Working for the government is among the most satisfying ways to start your legal career. There are thousands of federal, state, and local governmental agencies and many hire law students for permanent employment, summer and term-time jobs and internships
Thinking about and applying for government positions is more complex than some other job searches. Among other things, there is a large diversity of issues, settings and strategic approaches. Permanent jobs become available throughout the year. It is necessary for you to investigate and apply for jobs individually and the process often requires the submission of much more than a standardized cover letter and resume.
There also is no “best government job” list, however, SJP/CPIL is available to develop an individualized job search plan with each student who asks. To do this, you need to have some idea of what is important and interesting to you. We suggest each student first become familiar with the wealth of federal, state and local government opportunities available to you. Think about whether you want to focus your search on a particular practice type (litigation, enacting or enforcing laws, writing regulations, etc,) and/or a specific substantive practice area. Use the resources listed below not only to find listings of open positions and deadlines but also to test your ideas and find new inspiration.
ON-LINE GOVERNMENT JOB SEARCH RESOURCES
● For those who are not familiar with government agencies and offices, USA.gov, contains a complete list of federal, state and local government agencies and offices. This will answer questions about what agencies and offices are "out there" and the responsibilities of each. Go to http://www.usa.gov/Agencies/Federal/All_Agencies/index.shtml. If necessary, you can identify which agencies have legal departments by further searching, including going to that agency’s or office’s individual website.
● The best single on-line resource for summer and entry-level post-graduate state, local and federal government legal employment is the Government Honors and Internship Handbook (the "Arizona Guide"). The link to the handbook is: www.law.arizona.edu/career/honorshandbook.cfm The user ID and password for Columbia students is available on Lawnet. (Log in into Lawnet. Under Student Services click on Public Interest Database, then click on Columbia Specific Passwords.)
The Arizona Guide handbook provides the following:
* A list of government agencies (federal, state, and local) that offer summer and post-graduate
employment.
* A current list of employment opportunities with links to the relevant government agency and
department
* Application information and deadlines for 1Ls, 2Ls, 3Ls and LLMs – please note, these
deadlines are subject to change and students should check the Arizona Guide
periodically. You can sign up at the site to be notified of deadlines and dates.
* Agency-by-agency detailed information about: the agencies and offices that hire law students
and lawyers; employment details and hiring history; requirements and preferences for candidates; the selection process and more.
● Additionally, you should become familiar with the PSLawnet.org database, specifically its government section at www.pslawnet.org/governmentcareers. You can register for free on-line access to PSLawNet.
● Also, check out PSLawNet’s 2009-2010 Federal Legal Employment Opportunities Guide on PSLawNet’s Federal Resources Webpage http://www.pslawnet.org/federalgovernmentresources.
OTHER EMPLOYMENT WEBSITES OF NOTE
● Capitol Hill – http://www.hillzoo.com & http://www.RCJobs.com & http://www.opajobs.com/jobs.php?sec=capitol%20hill
● Council of State Governments – http://www.csg.org/
● Federal Careers for Attorneys - http://lawschool.westlaw.com/shared/marketinfodisplay.asp?code=cr&id=5&subpage=1
● Federal Jobs Digest – www.jobsfed.com & http:// www.govtjobs.com
● GovSpot – http://www.govspot.com/
● National Association of Attorneys General - http://www.naap.org/employment.php
● NALP Federal Employment Guide
● National Conference of State Legislatures – http://www.ncsl.org/
NOTE: These websites cannot substitute for investigating individual state, local and federal agencies and offices that interest you for any additional employment opportunities.
GUIDES
There are a number of resource guides on our website and in hard copy form in our office – pick them up any time. They include a public defender handbook, a prosecution handbook, a US Attorney guide, and a guide to working on Capital Hill.
We also encourage students to review a copy of the relevant class handbook we have developed for students. 1L, 2L 3L and LLM Public Interest Guides are available are available on LawNet under the "For Students" tab and at the CPIL office, 9th floor of Little Warren. .
EXTERNSHIPS
We offer a number of government focused externships:
- United States Attorney's Office: SDNY and EDNY
- New York City Law Department
- The United Nations
For information about these and all externships, click here.
PRO BONO GOVERNMENT PLACEMENTS
Pro bono work during law school provides students with important legal practice experience as well as networking opportunities. You can find a tremendous amount of information about pro bono placement opportunities in government agencies on Columbia’s Public Interest Database on LawNet. We also coordinate “in-house” pro bono placements with local District Attorney offices as well as the NYC Law Department, in a number of practice areas. And if you do not find an established placement in the government agency or department of your choice, you may be able to create such a placement. We would be happy to speak to you about placements that would be rewarding for you, and provide you with useful experience in the field as well as excellent networking opportunities.
COUNSELORS
Staff counselors are available to discuss opportunities in government:
- Liz Mackay, Consultant Counselor - Click here to make an appointment with Liz.
- Tanya Greene, Director for Domestic and Pro Bono Programs - Email Tanya to make an appointment (tanya.greene@law.columbia.edu)
SJP/CPIL EVENTS
We present a wide range of on-going speakers, brown bag informational sessions, and panel discussions about a wide array of specialty areas in government service, including pro bono opportunities. The guests at these panels are often CLS graduates. All our events are posted on LawCal and on our website.
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For more information, contact Abigail Meisel at abigail.meisel@law.columbia.edu or (212) 854-3535.