3L Roadmap

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A month-by-month snapshot of many of the key things to know and do during 3L year.

Academics

  • Pre-Register for Fall courses, taking advantage of your academic and career advisers as you plan your schedule.
  • If you are submitting a paper for a Moot Workshop, do so by the deadline.
  • For questions about the Bar exam and admission requirements (including the MPRE which is a separate bar admission requirement), please review Registration Services' Bar Certification page and the National Conference of Bar Examiners' Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements, a 50-state survey of bar admission rules and requirements.

Careers and Professional Development

  • You can now apply for federal or state clerkships at any time as a 3L, with peak hiring season to occur typically in the Spring and immediately after graduation.  Talk to an adviser in the Office of Judicial Clerkships (OJC) to develop your application strategy, including 3L coursework. If you secured a clerkship over the summer, be sure to advise OJC at [email protected]. 
  • If you plan on taking the New York Law Exam (NYLE) in September, complete the New York Law Course online and register for the NYLE by the August deadline.
  • Apply/bid for Fall On-Campus Interviews (OCI), keeping in mind that most public sector employers have mid-August application deadlines. (Both public and private sector employers will participate.)
  • If you are participating in the Early Interview Program (EIP), attend. See counselors in the Office of Career Services (OCS) for advice on callbacks and offer acceptance/deferral. If you have accepted a clerkship, seek advice on how to communicate this to your 2L summer employer.
  • If you are pursuing a public interest or public service position, continue working with SJI on applications for postgraduate government honors programs, postgraduate fellowships (including Columbia-funded postgraduate fellowships), or public interest jobs. Make sure to register for SJI’s postgraduate fellowship newsletter. Note that job and fellowship deadlines can be as early as late summer. 
  • Several Columbia-funded fellowships have application deadlines in the fall. Meet with an SJI adviser, review SJI’s online fellowship materials for specific dates, and plan accordingly.
  • If you secured a postgraduate judicial clerkship, apply to be a Clerkships Peer Mentor. If you plan to apply anew or again, register as "Clerkship Search Active" in Symplicity and meet with a clerkship adviser.
  • If you are considering entering the law teaching market this year or in the future, reach out to the Careers in Law Teaching Program for assistance in preparing your Faculty Appointments Register (FAR) application.

Student Life

  • If you signed up to be a Peer Mentor or Sexual Respect Initiative Facilitator, attend the relevant meetings and programs.

Academics

  • Take advantage of the Add/Drop period and academic advising provided by Student Services as you finalize your courses and exam schedule.
  • If you will be serving on your journal’s editorial board, review the Journal Credits Overview to learn about the credit you may earn in connection with this work, as well as other types of journal-related credit.
  • If you are considering spending the spring term in Washington, D.C. as a part of the Externship on the Federal Government, attend the information session, then apply.
  • Register for the Major Writing requirement by the end of the Fall Add-Drop period.
  • Attend the Global @ CLS information session to learn about the wealth of international opportunities at Columbia Law School.

Careers and Professional Development

  • Attend SJI Mondays and other practitioner events.
  • Participate in the Fall On-Campus Interview (OCI) program for public and private sector postgraduate jobs.
  • If you are applying for government honors programs, do so by the deadlines. (Some are as early as Labor Day.)
  • Attend OJC programs and other judicial events and lectures. Reach out to former faculty or work supervisors about clerkships, and talk with an OJC adviser about how to best prepare to apply after graduation.
  • If you plan on taking the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) in November, register by the September deadline.
  • Continue to meet with your career advisers in OCS, OJC, and SJI to navigate postgraduate job and fellowship applications and offers.
  • Attend the Davis Polk Leadership Initiative informational session about the DPLI Fellowship.

Student Life

  • Get involved in a pro bono project. Projects must be completed by March 1 of 3L year. 
  • If you are graduating in October, register your pro bono hours in LawNet by Sept. 15.

Academics

  • Begin to plan for spring courses by attending faculty-led panels, student-to-student info sessions, and faculty office hours. Meet with your advisers in Student Services, OCS, OJC, and SJI. (Make appointments via Symplicity.)
  • Attend the Experiential Learning Application Overview to learn about clinics, externships, and other experiential learning opportunities in the spring term. Attend individual practice area info sessions to learn more about these offerings. (Applications will be due later in the month.)

Careers and Professional Development

  • Attend OJC, SJI and OCS programs and other events and lectures.
  • Attend the Davis Polk Leadership Initiative informational session about the DPLI Innovation Grants.
  • Several Columbia-funded fellowships have application deadlines in the spring. Meet with an SJI adviser, review SJI’s online fellowship materials for specific dates, and plan accordingly.

Student Life

  • Attend the Spring Break Pro Bono Caravans information sessions to learn about exciting public service opportunities in the United States and abroad.
  • If you haven’t completed your pro bono requirement, register your plan to complete the pro bono requirement with the Pro Bono Office. 

Academics

  • Pre-register for spring classes and the January term.
  • Keep an eye out for emails from Registration Services regarding fall exams. Take note of the deadline to reschedule exams.
  • Reach out to professors about opportunities for serving as a Research Assistant (RA) or Teaching Fellow (TF) during the spring semester.
  • If you are due to graduate in May, apply for the May degree.

Careers and Professional Development

  • If you plan on taking the New York Law Exam (NYLE) in December, complete the New York Law Course online and register for the NYLE by the November  deadline.
  • Attend the Bar Application Information Session.
  • If you plan on taking the February Uniform Bar Exam in New York, register by the November 30 deadline.
  • Several Columbia-funded fellowships have application deadlines in the spring. Meet with an SJI adviser, review SJI’s online fellowship materials for specific dates, and plan accordingly.

Student Life

Academics

  • Focus on your exams, meeting with your academic adviser as needed for exam prep.

Careers and Professional Development

  • Several Columbia-funded fellowships have application deadlines in the spring. Meet with an SJI adviser, review SJI’s online fellowship materials for specific dates, and plan accordingly.

Student Life

  • Take advantage of counseling hours and check out other Law School and university-sponsored wellness programs.

Academics

  • Add/Drop as needed and take note of your final schedule, including exams.
  • Register for the Minor Writing requirement by the end of the Spring Add-Drop period.
  • Pick up your fall term exams and take advantage of your professors' posted office hours if you need to discuss them.

Careers and Professional Development

  • If you plan to take the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) in March, register by the January deadline.
  • If you are considering applying for clerkships now, make an appointment with OJC to learn about the application process.
  • If you are interested in a career in academia, attend the weekly Careers in Law Teaching workshop.
  • If you are considering public service or public interest law as a career, attend SJI’s Planning and Financing Your Public Interest Career series throughout the spring term.
  • Apply to be a Parker Fellow at the International Court of Justice (you must have a thorough command of French, among other requirements). 
  • Participate in the Spring On-Campus Interview (OCI) program (OCS and SJI).

Student Life

  • If you are graduating in February, submit your pro bono hours in LawNet by Jan. 15.

Careers and Professional Development

  • Complete the Graduate Employment Survey in Symplicity.
  • If you plan to take the New York Law Exam (NYLE) in March, complete the New York Law Course online and register for the NYLE by the February deadline.
  • Attend info sessions on bar exam prep, character and fitness, and other bar-related concerns.
  • If you are interested in a career in academia, attend the weekly Careers in Law Teaching workshop.
  • Participate in the Spring On-Campus Interview (OCI) program (OCS and SJI).

Student Life

  • Fulfill your 40-hour pro bono requirement and submit your hours by the March 1 deadline (with the exception of Spring Break Caravans or pre-registered spring break projects).
  • Attend graduation orientation.
  • Vote for student graduation speakers.

Academics

  • Watch out for communications regarding graduation requirements and final exams.

Careers and Professional Development

  • If you plan to apply for state or federal clerkships after graduation, Friday, March 10th, is the suggested deadline by which you should request a clerkship recommendation letter from potential faculty recommenders for classes taken, or research or teaching assistant work, completed in any prior semester. This provides you and your faculty recommenders time to speak about your clerkship application strategy. Follow OJC’s guidance on faculty recommendation letters in its Courseworks page or speak with an OJC adviser for best practices.
  • Complete the Graduate Employment Survey in Symplicity if you have not done so already.
  • If you are entering public service or public interest, attend the information sessions about postgraduate life hosted by SJI.
  • If you are considering a career in the private sector, attend the Transition to Practice Workshop hosted by OCS and the Davis Polk Leadership Initiative.

Student Life

Academics

  • Continue to be mindful of communications regarding graduation requirements and meet with academic advisers in Student Services as needed.
  • For May Graduates: Major Writing and Minor Writing must be completed by the first day of the month preceding the month by which you anticipate graduating (April 1). 

Careers and Professional Development

  • If you are taking the New York Bar Exam, attend a Handwriting Sample Session.
  • If you plan on taking the July Uniform Bar Exam in New York, register by the April 30 deadline.

Academics

  • Focus on your exams.
  • Enjoy graduation!
  • If you will apply for clerkships after graduation, be certain to ask for any remaining faculty clerkship recommendation letters (or updates, if necessary, to reflect any spring term updates) by no later than Friday, May 19th.

Careers and Professional Development

  • If you plan to take the New York Law Exam (NYLE) in June, complete the New York Law Course online and register for the NYLE by the May deadline.
  • Keep an eye out for relevant deadlines and information about clerkships from OJC.  Many recent graduates secure clerkships immediately after graduation.

Careers and Professional Development

  • Prepare and apply for federal and state clerkships by early June, including asking faculty for clerkship recommendation letters, in advance of or in tandem with the rising 3L class. This is the peak hiring season for recent CLS graduates! Be prepared to interview for clerkships in May-July.
  • Study for the bar exam.
  • If you are working in public interest or government in New York City or Washington, D.C., attend SJI’s summer networking events.
  • If you want to keep tabs on grad news from SJI, sign up for their grad newsletter.
  • Consider mentoring a law student or coming back to campus to speak on a panel or meet with students.
  • If you have great job openings at your organization, agency, judicial chambers, or firm, please share them with OCS, OJC, or SJI.
  • Let OCS, SJI and/or OJC know if you switch jobs or need help transitioning in your career—they are available to provide resources and support throughout your career.