Alumni

Are you a graduate of Wayne Law who is seeking a new career opportunity? The Career Services Office has many resources to assist you. Our resources include individual career counseling, cover letter and résumé assistance, free access to online job postings, and informational materials to aid you in your career exploration and job search.

Our advisers will offer guidance on issues including rebounding after a job loss, re-entering the workforce, relocating to a new city, exploring alternative legal careers, salary negotiations and more.

The American Bar Association and the National Association for Law Placement offer the following free webinar for lawyers: Managing a Legal Career Transition in Tough Times. In this 75-minute presentation, Marcia Pennington Shannon and Susan G. Manch of Shannon & Manch LLP offer advice for lawyers who are currently seeking employment. Click here to view the presentation: http://www.nalp.org/legalcareertransitionvideo.

The following information will assist you. For a comprehensive guide to online job search resources, contact Career Services to request our Internet Resource Guide and Job Search Strategies Guide.

Alumni may access employment opportunities at no cost using Symplicity, Wayne Law’s online job board. For a username and password, contact Career Services at (313) 577-3949 or lawcareers@wayne.edu.

You may identify opportunities from a variety of additional online resources. See our Internet Resource Guide for a comprehensive listing, http://law.wayne.edu/career-services/internet_resource_guide.pdf.

PSLawNet
PSLawNet is a national online resource for law graduates and law students seeking public interest employment. To sign up, go to www.pslawnet.org. Once there, select the “Sign Up Now” tab. You will be prompted to provide your email address – which will serve as your PSLawNet username – as well as basic contact information. Once you have registered, created a user account and generated a password, you will sign in from the homepage.

The PSLawNet Fellowship Application Deadline Calendar organizes post-graduate fellowships by application deadline. Fellowship positions are also published in the Yale Law School Guide to Postgraduate Public Interest Fellowships and the Guide to Postgraduate Legal Fellowship Programs. For a comprehensive guide to fellowship resources, including the resources mentioned here, visit: http://www.pslawnet.org/informationandresources.

With interest in federal legal careers building rapidly among law students and attorneys, the PSLawNet site features a newly enhanced federal government careers page. This resource, available at www.pslawnet.org/governmentcareers, provides explanations about federal hiring processes and points of entry to federal jobs, downloadable resources and answers to frequently asked questions.

Government Honors and Internship Handbook
The Government Honors and Internship Handbook provides information about more than 100 permanent attorney and internship positions at federal agencies throughout the country. To access the handbook, go to www.law.arizona.edu/career/honorshandbook.cfm. Given the complexity of tracking government opportunities, this handbook is an especially helpful resource. Contact Career Services for the username and password.

Public Policy Handbook
Recent graduates and students interested in public policy careers, i.e. influencing, formulating, implementing and/or evaluating governmental action to address issues confronting the public, should consult the 2010-2011 Public Policy Handbook, a companion to the Government Honors and Internships Handbook. It offers information regarding career opportunities available to 1L, 2L and 3L law students, as well as recent graduates, in more than 100 specific programs focused on public policy. Opportunities are searchable by program/organization, application deadline and subject index. To access this password-protected, subscription only resource, visit: https://www.law.arizona.edu/PublicPolicyhandbook/ . Contact Career Services for the username and password.

Intercollegiate Job Bank
The CSO reciprocates job bulletins from more than 90 law schools throughout the United States, including Michigan law schools. While most job postings are for graduates, some may list jobs available to current students. To access the site, go to https://www.law2.byu.edu/career_services/jobbank/ . For the username and password, contact Career Services.

Judicial Clerkships
Clerkship positions are offered to law school graduates and are usually temporary, from one to two years. To search for clerkship positions at the federal level, the following websites are helpful: www.uscourts.gov, www.oscar.dcd.uscourts.gov, and www.judicialclerkships.com. A comprehensive listing of clerkship websites is available in the Internet Resource Guide.

For information about state court clerkship positions, see the 2011 Guide to State Judicial Clerkships. The guide includes current information about application procedures, timing, salary and the hiring processes for judicial clerkships in all 50 states. The procedures are also included for state appellate and trial courts. To access, go to: http://forms.vermontlaw.edu/career/guides. Contact Career Services for the username and password.

If you are interested in pursuing a post-graduate judicial clerkship, register your interest with the Career Services Office. Simply email us your name and indicate that you would like to be a part of our judicial clerkship listserv. As part of the listserv, you will receive additional information about clerkship programs and opportunities.

LexisNexis Career Resources
Wayne Law alumni may access LexisNexis at no cost for the purpose of accessing career development resources. These resources include tips for building your network, resume advice and career-related podcasts.

Alumni engaged in verifiable 501(c)(3) public interest work may also be eligible for free access to federal and state cases, codes, regulations, law reviews, Shepard's Citation Service, and Matthew Bender treatises.

To get started, go to http://www.lexisnexis.com/lawschool/login.aspx. Contact Career Services for the custom id and password.

Employer Research
You may research legal employers using Martindale Hubbell and the NALP Directory of Legal Employers. Using these sites, you may search by the type of employer, geographic location, size of employer, and practice areas. Once you compile a list of prospective employers, mail a cover letter tailored to each specific employer along with your resume. If you haven’t heard back from an employer within two weeks, make a follow-up call to the contact person.

Vault provides an extensive collection of video and print resources to assist you in your job search, including information on hiring trends, networking, interviewing, resumes and cover letters. Using Vault, you may access career guides on practice areas and topics such as litigation, bankruptcy, labor and employment, government and non-profit employers, and law firm pro bono programs. You may also view and download regional, practice area and quality of life law firm rankings, as well as salary charts, career advice articles, and over 200 law firm profiles. You may access Vault from the Symplicity homepage.

Reciprocity
If you are interested in exploring career opportunities outside of Michigan, a reciprocity request may provide access to the career services, resources and assistance offered by law schools located in the geographic area of interest to you. Each law school develops its own individual reciprocity policy setting forth the terms and conditions on which reciprocity may be granted. Many law schools publish links to their reciprocity policies on the National Association for Law Placement (NALP). You may also visit a law school’s career services webpage or contact its career services office to learn more about the school’s reciprocity policy.  To view a copy of our reciprocity policy, click here.

Contact our office to obtain a reciprocity request form. We suggest that you allow two weeks for the processing of your request. Students and graduates of other law schools seeking access to Wayne Law’s Career Services Office may click here to view our reciprocity policy.

Stay Connected!
Many alumni wonder how they can give back to Wayne Law and reconnect with the law school community. It’s easy! Volunteer to speak to students at one of our many lunchtime programs during the academic year, or participate in our annual mock interview program. You may also become a mentor. As a mentor, your contact information is made available to students who may contact you to ask for career advice. Students will be respectful of your time, and will not ask you for a job.

Alumni are also encouraged to host a law student “field trip” at your office. A small group of students will visit your office for a tour. You will discuss the work of your office, offer career advice and answer student questions. Alumni may also allow a student to job shadow you during your work day.

Your volunteer efforts assist Wayne Law students in their professional development and help you stay connected to the law school community. If you are interested in any of these activities, contact Career Services at (313) 577-3949 or lawcareers@wayne.edu.