3Ls - Put Yourself in the Best Position to Find Post Bar Work

By Tammy Dawson
Law Career Counselor
Law Career Development


You have made it to your final year of law school! You have worked hard, made new professional contacts (and some life-long friends), and learned a lot. Congratulations on all you have achieved to date!

This year is the beginning of your transition from student to professional. After graduation and the Bar, what comes next? If you do not have something lined up, you are not alone! But don’t worry – there are things you can do now to put yourself in the best position to find a permanent position for next fall.

1. Identify your target organizations.
Employers like to hire people who are specifically interested in working for them. It means that the person is more likely to be engaged and to stay for a longer period of time. What are the organizations for whom you are passionate about working? What appeals to you about working for each? If you were an employer, would those reasons appeal to you? Are your reasons vague or generic, or do they show a passion for the organization and what they do? To learn more about the organization’s projects and what it is like to work there, reach out to a current or former employee for an informational interview. GGU alumni are great resources for this information as are your LinkedIn connections. Start making these connections within your target organizations now.

2. Network

The San Francisco legal community is small. Get to know the people who work in the field in which you would like to work. Expand your network. Your friends and family generally know the same people you know. Acquaintances, on the other hand, likely occupy a different space than you and your friends and consequently are likely to have different information and knowledge. This can be exponentially valuable if your acquaintance is a connector. Connectors are the people who seem to know just everyone. They can introduce you to a wide variety of new people, providing a gateway to whole worlds you don’t have access to now. Your professors and local bar association leaders may either be connectors themselves or they may be able to put you in touch with connectors.

3. Get more experience
  
Research shows that the single thing most employers (other than BigLaw and judicial clerkships) are looking for is your legal experience. Many employers in the Bay Area love hiring GGU students and grads because, having received a practical education, they leave law school understanding how to do junior-level tasks. That is GGU’s brand. For you to best take advantage of that brand, LCD recommends you aim to have 3-5 legal experiences on your resume by the time you graduate. If you are shy of this number, now is the time to sign up for a clinic, volunteer in the community, or secure an internship or externship. You may be able to leverage your work into a permanent offer. Even if you don’t, you will nonetheless make more contacts in the field, secure another reference, and generally, make yourself more attractive to other employers.

4. Participate in a GGU job fair program

Many of you are already participating in the Summer Job Fair, already underway. For those of you still in the market for post-bar jobs, mark your calendars for the Spring Job Fair coming up in February. Employers who participate in our job fairs are interested in hiring GGU students – take advantage of the opportunity to interview with them. Work with LCD Counselors to prepare persuasive resumes and cover letter, and practice your interviewing skills.




5. Have a plan for after the Bar
Do not – I repeat, DO NOT, plan to postpone your job search until after you have passed the Bar. Employers do hire law clerks awaiting Bar results. Further, employers who are hiring in December, January, and February are more interested in applicants who have continued to get experience after the Bar, people who have been hustling. So take a couple of weeks after the Bar to recover and relax, then get back out there. You put yourself in a much better position to find a job post-Bar if you have been working during this period. It does not have to be paid or permanent. Volunteering is a great way to get substantive experience and is just as valuable on your resume. If you volunteer at least 20 hours a week in public interest or public sector jobs, you can apply for a Bridge Fellowship from GGU which will pay you a small stipend.

Of course, some of you may still not be sure what you want to do with your law degree, either because it has never been clear or because the legal experience you have had caused you to rethink your original plans. The best place to start is where you’re at! Come to LCD and talk with any LCD counselor. We can direct you to resources, help you with self-assessment, and connect you to practicing attorneys who would be happy to share their career path and day-to-day experiences with you. Make an appointment TODAY!

Millennial Lawyers Value the People They Work with Over Salary in Job Satisfaction

By Frank Zeccola 
LCD Graduate Fellow 

A recent survey has found that the leading element of job satisfaction among millennial lawyers is the people they work with. Sixty-six percent of respondents said that “The people I work with” contributed significantly to their job satisfaction, while 56 percent reported compensation as a main contributor to job satisfaction. Surprisingly, least on the list was “The likelihood that I will become partner,” at just 16 percent. Other factors included “The work I do” (63 percent), “My mentor” (22 percent), “The firm’s prestige” (18 percent) and “clients” (18 percent).

The survey was conducted online by Ms. JD and Above the Law and included about 600 lawyers who were born in 1980 or later. The results were presented at the NALP Annual Education Conference in Boston in April.

This is great news for networkers who seek jobs through people they know and like rather than by applying to ads online. It also means you should work your network and be on the lookout for jobs offered by people you like, gel with, and find friendly. And while compensation cannot be discounted entirely, good working relationships will go a long way toward creating and finding satisfaction in your job.

Boost Your Interviewing Confidence: GGU J.D. Candidate Explains How He Landed A Top Internship Through GGU’s Mock Interview Event—and Offers Tips and Advice for Students and Alums Alike on Nailing the Interview and Landing the Job

Josue Aparicio

By Frank Zeccola 
LCD Graduate Fellow

In order to help you prepare for the upcoming Summer Job Fair, GGU will host the Mock Interview Program on August 9th. At the event, attorneys will be paired with students to conduct a series of 20-minute, one-on-one practice interviews and provide individual feedback on performance. This is an excellent opportunity to ensure that you excel in your actual interview this summer by working on your interviewing skills with real attorneys in a low-pressure environment.

It is a proven method for success. In fact, one J.D. candidate even landed an internship at a top law firm with one of the mock interviewers at last year’s event.

Here’s how: “I treated it like a real interview,” explains Josue Aparicio, GGU J.D. Candidate (May 2017). “But it was still low pressure.” The key to success: “I told [the mock interviewer] about myself and things I wanted to do, such as diversifying the legal profession, pro bono work, and how I wanted to grow as an attorney. He agreed and had similar values on the topics I was bringing up. He then told me he knew I was interviewing for his company in a few weeks and asked if I had any questions about the process. He also told me that I could meet with him prior to the interview. I did that, and he answered all of my questions. It gave me a lot more confidence for when I went into the real interview.”

Would You Consider an Internship—Or Even a Career—Outside California?

By Frank Zeccola 
LCD Graduate Fellow 

Andrea Loh (third from right) with other California attorneys

Late last month, LCD Counselor and Director of Employee Outreach Andrea Loh spent a week in New York attending meetings with attorneys from several legal offices. Prior to that, in mid-June, Andrea attended the American Bar Association (ABA) Small Firm Conference in Newport Beach, in southern California, and met with employers from throughout California. This is part of a larger effort for LCD to develop relationships with employers in the Bay Area, as well as both inside and outside of California. The goal is to give our students an edge when applying to internships and jobs throughout the United States. As Director of Employee Outreach, it is Andrea’s mission to cultivate and develop these relationships.

For example, in New York, Andrea met with the head of the Juvenile Rights Division of the New York Legal Aid Society. The Legal Aid Society is currently accepting students for fall 2017 in the Adult Criminal Defense Division, Civil Division, and Juvenile Rights Division. These offices include more than 1,000 attorneys fighting for public interest causes—and the Society stresses a focus on diversity. As such, the Society will be hiring 40 interns for the summer, so this may be a great opportunity for relevant candidates.

BALI Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Highlights Solo Legal Innovators and Their Social Missions

By Frank Zeccola 
LCD Graduate Fellow 

If you are considering starting your own solo practice in any area of law, you should take a long look at the Bay Area Legal Incubator (BALI) program, sponsored in part by Golden Gate University School of Law. The program bills itself as a “social mission incubator,” explaining that “we help attorneys accelerate the development of solo practices that have positive impact in our communities and our neighbors’ lives.”

The 2016-2017 program launched on May 27 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its shared office space in Oakland.

The BALI program, open to all licensed Bay Area attorneys, aims to close the wealth gap that places legal services out of reach for many low-income and even middle-class people. “Very few of us can afford to pay anyone, let alone an attorney, $300 per hour for some undefined, open number of hours,” BALI’s website states. To solve this problem, BALI trains and supports attorneys in “modest means” practices that include reduced or contingency-fee based legal services.

Accordingly, BALI attorneys are required to spend a minimum of half of their time taking on either pro bono or reduced-fee legal work for people of modest means with household incomes of three times the national poverty level or less.

In exchange, BALI gives attorneys a shared community, space, and resources, as well as mentorship in law practice management and substantive law.

Free Research Tools Alert: San Francisco Law Library Offers New Attorneys a Wealth of Free Top Resources to Advance Your Career

By Frank Zeccola 
LCD Graduate Fellow 

If you are just starting your career in the law as a solo or at a small firm, or even if you’re an old pro, the San Francisco Law Library offers you a range of tools—from Lexis Advance WestLaw Next, Hein Online, FindLaw, Fast Case, California Cases, and much more—completely free of charge.

This is a great opportunity for lawyers who want to do legal research for free.

Further, the library provides reference assistance through its reference and support staff to all patrons for their legal research needs—so if you need help researching an issue, just ask at the front desk.

The library collections and in-house databases are open to all. Public access computers are available up to two hours per day for free use of Westlaw, Lexis, Fastcase, CEB OnLaw, HeinOnline and other databases at the library for legal research. Borrowing privileges are available to San Francisco attorneys, law firms, judges, and government officials. An Interlibrary Loan Retrieval Program is available to solo practices, small firms, and larger law firms.

Should You Get a Networking Buddy? How to Leverage Your Friendships to Ease Anxiety While Networking

By Frank Zeccola 
LCD Graduate Fellow

We all know networking is a key component in any job search. A recent article on the topic suggested that, “Just about every article on job-hunting you’ll read on any career site says the same thing—rendering this maxim a virtual job-seeker mantra: ‘the most effective method for finding a new job is through networking.’”

The problem is that networking scares a lot of people to the core of their job-searching beings. It’s awkward, uncomfortable, and scary. Walking into a room full of strangers to ask for a job is the last thing I want to do.

However, I have something that makes networking a little easier: I have a networking buddy.

A networking buddy is simply a friend I go to networking events with. We graduated together, and we have been friends since we were in the same section together as 1Ls.

Here’s how it works: The week before—or early in the week—I email him a list of the networking events I want to attend that week. I get this list from the right-hand side of the webpage you are reading now, under the heading “Upcoming Networking Events.” Additionally, you can search the calendar pages of any Bar Association in your area. You can view some of those here, here, and here.

How to Take Control of Your Job Interview: Make Your Requirements Clear Ahead of Time to Command Respect During the Interview Phase

By Frank Zeccola
LCD Graduate Fellow

Do you ever feel like potential employers have all the power when you’re applying to jobs?

A recent article on the PBS Newshour career blog “Making Sense” posits that, all too often, employers abuse their power in the hiring process and “behave badly” toward job seekers. In turn, job seekers take the abuse because they feel they have no other choice: The employer has all the power, and if you want the job, you have to bend to their will. But the article cautions: “When job applicants behave like beggars, they’re treated with disrespect.”

You may relate to this, although the reality is probably not as cynical as this article, penned by top Silicon Valley headhunter Nick Corcodilos, paints it. But the truth remains that, as we search for jobs, it often does feel like the employer holds all the cards and we are forced to approach them as beggars.

 What’s worse, Corcodilos explains that if a company does treat you poorly during the interview phase, it’s almost certain to treat you poorly once you are hired.

Luckily, Corcodilos has a solution. He offers a four-point plan for earning respect during the interview phase so that the power is more balanced and you are approaching the employer as an equal, and not as a beggar.

Follow this plan to take control of your next interview:

Your Words are Your Craft and Your Reputation: Don’t Let Up on Proofreading—In Your Job Search or Your Career

By Frank Zeccola 
LCD Graduate Fellow

Every new lawyer knows the feeling: You just passed the Bar and got sworn in. Now you are applying for a job at a firm that sounds like an amazing opportunity. This will be your first real job as a lawyer. You type up an engaging cover letter outlining exactly why you are a great fit for the firm. You sell yourself like an ad man from the 60s writing about the new Rolls Royce for a billboard in Times Square. There’s no way they won’t hire you after reading this.

Then you read over your cover letter again. And spot a typo. And another typo. Frantically, you scrutinize your letter again and again searching for any little mistake you may have made. After all, one misplaced comma or misspelled word could kill your chances for scoring the job. Before long, your brain starts hurting. And your anxiety skyrockets.

If you fret about making typos in emails to hiring partners and other colleagues, there is good news. A line of research going back several decades shows that, as you advance in your career and earn a reputation in your profession, you can get away with being less formal in email contact with colleagues. Further, typos and proofreading mistakes matter less than when you are an entry-level job seeker.

Soldier On: Boot Camp to Law School—Summer is the Perfect Time for Those Pre-Combat Inspections

By Julie Cummings 

JD ‘16 

Julie Cummings is a recent graduate of GGU Law and one of Ms. JD’s 2016 Writers in Residence. The following article originally ran May 5 on the blog of Ms. JD, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the success of women in law school and the legal profession.

The beginning of summer is the perfect time for law students to conduct pre-combat inspections (PCI). Pre-combat inspections are a management tool that the Army uses to make sure that every soldier brings to battle every piece of required equipment, every time. And importantly, PCIs ensure the equipment is in proper working order.

Pre-combat inspections consist of soldiers physically laying out for inspection each item of equipment they will need for a mission. The inspections are often highly regimented with detailed checklists and completed according to a prescribed layout diagram.
For instance, soldiers may be assigned a 5 x 5 foot area in which to display all of their equipment according to the diagram. Within that area, the soldier will neatly place equipment that they will need for the upcoming mission. And each soldier’s area will look identical, with all items placed in exact positions.

Two Free Networking Opportunities for Attorneys and Students in Northern and Southern California—RSVP Today

By Frank Zeccola 
LCD Graduate Fellow 

Two huge free networking opportunities are occurring in the next few weeks in San Francisco and Los Angeles—including free breakfast, lunch, and MCLE credits in addition to the chance to meet scores of attorneys in your area.

First up is an event for anyone based near LA: The Fifth Annual Diversity Leadership Summit takes place Wednesday, May 25, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at Loyola Law School, 919 Albany Street, Los Angeles. This event is co-sponsored by 12 Bar Associations and 6 law schools (including Golden Gate!) and features 11 attorney speakers. The California Employment Lawyer’s Association (CELA) presents the Summit, which includes keynote lunch speaker Genie Harrison, attorney at Genie Harrison Law Firm, APC. Additional panel topics include “Finding Your Professional Style in the Face of Stereotypes” and “Increasing Your Leadership and Visibility Throughout Your Career.” This free Summit includes breakfast, a networking lunch, and 1.25 MCLE credits. To RSVP (as soon as possible) and for more info, email info@cela.org.

Next up, in Northern California—right here in San Francisco, in fact—is the CELA Diversity Leadership Summit 2016, which takes place Wednesday, June 15, 2016, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. at UC Hastings College of the Law, 200 McAllister Street, San Francisco. CELA also presents this event, which is open to and includes both plaintiff and defense bar attorneys, government and public interest attorneys, other legal professionals, and law students. This year’s keynote speaker is the Honorable Judge Angela Bradstreet of the San Francisco Superior Court. The Summit will also feature distinguished panelists and a workshop, and is free of charge—including breakfast refreshments, a networking lunch, MCLE credit, and written materials. For more info and to RSVP, click here.

These events offer the opportunity to get in front of dozens of local attorneys, in addition to a wealth of information provided by the panelists and featured speakers. RSVP now to ensure your spot.

GGU Law Grad Points to Personal Development, Strong Desire to Help People, and ‘Natural Networking’ as Keys to a Successful Practice

By Frank Zeccola 

Givelle Lamano

LCD Grad Fellow 

Givelle Lamano is a 2010 GGU Law grad who did what many lawyers and law students would find frightening and intimidating—but also highly enviable: She started her own practice right out of law school. That practice has grown into a hugely successful DUI and criminal defense firm, and the rave reviews about her on Yelp are a testament to her results-driven, client-focused work.

She is also the co-founder of the Three Strikes Justice Center, a non-profit organization focused on alleviating the overcrowding of prisons. And she serves as a Board Member for Insight Prison Project, an organization providing services to prisoners and parolees in 12 California prisons, 3 county jail facilities, and several re-entry programs.

I spoke with her about her experiences and life in the law.

Networking Spreadsheets and Other Tactics: Organization is Key in Job Search

By Frank Zeccola 
LCD Graduate Fellow 

As I met with my counselor this week for a career appointment, he suggested I create a networking spreadsheet to brainstorm all the contacts I could reach out to, and then include additional fields in the spreadsheet for dates of outreach, notes of topics discussed with each contact, and next steps to take in further developing these relationships. This had never occurred to me and is a level of organization I’ve never achieved in any of my previous job searches.

Now that I think back on it, my prior job searches have mostly been edge-of-the-seat expeditions where I was in reactive mode—reacting to job posts, reacting to job fairs or other networking functions, reacting to leads from friends. I feel like I have never been in the driver’s seat in my own job search—and achieving a level of organization through this networking spreadsheet is an empowering idea.

Meet the Bar Associations 2016: Coming Wednesday, 4/13

It’s that time of the year! GGU’s annual Meet the Bar Associations 2016 is coming up next week! Both law students and graduates are encouraged to attend! 

When: Wednesday, April 13 from 5:00 to 6:30 pm

Where: GGU, 6th Floor GGU Center

What: More than 25 local and national bar associations will be coming to GGU to talk to students about their organizations and membership benefits. Some offer free memberships to students. These groups provide excellent opportunities to connect with lawyers, learn about the law, obtain mentors, and win scholarships and fellowships. Light food and refreshments will be served; attire is business casual. The event will be like a networking fair, so you are free to arrive whenever you want, and to talk to whichever organizations interest you.

The following is a list of the amazing bar associations that are participating this year:

• Alameda County Bar Association
• Asian American Bar Association
• Bar Association of San Francisco- Barristers Club
• California Association of Black Lawyers
• California Attorneys for Criminal Justice
• Consumer Attorneys of California
• Continuing Education of the Bar
• Federal Bar Association, Northern District of California Chapter
• The Litigation Section of The State Bar of California
• Filipino Bar Association of Northern California
• Italian American Bar Association of Northern California
• Korean American Bar Association of Northern California
• Palo Alto Area Bar Association
• Queen’s Bench Bar Association
• San Francisco Intellectual Property Law Association
• San Francisco La Raza Lawyers Association
• San Francisco Paralegal Association
• San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association
• St. Thomas More Society of San Francisco 
•   California Women Lawyers 
• Contra Costa County Bar Association 
• California Lawyers for the Arts 
• Eastern Alameda County Bar Association 
• Charles Houston Bar Association