Following Up: Public Interest Week

October 12, 2015 No comments

I hope you all found Public Interest Week beneficial! Below are tips for following up after each event and exploring different career paths within the areas of public interest and government.

Public Interest & Government Career Fair

  • Utilize the Excel document called “Networking – Connections and application tracking log”, located in your Symplicity “Resources” tab, to begin recording your networking contacts.
  • Make a note in your calendar to follow up with any employers beginning December 1st (if you’re a 1L) or NOW (if you’re a 2L or 3L).
  • Conduct independent research and check in with the Career Center regarding resources specific to any public interest or government employers of interest. You can spend some time proactively that will help you prioritize your efforts once you are able to begin applying for positions.

Oliver Fellows Luncheon

Clinics and Externships – Planning Your Schedule

  • Review the Clinics, Internships, & Externships Handout, which is located in the “Resources” tab on Symplicity.
  • Chat with professors during the faculty advising tables (Wednesday, October 14th-Thursday, October 22nd) to learn more about clinic and externship opportunities not described at the workshop or on the handout.
  • Reach out to the professors who are coordinating any clinics/externships of interest to express interest and ensure the opportunity would be a good fit.
  • Connect with Shannon O’Bryan in the Career Center if you are interested in participating in the Pro Bono/Public Service Honors Program, which was mentioned periodically throughout the week. You should also review the Handbook on Symplicity in the “Resources” tab and plan to attend the Program Orientation in April (exact date and location TBA).

Finding Internships and Post-Graduate Fellowships

Don’t Miss Out on Public Interest Week!

October 5, 2015 No comments

Public Interest week has already arrived! This week we are devoting time to publicizing and honoring the great work that public interest employers and our students are doing to serve the community.  Public interest is a broad category, which includes everything from non-profits to government employers.  Please join us for the following events:

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6             

4:30 to 5:15PM:  Public Interest and Government Career Fair!

5:15 to 6:30PM: Networking Reception!

The event will consist of a traditional career fair with a bingo game component from 4:30-5:15 p.m. that will provide representatives from each organization the opportunity to describe the organization’s mission, everyday activities, and internship and volunteer opportunities.  From 5:15-6:00 p.m., we are hosting a Public Interest Appreciation Reception that is open to the legal community at large in addition to those employers who are participating in the fair.  Please participate in as much of the event as your schedule allows and take advantage of these opportunities to network with employers and find out more about their organizations.  Business casual attire is suggested but certainly not required.  No RSVP necessary.

The following employers will be represented:

American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Kansas

Better Business Bureau of Greater Kansas City

City of Kansas City, Missouri Prosecutor’s Office

Death Penalty Litigation Clinic

Federal Bureau of Prisons (Kansas City, KS)

Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office (Kansas City, MO)

Kansas Legal Services

Leavenworth County Attorney’s Office (Leavenworth, KS)

Legal Aid of Western Missouri (Kansas City, MO)

Missouri Attorney General’s Office (Jefferson City, MO)

Missouri Commission on Human Rights (Kansas City, MO)

Missouri Protection and Advocacy Services

U.S. Air Force

U.S. Attorney’s Office (USDOJ) – District of Kansas (Wichita, KS)

U.S. Attorney’s Office (USDOJ) – Western District of Missouri (Kansas City, MO)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services – Office of the General Counsel, Region VII (Kansas City, MO)

U.S. Department of Homeland Security – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement – (Kansas City, MO)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – Region 7 (Kansas City, KS)

U.S. Marine Corp

U.S. Navy

 

Wednesday, OCTOBER 7 – 12:00 to 1:00: Oliver Fellows Luncheon – Please join us in the Student Lounge for an Italian (pasta) lunch and remarks from Dean Suni, recipients of the Judge John W. Oliver Public Service Fellowship, and a member of the Kansas City legal community who was instrumental in establishing this fellowship in honor of the late Judge John W. Oliver.  The Oliver Fellows Program extends a loan of funds to assist with student loan repayment to a graduating law student engaging in qualified public service employment each year for the three years following graduation and will forgive that loan as long as the graduate remains in qualifying employment.  No RSVP necessary.

Thursday – 11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m. in the Student Lounge – Clinics and Externships – Planning Your Schedule Workshop:  Join the Career Center and various professors and clinical supervisors to learn more about the more than 25 opportunities for amazing practical experience offered through UMKC Law.  We will give you pizza and TONS of helpful information to consider as you plan your course schedule for upcoming semesters, so be sure to make time for this workshop!  No RSVP necessary.

Friday – 9:00-10:00 a.m. in Room 4 – Finding Public Service Internships and Post-Graduate Fellowships Workshop: Interested in finding an internship or post-grad fellowship?  Applying to public service internships and fellowships is an extremely competitive process and takes a lot of time and effort to do right.  Come and learn what it takes to succeed! RSVP via Symplicity “Events” tab by October 8.

We hope you can join us!

Questions? Contact us.

 

 

The Importance of Power Shagging: Clinics, Internships, and Externships

September 28, 2015 No comments

Royals left fielder, Alex Gordon, has one of the most intense and effective pregame routines in baseball.  A signature part of that routine is something his teammates refer to as “power shagging.”  “Gordon will take his position in left field and react to every ball hit in his vicinity as if it occurred in a game situation, going through all the motions of his crow hop and chasing after every ball in the gap as if it were the ninth inning of a tied game.”[1]  This warm-up has proven so effective that Lorenzo Cain has also started doing it, and the team has developed a training video that incorporates the drill for all of its affiliates.  The moral of this story is that simulating or participating real life situations is an essential and extremely effective component of any professional training.

By participating in the clinics, internships, and externships offered by UMKC Law, you will have the opportunity to apply the law, theories, and skills you learn in the classroom to interactions with real clients facing real legal issues.  Under the supervision of clinical faculty, you will receive the benefits of hands-on legal training, the opportunity to develop relationships with lawyers and legal organizations in the community, exposure to various areas of the law, and the satisfaction of providing much-needed legal assistance to under-represented individuals and organizations.  In the course of assisting actual clients, you will learn fact-finding, analytical, and rhetorical skills that are essential in the practice of law.  You will learn to be a better listener and how to ask the right questions so you can effectively communicate with those clients.  You will be expected to make judgments, exercise discretion, and accept responsibility in the representation of your clients, and you will learn how to balance your clinical responsibilities with other law school and personal commitments.  This experience is invaluable and cannot be simulated in a law school classroom.

Next Thursday, October 8, the Career Center will be hosting a Clinic & Externship Opportunities Workshop from 11:30 a.m. – 12:20 p.m. in the Student Lounge.  You will hear from various professors and clinical supervisors about the many opportunities offered through UMKC Law.  Click here for a complete list of these opportunities, and join us on the 8th to learn more.

The Career Center strongly encourages every student to participate in at least one clinical opportunity before leaving UMKC Law.  On a scale of 17 to 38, the importance of obtaining practical experience now is a 38.  Go Royals!

[1] Alden Gonzalez.  “Don’t try this at home: Gordon’s pregame regimen unimaginable.”  MLB.com, October 12, 2014.

Four Networking Faux Pas to Avoid

September 21, 2015 No comments

I recently read an article titled “How NOT to Follow Up to a Network Introduction” by Jill Ozovek and thought it seemed pertinent to share this week. While I am sharing the four faux pas she identifies, I will discuss them in the context of legal networking.

Faux Pas 1: Taking weeks to follow up on the introduction. Also, following up on the introduction immediately.

 While networking could result in an immediate job offer, typically it is a process that involves establishing a strong relationship with an individual who can either recommend you for positions or connect you with others who might have opportunities available for you. Therefore, following up the day of can seem too eager or insincere. However, waiting too long can suggest you’re only reaching out because you need something from them. Following up within the week with a personalized email, phone call, or thank you note is best.

 

Faux Pas 2: Suggesting to the person to meet that day. Or offering a billion times to meet. Or stretching the options for meeting into the next four weeks.

The best approach is to offer around three to four options that include different days/times. Some attorneys will be able to take time during the morning or day, while others will need to meet with you after work. While a face-to-face meeting is ideal, you could also suggest chatting over the phone. Before you suggest meeting, figure out what you want to get out of the interaction and how you can communicate that. Do you want to further discuss how they broke into a practice area? Do you want to learn more about their career path? Sharing what you want to talk about provides a compelling and specific reason to make connecting again a priority for both parties.

 

Faux Pas 3: Not thinking of what you bring to the table.

Networking with legal professionals should be mutually beneficial. Reflect on what you can contribute. Maybe you can help them engage more with UMKC students, faculty, and staff. You don’t have to be able to offer something right away, but entering the relationship with an openness to identify how you can be helpful is smart. It’s also important to be able to have a conversation about your strengths and experiences beyond the elevator pitch.

 

Faux Pas 4: Not researching your new contact ahead of time.

When you meet someone at a networking event, there is an expectation that you don’t know anything about them. Between your first and second meeting, however, you should review their LinkedIn profile and Google them to try to find as much information as possible. Following up on networking can be uncomfortable when you don’t know what to talk about. You want whoever you’re meeting with to feel like you’ve done your homework and you want to feel confident in asking meaningful questions. Following up is scary, so do everything you can to prepare for a successful experience!

Reciprocal Services and Job Searching Outside MO/KS

September 14, 2015 No comments

While many of you intend to remain in the Kansas City, MO or Kansas City, KS areas and many of our resources are designed to help you establish connections and find opportunities in these areas, the Professional & Career Development Center can provide assistance if you are looking to break into other markets. In the blog post this week, I will highlight Law Job Web and reciprocity/guest subscription services.

Law Job Web – Law Job Web is a job board available through Symplicity if you hover your mouse over the “Jobs” tab (see a display below). One benefit of our school offering services through Symplicity is that we have access to jobs being posted to other law schools’ Symplicity job boards. These opportunities are posted to multiple schools simultaneously and are usually targeted to specific regional areas, which is why they are often not available through the UMKC specific job board. When applying to jobs through this job board, it is best to demonstrate a tie to the area through your resume and/or cover letter.

 

lawjobweb

Reciprocity – Many law schools offer reciprocal career and professional development services for a specific period of time (average of 60 days) to graduates and students of other law schools. There is typically a blackout period from August 1st – November 15th of each calendar year. Reciprocity services can include guest access to online job postings, access to any hard-copy career search resources, or a career counseling session with a representative from the school’s law career services office. Each school has a specific policy and they can alter that policy based on UMKC’s policy. Reciprocity is traditionally only granted once for a student, so figuring out when to request reciprocity services should be strategic.

Guest Subscription – Guest subscriptions to other law schools’ job boards are typically not available to enrolled students, but are available to J.D. graduates for an average period of six months. Guest subscriptions do cost money and provide an alternative to full reciprocity services, as well as an opportunity to avoid the blackout period of August 1st – November 15th (in which reciprocity is not an available service).

Come chat with Molly or Shannon in the Career Center to discuss your job search strategy and the services identified in this weeks’ post!

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