Rethinking Resumes vs. Cover Letters

By Corey Farris 
Law Career Counselor

A Litigator’s View of Career Counseling

It's time to rethink how we look at cover letters vs. resumes. Cover letters can be difficult to write and when asking for assistance on creating a stellar cover letter, students often say, "I feel like I'm just repeating all of the information on my resume." To keep this from happening, I like to think of a resume as a "statement of facts" and a cover letter as the "argument" for why you should get the job. The two documents are connected and there will be overlap, but neither should too closely resemble the other.

When it comes to a resume, you want to be straightforward about your skills and accomplishments. But, just as with writing a statement of facts for a motion, you also want to be persuasive in the way that you present those skills and accomplishments, tailoring the contents to your audience. Did you "make appearances in court" at your last internship? Or, instead, did you "advocate for a client at a contested court hearing?" These are two ways of conveying the same information, but the mental image that is conjured when reading these two sentences is vastly different. Also, use a thesaurus to create varied language to keep your resume from sounding robotic while maintaining a formal tone. In short, give the reader - your prospective future employer - something interesting to read.

HUD Honors Program and Other Great Government Post-Grad Jobs

by Cynthia Chandler
Interim Associate Dean for Law Career Development

Roughly 55% of entering GGU Law students are interested in working for the government. Early fall is the season for post-graduate, government hiring deadlines. One of the first deadlines approaching is for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) - arguably the most progressive federal agency.

HUD has a remarkably low rate of attrition among its employee attorneys: people work there for their entire careers, raving about the opportunities to grow as attorneys at the agency, as well as the diversity of litigation and transactional work available and the east of changing roles within the agency over time. Eighty percent of HUD attorneys are hired as entry-level fellows through HUD’s post-graduate Legal Honors Program. This program is the only mechanism for securing employment as an entry-level attorney with the agency, and few lateral hires are ever hired. Once accepted into the Legal Honors Program, most attorneys are transitioned to permanent positions.

New Online Appointment Scheduling!

by Sandra Derian
Interim Law Career Development Coordinator

Law Career Development will begin accepting appointments online on August 24. Here are the instructions:

1. Log into LCDonline.
2. Hover your mouse over the "Calendar" tab, and select “Counseling Appointment” from the drop-down menu.
3. Click “Request New Appointment” to make a new appointment.
4. You may narrow down available appointments by date, time of day, day of the week, and counselor.
5. Click on the appointment time you desire.
6. Choose the appointment type – in person or on phone.
7. Feel free to add additional background notes to the appointment request, if applicable 
8. Choose “submit request”.
9. You will be notified by email when the counselor approves the appointment. 
10. If you wish to modify or cancel an appointment, you may do so in LCDonline in the main “Counseling Appointment” screen.
11. Bookmark this link to go straight to booking an appointment.

If you have any questions or if you need your login password reset, please phone (415) 442-6625 during business hours.

Hanging Your Shingle – Tips for Future Solo Practitioners

by Andrea Loh
Director of Employer Outreach

Have you ever considered opening a solo practice? Earlier this week, a panel of Bay Area solo practitioners offered their advice for launching and maintaining a successful legal practice. Below are some of the key takeaways shared during “Going (and Thriving) Solo,” hosted by UC Hastings College of the Law on August 12, 2015. Panelists included Rafael Climaco (Law Office of Rafael Climaco), Otis Landerholm (GGU JD 10) (Landerholm Immigration A.P.C.), and Jill McInerney (Law Office of Jill E McInerney). Tiela Chalmers, CEO of the Alameda County Bar Association, moderated the discussion.

Starting Out. Before launching your practice, speak with other solo practitioners about their own experiences, advice, and lessons learned. Consider reaching out to alums from your law school or find seasoned practitioners by joining the Bar Association of San Francisco’s “Solo and Small Firm” section. Supplement these conversations by reading any number of available guides, including “How to Start and Build a Law Practice” by Jay G. Foonberg.

Specialize. The panelists universally agreed that specializing in a particular practice area is fundamental to running a successful solo practice. Specializing enables you to become familiar with nuances of the law as well as build a strong community of support.

Gain Experience. If you are considering entering a new practice area, obtain substantive legal experience by performing pro bono work through a non-profit organization or your local bar association. Pro bono work also provides an excellent opportunity to network with other lawyers and meet potential future clients.

Space. Even if you plan to do most of your legal work from home, invest in a professional office space where you can conduct client meetings. Oftentimes solo practitioners will share office space with other attorneys to minimize their costs. Shared office space may also provide you with access to administrative support and office resources (e.g., copier, fax machine). Having a separate office location serves the dual purpose of reinforcing your brand as a legal professional and serves to maintain boundaries between your personal and work life.

Resources. When you are first starting out, keep overhead costs low by utilizing free legal resources. The San Francisco Law Library (1145 Market Street) maintains an extensive text and database collection for conducting legal research. The collection includes print resources of all 50 state codes, texts on a wide range of legal subject areas, professional practice sets, Restatements, law reviews, California and Federal Rutter Group series, and CEB professional practice and Actions guides. Electronic resources include access to Westlaw, Lexis, Shepard's, CEB OnLaw, Fastcase, HeinOnline, PACER, and Fastcase. More information about the library and its available resources can be found here.

Tell the World. Once you are ready to launch your practice, send out announcements to your network letting them know you are open for business. This includes reaching out to family, friends, and professional contacts. Include a description of your new practice, a professional photograph, business address, and contact information.

Apply for the Bay Area Legal Incubator (BALI) Program. BALI is GGU Law's new, two-year, modest-means solo-practice incubator program for attorneys recently admitted to the California Bar. BALI provides extensive support, mentoring, and education on how to successfully operate a low/flat-fee/sliding scale solo or small firm practice that serves the legal needs of the modest means community. Participating attorneys are provided a small stipend for the first six months of the program. BALI applications are due August 24, 2015 by 5:00 pm. Apply through LCDonline under the "LCDonline Jobs" tab. To listen to the Application Information Teleconference, call 641.715.3395 (Code 515791#) reference number - 3#, or download a mp3. The general BALI Information Webinar is posted here. For more information or questions about BALI contact Cynthia Chandler at cchandler@ggu.edu.

Interview Preparation

by Hampton Jackson
LCD Intern

With Summer Job Fair 2015 On-Campus Interviews beginning in a few weeks, and many application deadlines for post bar and summer positions rapidly approaching, you may be wondering how to best prepare for your interviews. Questions like, "How do I answer a question about my grades?" Or, "How can I explain a lack of legal work experience?" Or, "How can I efficiently highlight my skills and show interest in the job in only 25 minutes?"

Answering difficult questions is not the only fear associated with interviewing. Anxiety is another obstacle to overcome. Karen Burn's article in U.S. News & World On Career Blog, "21 Ways to Avoid Job Interview Anxiety," offers helpful tips for avoiding anxiety and showing confidence during your interview.

To help you formulate answers to difficult interview questions and to help you minimize your interview anxiety, Law Career Development has many valuable resources. Below are a few resources worth checking out as you prepare to master your next interview.