Monday, November 23, 2009

PSLawNet.org: The Essential Facts

PSLawNet is an incredible job search resource that contains a comprehensive database of over 12,000 public interest organizations, public interest law firms, and government agencies located throughout the United States and the world. Touro Law Center subscribes to the service and, as a result, Touro students and alums may access the database free of charge. Job seekers log on to the PSLawNet website and self register to create their own profile.

The database has two search features: (1) “organization searches,” which yield lists of organizations and agencies which focus in a particular practice area in a particular state, city, or metropolitan area; and (2) “opportunity searches,” which yield current postings for summer and school year internships, post-graduate jobs, and fellowships. In addition, the site contains numerous publications with career advice, summer funding sources, and a guide to federal legal employment opportunities.

We recommend starting with an organization search in order to find organizations that practice the kind of law and are located in the geographical areas in which you are interested. You may search by practice area, type of job (internship, fellowship, attorney), type of employer (public interest organization, government agency, etc.), and city, state or metropolitan region. The list that is generated from your search will contain information about the organization and a contact person to whom to address a cover letter. You will also see a link for each employer’s website.

While an opportunity search will yield actual job postings, not all organizations actively post jobs. Rather, they wait for resumes to come to them. Accordingly, you should apply to an organization even if no active job listing is posted on the website.

Please see Tom Maligno or any counselor in the Career Services Office for more information about PSLawNet.

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