Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Federal Government Agencies Inundated with Applications from Law Students

The Government Honors and Internship Handbook provides listings of federal and other government agencies and their summer and post-graduate legal hiring needs and application procedures. In an economy which has put a crimp in larger firm hiring, government agencies have been overwhelmed with applications for semester, summer, and post-graduate jobs.

Recently, we received an email from someone in-the-know about how at least one federal agency has felt the crush. That email is paraphrased below:

The Department of Health & Human Services Office of General Counsel in the Children, Families and Aging Division has been inundated with student applications -- not only for Spring but looking ahead to Summer (deadline for Summer would have been December 31st ). The Office has pulled its entry from the Handbook even though its previously stated deadline has not yet arrived. In addition, the Federal Trade Commission has taken similar actions. It appears that some federal employers may be unprepared to handle the large number of applications they will receive this year, due to reduced hiring in the private sector. They may also be surprised by the number of students willing to commit this early in the year for a Summer position. Which leads to an issue students should remember: they are as honor-bound by a commitment to a government employer as they would be when accepting a job offer from a law firm.

Accordingly, if you are interested in federal government employment, the best advice is to apply as soon as possible, as there is no guarantee that a federal agency will keep its application period open for the time it has previously announced.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

American Immigration Lawyers Association Symposium in NYC

The American Immigration Lawyers Association, the premiere national association of immigration lawyers, will be holding its 12th Annual NY Chapter Law Symposium on December 1, 2009 at the NY Marriott Marquis. This one day program, entitled “Setting the Stage for a New Era in Immigration Law Practice”, is designed to benefit the seasoned immigration practitioner, new graduates seeking to enter the field, and law students (there is a special symposium rate for law students). John T. Morton, Assistant Secretary, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has been invited to provide the morning keynote address to attendees.

Morning panels include discussions of local and national updates, the new NY ethics rules, and tax/financial issues. The afternoon will be split in two tracks. The first will focus on practice management and specific immigration issues, covering topics like using social media to advance your practice, starting a solo practice, employer compliance and criminal issues in an immigration context. Track two consist of a series of workshops, covering Notices to Appear, difficult consular issues, PERM updates and a mock adjustment interview. For more information, go here.

Any law student who is serious about immigration law should be a member of this organization.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Free Webcast: Think Small! Learning About and Locating Positions in Small Law Firms

The New York State Bar Association presents a free live webcast:

Think Small!
Learning About and Locating Positions in Small Law Firms

Wednesday, September 16, 2009
12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Presented by:
Ronald W. Fox, Esq.
Legal Career Counselor
Career Planning for Lawyers

For many years, if not decades, there has been an intense focus on large law firms as if they represent the entire legal profession. The lack of openings within large law firms makes this a most appropriate time for lawyers and law students to realize that there are many options in small law firms.

This program is targeted to lawyers who are dissatisfied, underemployed, unemployed, and recent graduates and law students who are planning their careers.

During this two hour workshop you will:

* learn the fundamental principles of career planning, especially the importance of knowing one’s goals and values;
* discover the options, diversity and benefits of practice in small law firms;
* understand the difference between applying for jobs and searching for openings;
* learn to draft a targeted resume/brochure; and
* gain techniques to successfully market and promote oneself.


While the program is free, pre-registration (ASAP) is required here.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

New York Bar Foundation Fellowships

The New York Bar Foundation has fellowships available for law students. The fellowships will take place in 2010 at public service or other nonprofit organizations in New York State.

Although an organization must apply for a grant to fund the fellowship, law students should contact a qualifying organization to encourage it to submit a grant application and to discuss participating in the fellowship if funding would become available. The deadline to submit grant applications is October 15, 2009.

Guidelines for The Joan L. Ellenbogen Memorial Fellowships, The Intellectual Property Law Section Fellowships, and The Real Property Law Section Minority Fellowship are here. The Board of Directors of The New York Bar Foundation will review applications and determine grant awards at its January 30, 2010 meeting.

Student Health Law Conference Explores Career Opportunities

The American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics (ASLME) is holding its Third Annual Student Health Law Conference hosted by Seton Hall University School of Law in Newark, New Jersey, on Friday, October 16, 2009 from 8:30am to 5:00pm.

This conference, which is attended by law students from law schools throughout the country, seeks to expose law students to the myriad career paths for attorneys in health and life sciences. The conference provides an introductory session on health law, panels on a variety of employment opportunities in health law, and a networking reception with the conference speakers. In the past, over 180 law students from dozens of law schools as far as the west coast have attended the conference. Career paths that will be represented include academia, compliance, private firms, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, drug and device companies, health insurers, and hospitals. Our speakers for this year's conference have been chosen for their health law expertise. They know the hiring process both as prospective employees and as employers. They are well suited to provide support and guidance to the next generation of health attorneys during these tenuous economic times.

For more information about the conference, go here.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

2010 Presidential Management Fellow Application Deadline

The Presidential Management Fellow (PMF) Program is a premier program for federal government leadership development and provides two-year Federal Government Fellowships. Graduate students from all academic disciplines, including law, who expect to graduate between September 1, 2009 and August 31, 2010 are eligible to be nominated by their schools for the upcoming 2009 application period. The application for the PMF Class of 2010 is expected to open October 1, 2009 and close October 15, 2009. However, if you are interested in being nominated, you must submit a resume and a one page statement of interest for the position to Erica Edwards-O’Neal in the Career Services Office no later than Thursday, September 17, 2009.

For more information, learn about the program here.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Student Debt Relief Webinars Online

(Click on the image to make it larger.)