3L Timeline

Fall Semester

• Meet with your career advisor to discuss your job search.
• Complete the required career services exit interview form so that Career Services can keep you informed about opportunities that may be of interest to you.
• Participate in Early and Regular Fall OCI.
• Apply to local employers for school-year jobs to enhance opportunities for full-time offers.
• Apply for the Presidential Management Fellowship.  Deadline is generally in September.
• Apply for federal and state judicial clerkships. Click here for a guide to state judicial clerkships.  Click on “Access the Guide” and then go to specific state. (Username and Password)
• Attend job fairs around the country that match your interests.
• Attend the Equal Justice Works Career Fair and Conference in Washington D.C. in October if you are interested in public interest careers.
• Apply for public interest fellowships with early application deadlines.
• Continue to build your network; stay in touch regularly with your contacts.
• Join the local bar associations and any working substantive committees of interest in your area of geographic preference.
• Request reciprocity through Career Services so you can use other law schools’ career services offices during Winter Break.
• Follow up with employers to whom you have applied and let them know you will be available to interview during Winter Break.

Winter Break

• Gather information about the legal practice in your preferred city. Review local legal publications.
• Conduct informational interviews with contacts in your preferred city. Career Services can help you develop a list of contacts.

Early Spring Semester

• Update your resume on Symplicity to include your current work experience and your Fall Semester grades.
• For Ohio, file an application to take the bar exam.  Historically, the late application to register as a candidate for the July bar has been due in mid-January.  For deadline and admission information, see click here.
• Bar loans are  available for up to a year after graduation through private lenders. Check with Financial Aid if you need more information.
• Continue to check Symplicity announcements and on-line job postings weekly.
• If interested in federal clerkships, continue to monitor the judicial clerkship lists for updated announcements. Contact Cybele Smith for guidance.
• Participate in Spring On-Campus Interviews in March.
• Talk to professors in the substantive areas you enjoy about your job search and ask about any contacts they may have.
• Follow up with employers to whom you have applied and let them know you will be available to interview during Spring Break.

Spring Break

• Interview with out-of-state employers, specifically government, public interest, and small/medium firms who do not recruit in the fall.
• Network! Network! Network! If this is difficult for you, Career Services can help you get started.

Late Spring Semester

• Check Symplicity often because employers contact Career Services with late-breaking job opportunities throughout the Spring.
• Talk to your current employer about permanent employment or other job leads.
• Apply to state judicial clerkships with spring deadlines.
• Apply to public interest positions with late deadlines.
• Identify and apply to small firms. Call to determine hiring needs.
• Continue to strategize with your career advisor. Career Services continually refers students to employers throughout the year, but we have to know you are still looking.
• Identify and consider applying to legal temporary agencies in the market(s) where you would like to work.
• Complete a Career Services Graduate Employment Survey through Symplicity.
• Keep in contact with Career Services for assistance with your job search after graduation. We hear of leads all the time!

After Graduation

• Prepare for and take bar exam.
• Stay active by developing a plan of activity each week.
• Join and take an active role in your local bar association and relevant committees, including new lawyers committees.
• Begin or develop your social media presence, write articles, start a blog, add to your resume.
• Volunteer.
• Investigate contract work; research legal temporary agencies.
• Use informational interviewing to meet new practitioners and to expand your networks.
• Review the 3L timeline tips above to re-visit researching employers, job search opportunities and websites.
• Review the “Professional Development for Alumni” handbook from Career Services.