Exams are done and summer is here!  Now that you have time to read something other than your Constitutional Law textbook, check out PSLawNet’s Summer Reading List.  It’s a great compilation of fiction and non-fiction books that you have missed out on during the past year while you were studying for classes!

The National Black Prosecutors Association Annual Job Fair will be held on Tuesday, July 31, 2012 in New Orleans, LA.  The goal of the Job Fair is to promote diversity in prosecutor’s offices by providing a forum where law students, recent law graduates, and experienced attorneys from across the country can meet and interview with prospective prosecutorial employers at the local, state, and federal levels.  The Job Fair is open to all minorities.

The early registration fee for the Job Fair is $25 for law students and 2012 law school graduates, and $50 for experienced attorneys.  After June 8th the Job Fair registration fee increases to $50 for law students and 2012 law school graduates, and $75 for experienced attorneys.

Past Job Fairs have included some of the following prosecutors offices:

• Attorney General’s Office for D.C.
• Baltimore City State Attorney’s Office (MD)
• Bronx County DA (NY) 
• New York City Law Department (NY)
• New York County DA (NY)
• Cobb County Georgia DA (GA)
• San Francisco DA (CA)
• Orleans Parish DA (LA)
• Harris County DA (TX)
• FBI: Office of General Counsel and Special Agent
• US Air Force JAG
• U.S. Arm JAG
• U.S. Navy JAG
• U.S. Marine Corps Recruiting Command
• U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
• U.S. Attorney’s Offices (multiple states)
• Florida Office of State Attorney (multiple circuits)

For more information, including a Registration Form and a full list of past participating employers, stop by the Career Service Office or the Career Service bulletin board.

The Career Service Department will be open all summer, so beat the fall rush and make an appointment to meet with a counselor over the summer!

The Career Service Department congratulates the graduates of the Class of 2012!  We wish you success and prosperity as you embark on your legal careers! 

Don’t miss out on the upcoming networking club events in D.C., Atlanta, Orlando, and Miami!  Register TODAY to attend one of the following events:

Atlanta Networking Event

• When: Thursday, May 17, 2012
• 5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. – Networking Reception
• Where: Rooftop 866 Restaurant, Midtown Renaissance Hotel – 866 West Peachtree Street Northwest, Atlanta, Georgia 30308

 Miami Networking Panel & Reception

• When: Thursday, May 17, 2012
• 6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. – Panel Discussion on the Landscape of the Miami Market
• 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. – Networking Reception
• Where: Fado’s Irish Pub , Mary Brickell Village – 900 S. Miami Avenue, Miami, FL 33130

 Orlando Networking Club Panel & Reception

• When: Tuesday, May 15, 2012
• 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. – Panel Discussion on Life and Law from the Perspective of Young Lawyers
• 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. – Networking Reception
• Where: Orange County Bar Association – 880 North Orange Avenue, Orlando, Florida 32801

 Washington, D.C. Networking Panel & Reception

• When: Thursday, May 17^th
• 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. – Panel Discussion on the Landscape of the D.C. Market
• 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. – Networking Reception
• Where: The University Club – 1135 16^th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20036

 In order to attend you will need to RSVP by emailing careerservices@fcsl.edu.

Did you know that the Equal Justice Conference will be held in Jacksonville this year?  That means no travel or hotel costs for you to attend!  You can still sign up for this excellent opportunity to network with public interest and pro bono attorneys from around the country. 

• What: Equal Justice Conference
• When: Thursday, May 17th – Saturday, May 19th
• Where:  Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront
• Cost: $100 student registration
• Registration: Online registration is now closed, but you can register on-site

Before you get started with your summer internship, find out what you need to do to get the most out of the experience!

NALP is hosting a free webinar titled “Summer Success: Getting the Most from Your Summer Public Interest Experience” on May 23 at 3:00 PM EDT. This free webinar will give you practical tips on how to develop professionally and personally while interning at public interest offices this summer. Plus, get insider advice from public interest attorneys and community leaders on how to walk away from your summer position having had an invaluable experience!

Register here: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/824680642 or here: http://pslawnet.wordpress.com/2012/05/02/were-hosting-a-free-webinar-on-maximizing-your-summer-experience-come-one-come-all/

How would you like to design your dream public interest career?  Do you see a need in the public interest community and have an idea for how you can fill that need? 

Then mark your calendar for July 6th!  On July 6th online applications for Equal Justice Works Fellowships and Public Defender Corps open to students and alumni. 

Each year the Equal Justice Works fellowship competition selects qualified and passionate lawyers who have developed new and innovative legal projects that can impact lives and serve communities in desperate need of legal assistance.

Depending on funding, Equal Justice Works provides between 40-50 two-year fellowships annually. Fellows receive a competitive salary, generous loan repayment assistance, connections to their prominent sponsors, participation in a national training and leadership development program, and additional support during their two-year tenure.

A lot of students want to work for a nonprofit organization, but aren’t sure of the steps they need to take to get there.  How about learning for someone who has already done it?  Lesley Rosenthal is the general counsel, vice president, and secretary of New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Inc.  Ms. Rosenthal gives these tips on landing a coveted in-house position for a nonprofit organization:

1. Build up your resume. Gain experience drafting and negotiating contracts. Learn nonprofit corporate law, governance, and compliance basics. Understand how business laws and regulations apply in the nonprofit context, and how they differ.

2. Do pro bono or volunteer work, or serve on a nonprofit board. Work with the type of organization you would like to be employed by.

3. Build your network through social networking, bar associations, and legal education programs. List your resume with search firms that specialize in nonprofit searches.

4. Ask for informational interviews—and be sure to ask your contact for suggestions about others you should meet. But don’t go in under the guise of an informational interview and then ask for a job!

5. Show your passion for the cause. Some examples: travel to a troubled area to do relief work, contribute to or raise money for the cause, or launch and manage a social media presence on a pressing social concern.

6. Be informed. Subscribe to trade publications such as Chronicle of Philanthropy, Nonprofit Times, Idealist, Arts Journal, and RSS feeds of newspapers and job Web sites. These publications carry industry-insider information about nonprofits in transition, nonprofits facing regulatory or legal challenges, and general issues of importance to the sector. Job seekers can pick up clues about which organizations may be hiring in the future—or which could be susceptible to a pitch to create a new legal position now.

Go to the Careeist to read this full post.