The Office of Career Strategy can help you plan experiential learning to develop critical lawyering skills and on your search for legal positions that align with your career goals both during law school and after you graduate.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Experiential Learning
Q. How do I register for a clinic?
A. There is a centralized application process for clinics. Professor Heyward will email students an application form each semester. The clinical professors and attorneys will use the information from the completed forms to help them prioritize admission to the clinics. After the application period closes, the clinical professors and attorneys will begin contacting students who have indicated an interest in their particular clinic about next steps.
Q. How do I register for an externship?
A. The externship application and placement process is managed by the Office of Career Strategy. You must apply to the externship site in the semester prior to the placement. The application and interview process takes place over several weeks – watch for detailed information each semester announcing application windows and deadlines. Applications and other important information about the Externship Program is also located in the Externship Handbook.
Career Strategy Questions
Q. I don't know where to start with my job search. Who can help me?
A. The Office of Career Strategy is here to help you develop the tools you need to forge your path to a fulfilling legal career. We are available to review application materials like your resume or cover letter, we regularly post job openings on CareerConnect, we organize panels and campus recruiting events that may provide you with insights on your own career path, we conduct mock interviews, and we are available to meet with you to discuss your particular network plan to help you achieve your career goals or otherwise strategically plan for the future. If you are feeling lost or overwhelmed in your job search, please schedule an appointment with us through CareerConnect using the instructions below.
Q. Who should I contact to review my Resume or Cover Letter?
A. The Office of Career Strategy is able to review your resume and cover letters. Please send your documents to careernull@law.csuohio.nulledu. Please allow approximately 48 business hours for document review.
Q. Can you help me find a job in geographical locations outside of the Greater Cleveland area?
A. Yes! The Office of Career Strategy is happy to help you on your job search, wherever you are looking. Reciprocity agreements are an excellent tool to help you search in other regions, and many law schools have a reciprocity policy that may grant you temporary access to a particular school's job search platform. Please contact careernull@law.csuohio.nulledu for more information.
Q. How do I schedule an appointment with the Office of Career Strategy?
A. Please schedule appointments with the Office of Career Strategy through CareerConnect. Click the "Advising" tab in the top right corner of your homepage, click the "Request New Appointment" button, and provide all of the requested information.
Q. How do On-Campus Interviews (OCIs) work?
A. Campus recruiting occurs three times a year, during the Fall, Spring, and Summer. Firms accept application materials through CareerConnect and select students to interview. Interviews may be conducted either in-person or virtually. Note that some large firms are hiring earlier than ever, so we encourage you to monitor their job portals as well. It may be to your advantage to apply both directly through the job portal AND through OCI postings on CareerConnect. You can find more information about the process here, and please reach out to us to discuss your specific application strategy.
Q. Is funding available for public service positions?
A. Yes. Limited funding is available for public service positions held while you are a law student or for some post-graduate positions. You can find more information regarding those public service fellowships here.
Q. Where can I find documents to help me draft resumes, cover letters, or otherwise provide useful information for my application materials, interviews, or job search?
A. The Office of Career Strategy provides a wealth of documents on CareerConnect in the Resource Library, which should be visible on your homepage. The Resource Library provides checklists and samples of resumes and cover letters; information about pursuing particular post-grad opportunities like judicial clerkships; information regarding specific practice areas; and much more. Additionally, you can find login information to public policy and government honors career resources like the Arizona Handbooks in the Online Career Resources document or information regarding state judicial clerkships in the Vermont Law School Guide to State Court Judicial Clerkship Procedures. Please take advantage of all of the information available in the Resource Library.
Q. Are there any other resources available to view specific job postings outside of CareerConnect?
A. There are many useful websites and other tools to help you find legal jobs, wherever you are located. PSJD, for example, posts public service positions across the United States. Equal Justice Works, similarly, posts public interest positions. Some sites post positions in specific practice areas, like Conservation Job Board for environmental positions. The Online Career Resources document in CareerConnect's Resource Library provides dozens of websites that can help you search for positions across the United States in a number of different practice areas.