a Job Bulletin Exchange Web Page List that provides information on accessing other law school's online job bulletins.

The Career Services Office works hard to provide current and relevant resources that will assist you in setting and reaching your professional goals. Please stop by our office at anytime during your legal career.