Starting November 1, 2010, the Career Development Office will begin meeting with our Class of 2013 students for the first time for individual counseling sessions. Per NALP guidelines, law schools must wait until November 1 of each year to begin one-on-one counseling sessions with the 1L class, hoping to encourage first-year students to adjust to law school and focus on studies before beginning to think about job searching. While the NALP rule makes a lot of sense and is incredibly important, it has been a long wait to meet our wonderful 1L class! I am counting the days until I start to meet with each of them in person. Counseling 1Ls is always such a great experience. They arrive in our office full of promise and enthusiasm, excited about putting their newly acquired legal skills into practice for the very first time. As a counselor, it is such a rewarding experience to talk with them about their ideas, hopes and interests, and about why they chose law school to begin with. It's also fun to see what types of interesting summer positions the first-year students acquire.
Last year, we had over 60 students working as volunteer interns to judges in various chambers throughout the US. Another large chunk of the class volunteered their time at non-profit and public interest internships. A segment of the class always volunteers at various district attorney's offices and public defender's offices across the country. Another group will secure summer associate positions with firms through our Spring Interview Program, or work as law clerks with small and mid-sized law firms. Some of our sports law students worked in interesting sports internships last summer, including those with the NFL, Octagon Sports Agency, the NCAA, the New Orleans Saints and Hornets organizations, the New York Jets, and Friedman Salisbury Sports Management. Of course, there are always students that surprise us with interesting and unique internships. Last year, a 1L worked at the Tate Museum in London, another volunteered at the Documentation Center of Cambodia, and a third worked for the United Auto Workers Union in Detroit. The Class of 2012 was very determined in securing 1L summer internships, and I can't wait to see what the Class of 2013 can do. More importantly, I can't wait to get to know all of them!
- Katie O'Leary
Assistant Director, Career Development Office