Converting PI Resume for Firms Forum

[Anonymous User]

Current 1L at T14 and I'm thinking about how I'm supposed to frame my resume for applying to 1L jobs and for OCI next year. Up until now everything I have done has a public interest focus. I have a graduate degree relating to public interest, I worked for several years in a public interest organization, and I have a ton of volunteer work and such. There were legal parts to my jobs and volunteer work, but again all public interest. I feel like firms looking at my resume will view me as a flight risk, even when I'm genuinely not looking to use my law degree for anything public interest- related.

So, my question is how do I frame my resume/myself in the best possible light to firms to convert an interest in big law work, to use my past experiences as a positive, and to downplay any views they may have of me as a flight risk?

Thanks!

[BeenDidThat]

Current 1L at T14 and I'm thinking about how I'm supposed to frame my resume for applying to 1L jobs and for OCI next year. Up until now everything I have done has a public interest focus. I have a graduate degree relating to public interest, I worked for several years in a public interest organization, and I have a ton of volunteer work and such. There were legal parts to my jobs and volunteer work, but again all public interest. I feel like firms looking at my resume will view me as a flight risk, even when I'm genuinely not looking to use my law degree for anything public interest- related.

So, my question is how do I frame my resume/myself in the best possible light to firms to convert an interest in big law work, to use my past experiences as a positive, and to downplay any views they may have of me as a flight risk?

Thanks!

The public interest experience is fairly common and won't hurt you. Just highlight useful, value-adding things you did. For example, if you did intake for a public defenders' office, say something like you did legal intake and gathered basic case facts in order to allow attorney supervisors to begin to develop legal strategies. If you chimed in on a conference call or something, frame that in a truthful but sales-y way to show how you add value.

In law firms, junior associates primarily do the more minor tasks that senior associates/partners don't want or don't have time to do. All you do is try to free up senior assc/partner time so that both of you can bill all the time and they don't have to deal with boring shit. That's adding value. So highlight stuff you did in your public interest work that assisted those above you or moved the ball for your organization. And don't sell yourself short; be truthful but brag a bit.

[Anonymous User]

Thanks for this. I've been brainstorming ways to highlight the legal aspects of what I did, and to spin it in a way that would seem valuable to a firm. Glad it sounds like the right way to go!