There is a common conception that there are 7 routes to becoming employed after law school. First, there is the OCI Route. Second, there is the intern-to-employee route. Third, the Non-traditional Route. Fourth, the Government Route. Fifth, the Start-your-own-firm Route. Sixth, the Public Interest/Non-Profit/Pro Bono Route. And finally (perhaps the one most recently being emphasized by career services), there is the “networking” route.
Let me clarify my thoughts on the “networking” route, since it’s so popular of late. In my opinion, there is no route from pure networking. Networking is a tool used in each of the other routes. Accordingly, when career services say “network” you shouldn’t thing “mingle”; rather, you should think “become informed.” What I mean by “become informed” is this: meet with practicing attorneys in ANY field and become current and up-to-speed in that field. Do not solicit employment – I repeat DO NOT SOLICIT EMPLOYMENT – until they open that door, then by all means submit a resume. Impetuously asking for employment right now is tantamount to shooting yourself in the foot—you’ll always be regarded as a needy contact. Never be a needy contact. If anything, seek what YOU CAN PROVIDE THE PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYER. Think research, writing, editing, court appearances, clients, whatever you can imagine attorneys always need. However, you must “become informed” about the practice area before you’ll have any chance of making a decent offer of services to prospective employers.
To sum up: Get tooled up with information and Offer Services. You are only as good as what you can offer.
So, there are really only 6 routes in my mind. Now, since it’s the season, let’s talk OCI. For some reason, law students in my generation perceive OCI as a once-well-traveled route. Not so. In fact, OCI has always been reserved to the upper portions of the class. Because it’s so cool sounding – i.e., you are headhunted for a prestigious and lavish summer experience, attention naturally is given to OCI as a means for law school employment. In fact, it’s more like a lottery ticket – but only in the sense of low probability. The payout is essentially equivalent to all other means of employment: there is just as much work, and you really do earn what you make. For most conceptions of law school, it would be advisable to go into finance. Law is a working man’s/woman’s profession. It will always be so.
On Campus Interviews (OCI) consists of just that, round after round of 20-30 minute interviews with 2-4 attorneys. I remember practicing different scenarios of questioning so I had the perfect answer to each question. This is the wrong way to go. I recommend sketching what you can offer the firm in terms of 1) prestige, 2) client skills, and 3) specific experience. All questions will revolve around that. I.e., when they ask you what your hobbies are, they are testing to see how you interact with people on a social basis – Client Skills. They picked you because of your school, background or grades – prestige. Specific experience is the real wild card. Accordingly, write out every project experience you’ve ever had and categorize it (people like categories). Start with your category when answering. For instance, if you wrote an article on three-toed sloths in undergrad, start with the category: research application. Then, describe one funny/interesting thing, one challenging thing, and one thing you excelled at. Be specific. It’s memorable.
To sum up: When it comes to OCI interviews, be memorable. Do this by categorizing specific project experience and using the interesting-challenging-successful approach.
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