Career services offered by various law schools are dedicated to meet the career planning needs of law students and alumni and the recruiting and hiring needs of employers across the country.  Students are screened through individualized self assessment, identifying appropriate legal career options.  They are provided training in job search skills and offered many sources of employment opportunities.  Career services also help employers nationwide; ranging from large law firms to public interest organizations and government agencies in hiring the students who best fit their needs.  Career Services teams may be staffed by professionals with many years of career planning experience.

Law schools offer various career guidance programs and placement assistance to give law students the skills they need for their law job search, as well as job searches throughout their careers.  Career services guide law students through the job seeking process, hosts on-campus interviews, counsel students on various career paths, and ultimately help students find a legal career.  Career services may conduct a variety of recruitment programs and other events to facilitate interaction between students and employers.

When selecting a law school, it’s important to evaluate the school’s office of career services. Below are some helpful questions to help when evaluating an office of career services:

• What services are offered by the office of career services?
• How well is the office staffed? Some schools have several career counselors, while others may have one single counselor.
• What resources are available to students?
• What type of programming does the office of career services conduct throughout the year?
• Does the office of career services facilitate an on site job fair? If so, how many employers typically attend?
• What percentage of law school graduates find a job within 6 months of graduation?