Legal Career Options
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Government
Federal Government
Most positions in the federal government are available in Washington, D.C. Students who really want to work in federal government need to evaluate the possibility of moving to D.C. after graduation in order to maximize the number of opportunities available to them. Opportunities do exist with regional offices and each regional counsel or solicitor makes employment decisions independently of Washington, though the DC office may act as a central deposit/collector of resumes. Students should be aware, however, that the sheer number of positions available is dramatically reduced at the regional level and that positions generally come available because of attrition only. Current pay scales for full-time employment with the federal government can be found in the National and Federal Legal Employment Report . Class of 1994 graduates entering federal government had a salary range of $27,000-60,000 and a median salary of $35,000.
Hiring attorneys in the federal government suggest that students interested in regional office openings should send their application to both the regional or field office as well as the D.C. office (indicating the regional offices of interest), even if instructed to send it only to the D.C. office for processing. It may take awhile for the D.C. office to process and send the resumes to the regional office, but if your resume is sent to both places the Hiring Attorney can flag your resume to be chosen out of the mass bunch once it arrives. When applying to a Department in general, rather than to a specific opening, it is best to send your resume to the Office of General Counsel rather than to Personnel.
The U.S. Attorney or Justice Department Staff Attorney serves as the government trial attorney and is responsible for litigation in the federal court system. The attorneys assigned to federal offices outside the Justice Department serve as house counsel and are responsible for the conduct of various administrative hearings (appearances before Administrative Law Judges, Board, Commissions, etc.) These positions, while primarily concerned with rule-making and enforcement, may involve some litigation. Substantively, every specialty area in law is practiced in the federal system ranging from tax, corporate and securities to labor, environmental, contracts and bankruptcy law. Marketability after a few years depends on a number of factors, not the least of which is the type of experience the candidate has had. Obviously, the more clearly transferable the experience into the private sector, the easier it will be to make a move. There are a number of departments such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Department of Justice and the Internal Revenue Service that are heavily recruited from by the private sector.
Students interested in working for the federal government should gear their job searches up in the early fall as the government's fiscal year begins October 1. A number of the Washington-based offices aggressively recruit on campuses or at job fairs and will hire during the fall. Some of the agencies that will be recruiting in the fall are the Department of Justice, EEOC, Comptroller of the Currency, Federal Election Commission, Federal Trade Commission, etc. Many will ask that applications be sent to them directly. Most of these offices are recruiting for their Honor's Program. Qualifications for honors programs are fairly broad and will encompass many students in the top half of the class, with preference to those on law journals or moot court special teams, and students with extensive clinical work experience or transferrable work experience. The Honors Programs tend to have their own application forms so keep an eye on the Career Services Newsletter or check the agency's file in the Government Files in Career Services.
Students applying for federal jobs in general need to pick up a Standard Form 171 (SF-171) which is the standard application form for the federal government. (Note: In January 1995 the SF-171 Form may become obsolete or vastly reduced -- check with the CS Office.) It is wise to fill out this form once and make photocopies. Then just complete the "position applying for" section, sign, date, and mail. In addition, many agencies have their own application forms for you to complete. Following instructions carefully in terms of application procedures and deadlines is critically important. These are bureaucracies and have very rigid and well enforced procedures. Aggressiveness is very important, as well. So many applications are received that a student simply cannot send in their forms and wait and see what happens. If you haven't heard anything in a few weeks, it is important that you follow up with a phone call or letter and re-express your interest in the agency. A trip to Washington to make personal contact with hiring representatives is a good idea, as well. As a last resort, ask your Congressman or Senator for help in arranging an interview. Please note that many of the federal agencies will only keep your application on file for a period of 4-6 months. Call each agency and ask how long your application will be kept on file so you know when to refile.
It is important that applicants prepare adequately to seek employment at a specific agency. Do not apply to an agency without a clear idea of what that agency does. Remember, while most Washington agencies have a healthy respect for your law school and the quality of education you have received, you are competing with a lot of students in the D.C. area who have the benefit of intense preparation and exposure to Washington federal practice. Be prepared! See the Guide to Careers in Public Interest & Governmen t for more information on types of law practiced by various government agencies. The Government Files in Career Services are also a good source of more specific information on government agencies. Work on your application packet, as well. Type your SF-171 Form, be careful to make your cover letter a good writing sample and selling document. Make sure that it is typed neatly and accurately. In addition, practical experience in clinical courses and work experience should be brought out and marketed.
Summer clerkships are available in some federal agencies and are generally, but not always, limited to Washington. The Federal Bar Association and the National Association for Law Placement publish guides to federal summer positions and students will know when they are available by keeping an eye on the Career Services Newsletter. In addition, a key source of information about federal jobs in general is the book Now Hiring: Government Jobs For Lawyers which is available for your review in the Career Services.
The Military
The armed services recruit attorneys each year for a variety of legal careers, both with the services and as civilian counsel. Each branch has a Judge Advocate General (JAG) to handle legal matters. Positions in all branches cover many civilian and military issues and include both civil and criminal law (primarily), appellate work and international law. The JAG Corp requires a three year commitment and there are age and physical limitations for JAG Corp lawyers. The military lawyer enters as a First Lieutenant or Captain and receives training at the military justice school. A three-year obligation is customary and hands-on experience and responsibility come quickly. Most initial assignments will be at bases in the U.S. In addition to the JAG positions, each branch of the service also has an Office of the General Counsel, which are civilian positions. Hiring for positions in these offices is highly competitive and top law school credentials are essential. The O.G.C. will typically deal with government contracts and procurement and foreign sales of arms. Class of 1994 graduates entering the military reported a salary range of $28,000-52,000 with a median salary of $35,000.
State and Local Government
State and local government jobs are similar to federal positions - there is an enormous variety of positions available and types of options. Many of the position are similar to their federal counterparts, however there can be a wider range of legal and non-legal positions at the state level. Positions vary from state to state, and even from department to department. Salaries also differ by state. 1994 graduates had a salary range of $21,500-45,000 and a median salary of $30,000.
Because of the enormous variety of these positions and differences between various states/counties/cities students should early-on begin the networking process. Try to identify people in your target area who may have ties to the government and be good sources of information. If you don't know someone, try the technique of the "non-interview". Get in touch with someone and ask if you can come in and talk about their office/career as it is a path that you are considering for yourself. Gather as much information as you can, at the same time, make an acquaintance who might be able to give you guidance and help you get in the door later.
In each state there is a State Attorney General's Office--the law firm for that state. The office defends the state when it is sued and advises state officials on matters of concern. In many states, attorneys serve as elected officials or are employed within the individual state departments, commissions, or offices. Lawyers can be involved in areas such as land-use planning, public utilities, schools, labor relations, banking and finance, tax, consumer protection, environmental, health, social services, insurance, transportation, and legislation. The largest concentration of state attorneys are typically with the attorney general's office, the courts, public defender's office, department of natural resources or environmental management, department of revenue, civil rights office, employment & training, health, and public welfare.
At the local and county level there will be city and or county attorneys. In some locations these are part-time positions held by members of the bar engaged in private practice. Local government attorneys deal with a variety of cases and legal issues affecting city or county government. Class of 1994 graduates working for local government had a salary range of $23,500-50,000 and a median salary of $32,500.
Many states publish directories of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government. These books are called "blue books," "state manuals" or "state registers" and generally list all state agencies and their addresses, phone numbers and names of key personnel. Listings for all administrative and elected officials for every state, by type of agency or office, are available in State Administrative Officials Classified by Function and State Legislative Source book. Published by the Council of State Governments, these directories are updated yearly and are available in the law library and Career Services Office (see Guide To Career Services Resources for call number). In addition, the National Association of Attorney's General Handbook, contains a list of the offices and staffs, as well as recruitment policies and hiring qualifications of 54 offices, their powers, duties and operation of state attorneys general. Large cities also publish city agency directories such as the New York City Green Book.
State and local government hiring is almost never centralized and applications will need to be made separately for each position. There is no good national source of state government job opportunities. Mostly, students will simply have to take the initiative and start talking to each government office to start ferreting out positions. Very few offices can project their needs in advance to recruit on-campus at law schools. The only exceptions are extremely large offices such as New York City's Office of the Corporation Counsel and some State Attorney General Offices, which do recruit for summer interns and are able to do a very limited amount of advance (fall) hiring. Hiring at most offices is subject to the state/local budget process which makes position vacancies very difficult to predict, and some positions, quite frankly are tied to political patronage. Most students will have their best luck seeking positions in their home state/city where they may have contacts or at least can more easily stay on top of potential openings.
In each state, the State Personnel Office will typically produce a "job bank" or job listings of available positions on a weekly or bi-monthly basis. Here in Indiana, students may view the weekly "Indiana Job Bank" at the IDETS Work Force Development Office, 2511 W. 3rd Street, Bloomington, IN, 331-6002. There is also an office at 407 West 7th Street. When reading these position lists remember that many state government agencies have odd names for attorneys, i.e., legal analysts, administrative law judges, hearing officers, etc. At the local level, positions are often advertized at local law schools and in the local newspapers.
Prosecutorial Positions
Most District Attorneys Offices (or Prosecuting Attorney Offices) around the country handle felony cases with a Solicitor Office handling misdemeanors. In other places, the Prosecutor's Office will handle all cases. Although the crimes and penalties are different, the day to day routines are very similar. Prosecuting Offices offer wonderful opportunities to gain hands-on litigation experience and responsibility at an early date. Some prosecuting offices will have specialized units or divisions to handle certain types of crimes. For example, there may be a Domestic Violence Unit, Municipal Division, Felony Division, Child Support Unit, and Juvenile Division. Class of 1994 prosecutors had a salary range of $24,000-41,300 and a median salary of $31,000.
Seeking and finding prosecutorial positions may often problematical for students. Please keep in mind the following concept when dealing with prosecutor's offices: all positions are litigating, trial level positions and the ability to do this work involves the ability to go to court. Put simply, many prosecutors can't or won't hire students until they have passed the bar in that state. However, a few state's supreme courts have enacted a third-year law student practice act allowing a student who holds a minimum number of credit hours to appear in court for certain procedures. The State Attorney's Offices in Florida are one such office. A few of the truly huge District Attorney's Offices will hire students prior to passing the bar, because they have so much work it doesn't matter if the recent graduate cannot go to court. Most notably are the prosecutors offices in the greater New York area, California, and Miami. For some students, starting in a solicitor's office can lead to contacts and the student can move into a DA's office when a position becomes available.
A law student who is interested in getting a job as a prosecutor can do a lot to position his or herself well. Here at I.U., students have good opportunities to learn some of the arts of trial practice and, through the clinical programs, actually put them into practice. In general, students interested in seeking positions should make contact early on and keep in touch with the office. There is often rapid turnover in D.A. and Solicitor's Offices; many young attorneys move on to private practice, taking with them experience and contacts. As a result of high attrition, many offices require a firm commitment of two or three years. Summer clerkships are available in very large agencies, giving the applicant a step on the competition for permanent employment. Some of these positions are full-time paid positions, while a large number are available on a volunteer basis only. As competition increases for these positions, more D.A. offices are finding they can cut the number of paid positions while still retaining a large number of highly qualified volunteers. On a side note, a number of prosecuting offices provide their attorneys a loan forgiveness program that assists the young attorney in making their student loan payments. The appropriate time to ask about the availability of such a program is at the call-back or offer stage of interviewing.