Frequently Asked Questions About Writing Samples

What are employers looking for when they ask for a writing sample?
When legal employers ask for a writing sample, they want to see an example of the applicant's strong legal research and analytical skills. Students may use one of the following: a memorandum or brief, a Moot Court brief, or a Law Review or Journal article. If the application is for a judicial clerkship, then an unedited memorandum or brief should be used rather than a journal article.

How long should it be?
Generally, the writing sample should be no more than 10 pages long. If the writing sample is much longer, use an excerpt and include a cover page explaining what the excerpt is taken from.

Can I use something I wrote for a former employer?
Yes, however, always gain permission from the former employer first. All names of clients and other identifying information should be redacted by using fictitious names or crossing out the original names. Applicants should also include a brief cover page noted that the sample is being used with permission.

What if I don't have any good writing samples?
If you are not pleased with your memorandum from your first year writing course and do not have any other samples of your legal writing, you can always revise your original until you think it is a better representation of your current writing ability. Also consider writing an article for an outside publication or entering a writing contest. Getting published or winning a writing contest is not only a great way to prove to an employer your strong writing skills, it also demonstrates initiative and your genuine interest in a particular field.

Do employers really read writing samples?
While some employers confess they only read the first page to an applicant's writing sample, just as many say they read the entire piece. With this in mind, take care that your writing sample is free of typos and is a good representation of your writing abilities. Excellent writing is an essential skill to becoming a lawyer and writing samples will always be an important piece of the legal job search process!

For further reading on this topic:

Strauss, Debra M. "Building a Successful Application."Behind the Bench: The Guide to Judicial Clerkships. The BarBri Group, Inc. 2002 (Available in the CSO.)

Walton, Kimm Alayne. "Handling Writing Samples."Guerrilla Tactics for Getting the Legal Job of Your Dreams.Harcourt Brace. 1995 (Available in the CSO.)

Wojcik, Mark E. "Get Published." Student Lawyer. October 2008 (Vol. 37, No. 2)

The Power of Networking

The Jobs section of Boston.com has an article featuring 10 tips for finding a job.Many of the tips highlight one piece of advice you probably hear a lot from the career counselors here in the Career Services Office: network!

"Asking for assistance and advice is the heart of networking, and the single most important thing a person looking for a new job should do. Your next opportunity could come via a tip or chance encounter with a former boss, colleague, neighbor, recruiter, barber, or golf buddy, but you will never hear about it if they don't know you are looking (even passively). You need to be courageous enough to talk to people you meet about what you ultimately want, instead of regretting that you didn't mention it sooner."

The article also encourages job seekers to join professional associations:

"Whether you are currently employed or not, opportunities flow from being around like-minded people and professional associations and communities are where you need to be. They are a great way for uncovering hidden jobs, to further your knowledge and to make new relationships. Investigate which ones are appropriate for you, and join in."

There are a number of bar associations out there that encourage student membership and hold events specifically for law students. Whether you are seeking a summer internship or post-graduate employment, networking is an essential part of job search process and is especially important during these economic times.

For tips and more information on how to network, read the networking section of our handbook!

Frequently Asked Questions About the First Year Job Search

During our counseling appointments with first year students there are a few questions that inevitably come up. How do most students find jobs? When do most students find jobs? How important is it that I work this summer? Below are answers to those questions.

When do I need to start looking for summer employment? What is this December 1st deadline I keep hearing about?
Students should schedule an appointment with a career counselor as soon as possible to review their resume and go over their individual job search strategy and time line. In general, government and public interest internship deadlines usually fall in January, February and mid-March, at the latest. Mid-sized and small firms usually hire on an as-needed basis and many small law firms do not begin to think about their summer needs until much later in the spring semester.

The December 1st date is when employers can begin speaking to first year students under the National Association of Law Placement (NALP) Standards. Large firms usually begin reviewing first year candidates soon after this date. However, very few large firms hire first year students and those that do will hire only one or two students out of the hundreds of applications they receive. Thus, students should not spend a disproportionate amount of time & resources targeting large firms.

How do most students find their jobs?
To find a summer job, you will need to do more than just apply to jobs that are posted. According to the 2008 Summer Employment Survey, 28% of the 229 students who responded found their job through the CSO Job Postings or a job fair. An overwhelming 65% found their jobs through networking, self-intiated contact, or through a referral by a friend, family member or colleague.

What if I want to do a study abroad program instead?
If you decide to participate in a study abroad program, plan on finding a volunteer or internship opportunity for when you return. Many of the study abroad programs end in the early summer, so you still have the rest of the summer to gain legal experience.

Is it true that the job you get for your second year summer determines what you will be doing after graduation?
Not necessarily. Large firms usually give their summer associates offers for post-graduate positions at the end of the second year summer, however those firms only make up 10% of the legal employers out there.

Will I limit my career options if I work in a practice area I am not sure I want practice after graduation?
No. All legal experience is valuable and many the of skills you gain in one practice area are skills that can be applied in another (i.e. research & writing, interpersonal skills, etc.)

When do most students find their jobs? When should I start panicking?
There is no single time of year when most first-years find their jobs. Some know where they will be working by February while others won't find something until April. Small firms will continue to look for summer law clerks throughout the late spring. Between April and June in 2008, 65 summer job postings were posted for first year students. So, even if you have not found a job by the end of April, know that there are still employers out there looking for summer help.

Lastly, remember that the first step to the first year job search is meeting with a counselor in the Career Services Office. If you have not already done so, call 617-422-7229 to schedule an appointment with a counselor for next semester.

Loan Forgiveness for Public Service

"I would love to do public interest after graduation but I also need to pay off my student loans!"

We often hear this lament in the Career Services Office from students who are interested in a public service career after graduation but do not think it is a possible avenue for them if they also want to be able to pay off their large amount of student loans.The Federal Student Loan Forgiveness Law: The College Cost Reduction Act of 2007 was created to address this problem so that pursuing a career in public service and being able to pay off student loans may no longer be mutually exclusive.

The Act helps public service attorneys in two ways:
1. Lowers monthly student loan payments on federally guaranteed student loans (called Income Based Repayment or IBR)
2. Forgives remaining debt for public servants after 10 years of public service employment (called Loan Forgiveness for Public Service)

Under IBR, annual loan payments may be no more than 15% of discretionary income. Under the Loan Forgiveness for Public Service, if a borrower makes 120 qualifying loan payments on a Federal Direct Loan (including Federal Direct Consolidation loans) while working full-time for 10 years in public service, the unpaid balance is forgiven by the federal government.

Public service employment is defined as:
- employment in a 501(c)(3) organization; or
- employment in government (local,state, federal, and tribal; including military and employment in public schools and universities); or
- service in a full-time AmeriCorps position; and
- employment in a "public service organization" (including legal services).

The Financial Aid Office will hold a Loan Repayment and Public Service Loan Forgiveness Seminar on Thursday, November 13th, Room 305, 3:00pm - 4:30pm where they will go into the guidelines and benefits of this new program in more detail. Interested students should RSVP by emailing finaid@nesl.edu.

Additional information on the Federal Student Loan Forgiveness Law is also available on the Equal Justice Works site.

What are the best predictors of Big Law success?

A recent study conducted at a top 25 law firm found that law school rank and grade point average are not the best predictors of success at large law firms. In an article in the ABA Journal, one of the study's authors, Ron Paquette, notes, "The Harvard attorneys do not perform any better than those at the 30th-ranked law school."

So, what are better predictors of success? Participation in extra-curricular activities and collegiate-level athletics were among the 12 factors identified as better predictors for big firm success with success being defined as "longer tenure at the firm, higher productivity, and being a good cultural fit, based on an evaluation by a human resources staffer." All of the factors could be categorized as attributes connected to leadership.

"Based on his experience in corporate America, [Paquette] believes attributes such as an ability to adapt and get along with people contribute to success more than technical expertise. 'When you look at people skills, it really comes down to working well on a team,' he says, 'In reality, the best performing teams are the ones that learn to get along and leverage each other's skills.'"

It should be noted that this study only examined lawyers who were already "the cream of the crop." However, the results do indicate that those with the top grades from the top law schools aren't any more likely to succeed in an large firm environment than those from other schools with simply good grades.

Click here to read the entire article in addition to a lively discussion in the ABA Journal's comments section!

More on the Economy and the Post-Graduate Job Search

There are a number of articles out there addressing the issue of the current economy and the legal employment market for upcoming graduates.

The Boston Business Journal covers the issue of the legal market in Boston in particular:
"Elizabeth Armour, director of employer relations at Suffolk University Law School, acknowledges that summer associates are no longer guaranteed job offers at the end of the summer, as large law firms - facing an uncertain economic future - grow increasingly reluctant to load up on young associates who collect $160,000 first-year paychecks. [...]
James Leipold, executive director at the National Association for Law Placement in Washington, D.C. said that while his organization does not have data yet on offer percentages, he has anecdotal evidence that points to lower offer rates in Boston this year, which hit 97.9 percent in 2007, according to NALP. [...] 'All bets are off because this situation continues to change, ' said Leipold. 'The economic situation is so fluid. We've certainly heard that some firms are not making offers to everyone.'"

How does this news affect your job search? Both the New York Lawyer and the National Law Journal provide articles with practical tips.

Cameron Stracher, a professor at New York Law School, writes in the New York Lawyer (via The American Lawyer), "The wise job-hunter will cast a deeper net, focusing on firms with niche practices that have not been hit by the downturn or groups within firms that have not been popular. [...] Take lots of meetings. Networking is more important than ever, which means talking to everyone you know, and even people you don't. "

However, the National Law Journal disagrees with Stracher's advice to postpone your job search by entering into an LL.M. program.
"'I've got students coming in asking if they should go for an LL.M.,' said Carole Montgomery, director of career development at George Washington University Law School in Washington. If students want to pursue the advanced law degree to avoid looking for a job, Montgomery advises against it. 'I tell them, 'you need to make a good-faith effort to get yourself a job,' ' she said."

While it is still unclear how today's economic events will affect the legal employment market six months from now, one thing everyone can agree on is that the post-graduate job search will take longer than it has in the past and now is the time to start!
"The delays in start dates and the slowdown in hiring will leave many people unemployed late into the year or even after graduation. 'Make a mental (and financial) plan that the job hunting process will take six to eight months,' says Meg Reuter, Assistant Dean for Career Planning at New York law School." (New York Lawyer)

Adds Gail E. Cutter, Senior Managing Director of SLJ Attorney Search, in her NYL article, ,"It takes discipline to take charge of your career when so many people are freaking out. Panic won't help, but neither will maintaining the status quo while the legal world morphs all around you." (New York Lawyer)

Thoughts or questions on this article? Post them in our comments section!

Beyond Fall Recruitment

This time of year our office often meets with students who are worried because they did not find summer employment through the Fall Recruitment Program (FRP). Do not worry!

Only 10% of legal employers hire through FRP. Medium and small firms, and most other legal employers, do not hire on a specific schedule. They hire people when they have a need. Often, these employer hire part-time law clerks and interns during the school year and those positions continue into the summer. There are also many employers who offer their part-time law clerks permanent employment after graduation.

There are many ways to find positions at these firms and organizations. Many post summer and academic year positions on our Recruitment & Programming Center (RPC) JobNet. Students should also use other on-line job resources including Craigslist, PSLawNet, the Government Honors & Internship Handbook and other sites listed on our on-line job resources handout available in the CSO. In addition to applying to the jobs that are posted, students should also contact employers directly using the Martindale directory, Lexis or Westlaw. Most importantly, every job search should include networking.

At least half of all positions are obtained by informal means. Over half of the 229 students who completed our 2008 Summer Survey found their positions through networking or a referral by a friend, family member, or colleague. This does not mean a student needs to come from a family of lawyers in order to find a job. There are a variety of opportunities for law students to meet and network with attorneys, including informational interviews, bar association events, conferences and seminars, CSO panels and programs, and using the New England Law alumni network.

Remember: the Fall Recruitment Program may be the most visible hiring program for summer legal positions, however most students obtain summer positions through our job postings, contacting employers on their own, networking, or through their part-time school year positions. By following the above recommendations, it is highly likely that you will be able to secure employment throughout law school and beyond.

Need to discuss your job search? Call the Career Services Office at 617-422-7228 to make an appointment with a career counselor today!

Questions or comments? Post them in our comments section.