by Ryan Griffith (GGU JD 12)
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| Eli Flushman & Ryan Griffith |
Like you, I took the Bar exam and waited four months for results. During this time, I applied to countless jobs and was rejected time and time again. However, I realized I had been through this before and every time something eventually worked out, but the added student loans, anonymous internet posters rambling about how law students can’t find jobs, and the uncertainty of the Bar results made this more stressful. I realized those feelings of self-doubt had been there before when looking for work, but each time I got out of it by continuing to try and not getting discouraged.
I visited Law Career Services several times during this waiting period and found a great website - BYU Intercollegiate Job Bank (https://www.law2.byu/career_services/jobbank - see this handout for login information). The site contains job bulletins from over 100 ABA law schools from around the country. There are also several law schools that provide direct access to their Symplicity accounts. I continuously applied to positions I saw posted on the BYU site and eventually got a clerkship paying $15 an hour. It was nothing amazing, but at least provided a paycheck.
Occasionally I got interviews for other positions, but nothing ended up panning out. The stress of waiting for Bar results and numerous rejections was a continual blow to my ego.
In October, I had a great interview with the Vallejo City Attorney’s Office for a pilot project they were starting - two recent law graduates would create an entire department to address nuisance conditions in Vallejo. The position sounded amazing, and after the interview they told me I did a great job. However, they could not move forward with my application until Bar results came out, and they needed to make sure that funding could be secured.
For the next month, I was on pins and needles hoping I would pass the Bar and that the Vallejo City Attorney’s Office would find the funding. In the meantime, I continued to apply for other positions and to work the clerkship. Finally on November 16th the Bar results came out and I had passed! That Monday, Human Resources from the City Attorney’s office called me to learn of my Bar passage status, and when I told them I had passed, they sent me an offer letter the next day. I was stoked, and I started in January of this year.
So far the job has been awesome. I have been in the newspaper three times my first two weeks on the job, and on February 4, I appeared in court for the first time by myself as an attorney and got a judge to sign off an inspection warrant I prepared in collaboration with the Police Chief, City Council Members, abd the Chief Building Inspector to abate nuisances caused by a house that is known for prostitution, drugs, and many other unpleasant things. Getting that resolved was a very rewarding experience. This job is exactly the type of thing I wanted to be doing.
I can’t believe that just a short while ago I was so uncertain as to how things would work out, and often heard my professor’s voice in my head saying, “nobody likes looking for a job.” But things do happen. You have to keep your head up and be positive. Learn from your failures and move forward. I have been rejected numerous times and I am sure there will be more failures in my future. But if you fight through those frustrations, there is light at the end of the tunnel and you can succeed. We live in a great country that offers us numerous opportunities. Everyone that is reading this is smart, focused, and hard-working enough to earn a law degree, which is no easy task. Starting out is difficult, and as this article shows nothing was easy for me, but as I can attest, if you stay focused, positive, and confident you will succeed at finding a great job.
