Pursuing Unicorn Jobs Forum
Forum rules
Anonymous Posting
Anonymous posting is only appropriate when you are revealing sensitive employment related information about a firm, job, etc. You may anonymously respond on topic to these threads. Unacceptable uses include: harassing another user, joking around, testing the feature, or other things that are more appropriate in the lounge.
Failure to follow these rules will get you outed, warned, or banned.
Anonymous Posting
Anonymous posting is only appropriate when you are revealing sensitive employment related information about a firm, job, etc. You may anonymously respond on topic to these threads. Unacceptable uses include: harassing another user, joking around, testing the feature, or other things that are more appropriate in the lounge.
Failure to follow these rules will get you outed, warned, or banned.
-
- Posts: 32
- Joined: Fri Mar 29, 2013 4:56 pm
Pursuing Unicorn Jobs
Current Situation: I'm very near the top (4th-7th in the class, probably) of a lower T-14 after 1 semester, with no reason to think it'll change. I'm summering with an AUSA while also RAing for a prominent ConLaw professor.
Goal: Assume I want to shoot for a unicorn job in domestic civil rights litigation or international human rights. I know my chances are pretty shit regardless, but my question is how do I make the best go of it? Specifically, what do I try to do 2L summer?
Note: Money isn't an issue (little debt, supportive family), and family/friends probably guarantee some sort of midlaw employment in my home secondary market if I fail, anyway. Plus I assume any advice will include looking for a clerkship, which gives a bit more search time if I change my mind.
Goal: Assume I want to shoot for a unicorn job in domestic civil rights litigation or international human rights. I know my chances are pretty shit regardless, but my question is how do I make the best go of it? Specifically, what do I try to do 2L summer?
Note: Money isn't an issue (little debt, supportive family), and family/friends probably guarantee some sort of midlaw employment in my home secondary market if I fail, anyway. Plus I assume any advice will include looking for a clerkship, which gives a bit more search time if I change my mind.
- JenDarby
- Posts: 17362
- Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2010 3:02 am
Re: Pursuing Unicorn Jobs
I'm sorry, I hate to be this person, but this cracked me up.Mentally_AFK wrote:Current Situation: I'm very near the top (4th-7th in the class, probably) of a lower T-14 after 1 semester, with no reason to think it'll change. I'm summering with an AUSA while also RAing for a prominent ConLaw professor.
Goal: Assume I want to shoot for a unicorn job in domestic civil rights litigation or international human rights. I know my chances are pretty shit regardless, but my question is how do I make the best go of it? Specifically, what do I try to do 2L summer?
Note: Money isn't an issue (little debt, supportive family), and family/friends probably guarantee some sort of midlaw employment in my home secondary market if I fail, anyway. Plus I assume any advice will include looking for a clerkship, which gives a bit more search time if I change my mind.
If you see worldtravler around, shoot her a message about international human rights. I know one person at my school who has landed there, and she had pre-law school experience in the field and has spent her summers in places like Kenya doing I really don't know what. That person busted his ass to find every possible person/organization/etc to seek out for a post grad position and just managed one recently.
- patogordo
- Posts: 4826
- Joined: Tue Jan 14, 2014 3:33 am
Re: Pursuing Unicorn Jobs
if you really want to improve international human rights, just become POTUS
- ph14
- Posts: 3227
- Joined: Mon Sep 12, 2011 11:15 pm
Re: Pursuing Unicorn Jobs
1. Keep grades up (improve grades, ideally).Mentally_AFK wrote:Current Situation: I'm very near the top (4th-7th in the class, probably) of a lower T-14 after 1 semester, with no reason to think it'll change. I'm summering with an AUSA while also RAing for a prominent ConLaw professor.
Goal: Assume I want to shoot for a unicorn job in domestic civil rights litigation or international human rights. I know my chances are pretty shit regardless, but my question is how do I make the best go of it? Specifically, what do I try to do 2L summer?
Note: Money isn't an issue (little debt, supportive family), and family/friends probably guarantee some sort of midlaw employment in my home secondary market if I fail, anyway. Plus I assume any advice will include looking for a clerkship, which gives a bit more search time if I change my mind.
2. Write-on to law review.
3. Publish great note.
4. Develop professor connections in your field who are willing to go to bat for you. Ask them for advice.
5. Develop work experience in your field of interest (both during 1L and 2L). Consider a clinic during law school.
6. Obtain clerkship with a prominent judge.
7. Have a great narrative and story for why you want to do "domestic civil rights litigation" or "international human rights" and for why you want to work for the organizations that do those activities. Make sure your resume and everything shows why you would be a really good fit for the position.
8. Pursue the positions aggressively, apply broadly, and be persistent. This means you should apply, for example, without being picky about geographic location, etc.
It's definitely a good thing that you are starting to think about how to pursue these jobs, but at the same time, don't get too cocky about your credentials.
- worldtraveler
- Posts: 8676
- Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2007 4:47 am
Re: Pursuing Unicorn Jobs
If you want international human rights, start networking like crazy right now. Talk to all the HR profs and ask them to put you in tough with people who work in the field.
Look up every fellowship in existence that is remotely related to what you want and look at the qualifications for who got those. Try and be like those people.
Grades and everything are nice, but I think people have a huge misconception that grades have much to do with getting IHR jobs. Language skills, experience, elite school, and connections are way more important.
Look up every fellowship in existence that is remotely related to what you want and look at the qualifications for who got those. Try and be like those people.
Grades and everything are nice, but I think people have a huge misconception that grades have much to do with getting IHR jobs. Language skills, experience, elite school, and connections are way more important.
Want to continue reading?
Register now to search topics and post comments!
Absolutely FREE!
Already a member? Login
-
- Posts: 609
- Joined: Thu Feb 10, 2011 12:26 am
Re: Pursuing Unicorn Jobs
.
Last edited by JusticeJackson on Wed May 28, 2014 4:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- worldtraveler
- Posts: 8676
- Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2007 4:47 am
Re: Pursuing Unicorn Jobs
I'm assuming he/she is talking about working for something like CCR or RFK center.JusticeJackson wrote:I don't know what this is, except maybe DOJ civil rights. I'd make a list of employers that do whatever this is, and do internships with them. You could probably do a summer at DOJ civil rights pretty easy, if that's what you're looking for. Then you could target that down the line, either through honors program or afer a stint in biglaw or some other gap filler.Mentally_AFK wrote:domestic civil rights litigation or international human rights.
-
- Posts: 32
- Joined: Fri Mar 29, 2013 4:56 pm
Re: Pursuing Unicorn Jobs
Fair enough. My ego needs some deflation.JenDarby wrote: I'm sorry, I hate to be this person, but this cracked me up.
Thanks for the advice and the reality check.ph14 wrote:1. Keep grades up (improve grades, ideally).Mentally_AFK wrote:Current Situation: I'm very near the top (4th-7th in the class, probably) of a lower T-14 after 1 semester, with no reason to think it'll change. I'm summering with an AUSA while also RAing for a prominent ConLaw professor.
Goal: Assume I want to shoot for a unicorn job in domestic civil rights litigation or international human rights. I know my chances are pretty shit regardless, but my question is how do I make the best go of it? Specifically, what do I try to do 2L summer?
Note: Money isn't an issue (little debt, supportive family), and family/friends probably guarantee some sort of midlaw employment in my home secondary market if I fail, anyway. Plus I assume any advice will include looking for a clerkship, which gives a bit more search time if I change my mind.
2. Write-on to law review.
3. Publish great note.
4. Develop professor connections in your field who are willing to go to bat for you. Ask them for advice.
5. Develop work experience in your field of interest (both during 1L and 2L). Consider a clinic during law school.
6. Obtain clerkship with a prominent judge.
7. Have a great narrative and story for why you want to do "domestic civil rights litigation" or "international human rights" and for why you want to work for the organizations that do those activities. Make sure your resume and everything shows why you would be a really good fit for the position.
8. Pursue the positions aggressively, apply broadly, and be persistent. This means you should apply, for example, without being picky about geographic location, etc.
It's definitely a good thing that you are starting to think about how to pursue these jobs, but at the same time, don't get too cocky about your credentials.
Same as above.worldtraveler wrote:If you want international human rights, start networking like crazy right now. Talk to all the HR profs and ask them to put you in tough with people who work in the field.
Look up every fellowship in existence that is remotely related to what you want and look at the qualifications for who got those. Try and be like those people.
Grades and everything are nice, but I think people have a huge misconception that grades have much to do with getting IHR jobs. Language skills, experience, elite school, and connections are way more important.
Domestic civil rights work frankly looks much more likely, given everything y'all have said, as well as what I've read elsewhere.