Too late for a big law job?

sallyawp
Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:29:05 +0000

For a variety of reasons, many big law firms (commonly referred to as “Biglaw”) are just not hiring 3Ls at all this year. I would not count on your wife’s backup position amounting to much for her. In fact, much of the 2L hiring is already well in progress at this point. Most on campus interviewing is completed, and selected students are either going through their second round interviews or choosing among offers at this point.

For the many law students who were not successful in obtaining jobs through the ordinary channels (on campus recruiting, resume drops, etc.), you have to be creative. I don’t know what law school your wife attends or what her pre-law school work experience looks like, but tapping into alumni databases (often maintained by a law school’s career office) and networking with former colleagues and employers could be helpful.

Today, many resumes that are submitted cold or in response to job postings will disappear into the ethers. Law firms and companies today are so deluged with resumes sent electronically that they often look at resumes until they find a few candidates who meet the criteria for the jobs and disregard the rest of the pile.

I know it is gut wrenching to spend a lot of time on sending out dozens, if not, hundreds, of resumes, but it only takes one “yes” to begin a career.

So, here is my best advice:


Make sure that your wife’s resumes and cover letters are perfect, and that each is customized to meet the needs of the employer to which it is submitted. Take a look at each potential employer’s website and make sure that the cover letter and resume screams “fit”. It takes a lot of work to do this, but eventually, someone will notice the extra effort.
Think outside of the box. Consider job markets across the country and even abroad. Consider offering to work on a temp-to-perm basis, so that employers can see how fantastic you are before making a job offer. (Of course, your wife will have to do some killer work to make this play work out well.) Consider jobs that are pseudo-legal, like compliance and internal investigations and ethics jobs. These can also provide some outstanding experience that may lead in directions you can’t yet anticipate.
Attend ABA meetings, CLE courses and local bar association gatherings. Almost all have programs specifically to include law students. You never know who you are going to meet, and sometimes a connection made today will lead to a job tomorrow.
Get a school-year internship and build up that resume. Make sure to network and meet as many people as possible through the internship.


Most of all, please tell your wife to keep her chin up. I’m sorry floridadad, but telling someone who is already in her third year of law school that she shouldn’t have gone and then poo-pooing all over her prospects and the profession is just not helpful right now. It is important to be proactive, to remain positive and to be confident that it will all work out in the end. Potential employers can smell desperation and a lack of confidence a mile away.

Best of luck to you and your wife.