I am starting a new series for pre-law students. This one’s on 4 things to do for your career before law school starts.
Dear Pre-L:
If you start law school in the fall, please don’t get blindsided by early recruiting. Do these 4 things:
🔷 1: Invest time in deep soul-searching about what you want to do with your JD.
Research the types of jobs lawyers do;
find out how different lawyers actually spend their time;
learn what is available to law students for summer internships.
Start networking with current law students to find out what they went through during recruiting and learn what tips they have.
I recommend the following:
Brian Potts, The Jobless Lawyer’s Handbook Brian H. Potts
Miller Leonard, How to Get a Job After Law School Miller Leonard
Jonah Perlin, How I Lawyer Jonah Perlin
And if you want to do “Big Law,” you also should check out Albert Tawill and Summer Associate Hub. Albert Tawil
🔷 2: Decide where you want to live and work geographically.
The more you can narrow this down and zero in, the easier everything else will follow. The above book by Miller Leonard will help inform your choices on geography.
🔷 3: Update your resume—in the correct legal format—and finalize it in a pdf.
You want it accessible so you can email it out at the drop of a hat and not reinvent the wheel every time some lawyer or other adult asks you for your resume. Doing this will save you so much time.
I recommend my book, Dear 1L: Notes to Nurture a New Legal Writer. https://amazon.com/dp/B0D726J7RQ (All of my resume posts and slide decks are also available for free in my word-searchable archive of LinkedIn posts at Dear1L.com. )
🔷 4: Start networking.
I am not kidding.
You have a small window during which you are a hotly sought-after commodity.
Lawyers will talk to you freely because you are just a pre-law student looking to chat.
Once you have fall grades and “need a job,” you will find the world less receptive to your outreach.
The best time to network is when you don’t need a network.
The sooner you start, the easier it will be.
Please start, and do so immediately.
The easiest way is by LinkedIn, but there are also several things you can do locally. (More on both in future letters.)
👉 I recommend the book by current 3L, Spencer May: “Memorable Law Students.” Spencer May
Your network will compound like interest. Once you ramp up, you will only have to contribute a little time to it episodically, but you need a BIG push at the beginning.
The time to do that is NOW, not in the fall when your brain will be too overloaded with taxing and exhausting legal doctrine.
Please stay tuned in for recruiting updates—I will pass along as I hear about them!
—> LET’S GO new law students!!!! 🎉🎊
💌 Amanda
#DearPreL
#Dear1L
**Search for “recruiting” or “OCI” in my LinkedIn post archive at Dear1L.com to read the full history. (Pictured is what you see when you search for recruiting in my LinkedIn archive.)
