Job Prospects from Crap Law School Forum

[hiima3L]

Did you fail the bar in June? Not dogging you but employers are gonna ask. Also as I read your initial post it wasn't so much having the congressman make some calls for you so much as having the congressman like write you a letter of recommendation that you can tag to your applications. If it's the second and not the first I doubt that will do much.

What is the generic response for a failed bar exam anyway?

"I didn't prepare as much as I should have" or something.

Failing once is NBD. No one cares. But it's failing 2+ times that becomes an issue.

[abcdee]

You might not be able to get a job at a firm, but that doesn't mean you can't get a JD-required job and work toward a firm job later. Apply for state district court clerkships, prosecutor jobs in rural counties, and entry-level JD-required (or JD-preferred) federal agency jobs. After about three years doing one of those, you might have better luck at a firm. Although, if you go fed agency, you might not have better luck at a firm.

Thanks for the insight. Would you happen to have the site where I can apply to these clerkships? I've actually been interested in clerking for a judge as it boosts my resume tremendously and is highly regarded by employers. Would you also happen to know how difficult it would be to obtain this position with California state judges and how competitive these positions are? I know I stand no chance for positions at the federal level judges within the state.
Also what do you mean by not having better luck if I go federal agency?
Thanks again.

Based on your posts, I think you went to a non-ABA-accredited school in CA and failed the bar last July, right? If so, you need some perspective because you sound woefully uninformed.

You are at the bottom of the barrel of applicants in one of the most horrible legal markets in the country. From a school like the one you went to, you have to be in the very tippy top of the class to have any shot at decent employment barring connections. Throwing your resume around blindly is not going to turn into anything. I guarantee it.

You are only going to get a job by proving yourself. This is going to require people getting to know you and your work product. At this point, you need to start volunteering, if that's what it's going to take to get some kind of legal work. Go volunteer for a firm, or a judge, or anything where you'll get meaningful work. Start meeting every possible attorney you can.

You're not going to get any kind of clerkship barring luck, i.e., working for a judge and a spot magically opens up and you are the perfect fit. This is not out of the realm of possibilities (I know someone from a non-ABA school who got a clerkship this way), but do not bank on it by any means. In general, the more rural you go, the better your chances are. There are ADA/PD/County Counsel jobs in the middle-of-nowhere Sierras counties that might be worth looking into. There might even be some CA judges/courts out there that may be hiring...some day.

If I were you, I'd go work for the Congressman. You have very, very limited options when it comes to practicing law at this point.

You are correct I went to a non ABA law school and failed the July 2013 but passed on my second attempt this past February.

I have taken the initiative to look into volunteering since that seems the most logical route for me to take. However, what are your thoughts on possibly obtaining a "law clerk" position for a few months which could turn into a job opportunity? Worst case scenario if I do not get hired would the experience be looked at negatively especially since I already have a license? The only reason I ask this is because I have seen opportunities posted in the fields of law which I have a great interest in.

In addition, another question I had was volunteering as a clerk for a juvenile judge. I see so much about federal and state clerkships looking very favorable on a resume, but how would volunteering for a juvenile judge look? Of course it likely would not be compensated as many of the other levels do, but if its something that will boost my prospects then it would be something to consider would it not?

In regards to your comment about about working for the Congressman, are you implying my prospects of practicing law in general are minimal which is why I should consider this route, or because it could somewhere down the line help my chances?

[Citizen Genet]

Run for Mayor of LA.

[XxSpyKEx]

You are correct I went to a non ABA law school and failed the July 2013 but passed on my second attempt this past February.

I have taken the initiative to look into volunteering since that seems the most logical route for me to take. However, what are your thoughts on possibly obtaining a "law clerk" position for a few months which could turn into a job opportunity? Worst case scenario if I do not get hired would the experience be looked at negatively especially since I already have a license? The only reason I ask this is because I have seen opportunities posted in the fields of law which I have a great interest in.

In addition, another question I had was volunteering as a clerk for a juvenile judge. I see so much about federal and state clerkships looking very favorable on a resume, but how would volunteering for a juvenile judge look? Of course it likely would not be compensated as many of the other levels do, but if its something that will boost my prospects then it would be something to consider would it not?

In regards to your comment about about working for the Congressman, are you implying my prospects of practicing law in general are minimal which is why I should consider this route, or because it could somewhere down the line help my chances?

Obviously taking a paid law clerk position at a firm is better than volunteering, if you're interested in working for a law firm. The reason people are suggesting to volunteer is because it's likely you won't get a paid law clerk positions.

Working for a juvenile judge will likely open up options for juvenile related positions, and could lead to some other positions that involve juvenile cases (e.g. a PD's office). You really need to take ANY job you can get (paid or unpaid); you don't have the option to be picky in terms of what you should or shouldn't apply to.

Run for Mayor of LA.

OP has to fail the CA bar at least 3 more times to be sufficiently qualified for that position

[XxSpyKEx]

You are correct I went to a non ABA law school and failed the July 2013 but passed on my second attempt this past February.

I have taken the initiative to look into volunteering since that seems the most logical route for me to take. However, what are your thoughts on possibly obtaining a "law clerk" position for a few months which could turn into a job opportunity? Worst case scenario if I do not get hired would the experience be looked at negatively especially since I already have a license? The only reason I ask this is because I have seen opportunities posted in the fields of law which I have a great interest in.

In addition, another question I had was volunteering as a clerk for a juvenile judge. I see so much about federal and state clerkships looking very favorable on a resume, but how would volunteering for a juvenile judge look? Of course it likely would not be compensated as many of the other levels do, but if its something that will boost my prospects then it would be something to consider would it not?

In regards to your comment about about working for the Congressman, are you implying my prospects of practicing law in general are minimal which is why I should consider this route, or because it could somewhere down the line help my chances?

Obviously taking a paid law clerk position at a firm is better than volunteering, if you're interested in working for a law firm. The reason people are suggesting to volunteer is because it's likely you won't get a paid law clerk positions.

Working for a juvenile judge will likely open up options for juvenile related positions, and could lead to some other positions that involve juvenile cases (e.g. a PD's office). You really need to take ANY legal job you can get (paid or unpaid); you don't have the option to be picky in terms of what you should or shouldn't apply to. Realize that at this point the likelihood that you'll ever practice law is extremely low, so getting substantive legal experience ANYWHERE will help you a ton.

Run for Mayor of LA.

OP has to fail the CA bar at least 3 more times to be sufficiently qualified for that position

[hiima3L]

You are correct I went to a non ABA law school and failed the July 2013 but passed on my second attempt this past February.

I have taken the initiative to look into volunteering since that seems the most logical route for me to take. However, what are your thoughts on possibly obtaining a "law clerk" position for a few months which could turn into a job opportunity? Worst case scenario if I do not get hired would the experience be looked at negatively especially since I already have a license? The only reason I ask this is because I have seen opportunities posted in the fields of law which I have a great interest in.

In addition, another question I had was volunteering as a clerk for a juvenile judge. I see so much about federal and state clerkships looking very favorable on a resume, but how would volunteering for a juvenile judge look? Of course it likely would not be compensated as many of the other levels do, but if its something that will boost my prospects then it would be something to consider would it not?

In regards to your comment about about working for the Congressman, are you implying my prospects of practicing law in general are minimal which is why I should consider this route, or because it could somewhere down the line help my chances?[/quote]

It's impossible to tell whether volunteering will turn into a full-time job and when that could happen. But I can tell you with 100% certainty that volunteer is infinitely better than doing nothing at this point. You already seemingly have a huge resume gap (1+ year). That is reaching the point of no return, i.e., forcing you to look beyond legal jobs for something.

If I were you, I'd be trying to find a legal job ANYWHERE for ANY pay. I hate to break it to you, but you are going to be extremely lucky to find much at this point. You should be considering any and all options to find some kind of remotely meaningful legal work.

Re the Congressman. Yes, your legal job options are vanishingly small at this point. If you worked for a Congressman, you could easily spin that all kinds of ways. Moreover, those kinds of connections are huge. Congressmembers are extremely connected and if this Congressman is a cool dude, he could probably help you out in some way. That way, if you're volunteering for him, it doesn't look like you're twiddling your thumbs. At least you could BS something about wanting to get to know the legislative branch, etc. Plenty of JDs/lawyers work in politics, so it'd be totally believable.

[JBBroadShot]

I'd also recommend making sure your interview skills are rock solid so whatever interviews you do get, you nail. If you're pretty confident in them, still practice a lot with friends, in front of the mirror, etc. If you feel a little shaky, it might be worth getting an interview coach for a session or two. There are a ton out there if you do some Googling. From experience I can recommend http://www.premierinterview.com. I've also heard good things about http://www.interviewcoach.com, but I'm sure the majority are solid.