ABA Law Student Division
2008 Career Fair
Employers' Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the purpose of the Career Fair?
- What types of organizations can participate in the Career Fair?
- Why should my company attend the Career Fair?
- What firms/legal employers will participate in the 2008 Career Fair?
- What firms/legal employers participated in the Career Fair last year?
- Who are the law students that will attend the Career Fair?
- What is an ABA-approved law school?
- What types of materials can I bring to the Career Fair for my table and how should I ship them to the event?
- Will formal interviews be allowed during the Career Fair?
- How do I register my organization for the Career Fair?
- What are the Career Fair fees, payment options and deadlines?
- What is included in my registration fee?
- Are there discounts on hotel and airfare for participants of the Career Fair?
- Will representatives of my organization be required to register for the Annual Meeting?
- How will law students and graduates find my table at the Career Fair?
- What is contained in the Career Fair Program Guide?
- Will my organization be able to take out a formal ad in the Career Fair Program Guide?
- What is the attire for the Career Fair?
- What other activities will the Law Student Division provide during the Annual Meeting for representatives of my company to meet and mingle with law students?
What is the purpose of the Career Fair?
The goal of the Career Fair is to offer employers of all sizes - law firms, major corporations, public interest and non-profit organizations, the Judge Advocate General, judiciary and federal, state and local agencies - the opportunity to meet law students and recent graduates in an effort to facilitate an efficient hiring process within their companies. The Career Fair is structured as a table-talk and resume submission event, which provides law students the opportunity to learn more about the participating firms and agencies, while actively gaining valuable career advice. For legal employers, the Career Fair provides an opportunity to sample the diverse talents of law student leaders entering the legal profession from the 197 ABA-approved law schools across the country and from Puerto Rico.
What types of organizations can participate in the Career Fair?
The Law Student Division seeks legal employers from all size law firms, major corporations, public interest organizations, the judiciary, and federal, state and local agencies to participate in the Career Fair. If you represent a company that is seeking law students or recent graduates to fill your legal summer internships or associate positions, the Career Fair will afford you an opportunity to meet a wide variety of law students from across the U.S.
Why should my company attend the Career Fair?
The Career Fair provides you with a unique opportunity to meet over 600 law students, most of whom are law student leaders on their campus or leaders on a regional or national level. You will be able to expand your legal associate and intern search parameters by meeting a diverse pool of law students and recent graduates from a variety of academic backgrounds in one location.
What firms/legal employers will participate in the 2008 Career Fair?
Legal organization that employ lawyers including law firms of any size, corporations, non-profits, public interest organizations, the judiciary, and federal, state and local government agencies. A list of 2008 participants can be found on the Career Fair home page.
What firms/legal employers participated in the Career Fair last year?
Seventeen law firms or agencies participated in the 2007 San Francisco Career Fair, including seven private practice law firms, four government entities, three military entities and two public interest or non-profit entities. The 2007 employer participants are listed below:
- Arnold Law Practice, San Francisco, CA
- Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, San Francisco, CA
- The Florida Bar Foundation, Orlando, FL
- Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis (K&L Gates), Seattle, WA
- Leonard, Street and Deinard, Minneapolis, MN
- Maslon Edelman Borman & Brand, Minneapolis, MN
- McCormick, Barstow, Sheppard, Wayte, & Carruth, LLP, Fresno, CA
- Morgan, Lewis, San Francisco, CA
- Seyfarth Shaw LLP, Los Angeles, CA
- U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps, Washington, DC
- U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps, Rosslyn, VA
- U.S. Coast Guard, Washington, DC
- U.S. Department of Justice / Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management, Washington, DC
- U.S. Postal Service, Washington, DC
- U.S. Public Interest Research Group, Boston, MA
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Washington, DC
- White & Case, Palo Alto, CA
Who are the law students that will attend the Career Fair?
Most of the 600 law students and law school graduates who attend the ABA Annual Meeting each year are law student leaders. These leaders serve as Student Bar Association Presidents, ABA Representatives, Law Student Division Board members, ABA student entity liaisons, and other campus, local, regional, and national leadership positions within the law school community.
What is an ABA-approved law school?
A law school approved by the American Bar Association or seeking approval by the Association that demonstrates its legal education program is consistent with sound legal education principles. It does so by establishing that it operates in compliance with the Standards set by the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. Complete list of ABA-approved law schools.
What types of materials can I bring to the Career Fair for my table and how do I arrange to ship them to the event?
Materials that are not intrusive upon other Career Fair participants are welcome. If you have special needs such as banners, posters, exhibits that you wish to use during the Career Fair, please consult the Law Student Division before proceeding with your plans. Send your email inquiry to lsd-careerfair@staff.abanet.org.
Will formal interviews be allowed during the Career Fair?
Formal interviews will not take place during the Career Fair. Rather, this is an opportunity for you to observe first-hand the talent and enthusiasm of the law students entering the profession. Employers may collect resumes to follow-up on leads in order to schedule formal interviews with candidates after the event.
How do I register my organization for the Career Fair?
You can register for the Career Fair using a secure electronic registration form. You may also choose to use the PDF version of the registration form to fax your registration to 312.988.6033 or to mail in your registration form and payment using the U.S. Postal Service.
- Electronic Registration Form
- Registration Form (pdf version to mail or fax)
What are the Career Fair fees, payment options and deadlines?
The fee to participate in the Career Fair is $600 for law firms and corporations and $250 for Public Interest Agencies, Government and Military Judge Advocate General Corps. Payment must be received by the ABA Law Student Division no later than Thursday, June 16, 2008 using Visa, MasterCard, American Express or a personal, corporate or government check.
What is included in my registration fee?
The registration fee includes one 30" x 8' table and two chairs, a listing in the Career Fair Program Guide, logo and link on the ABA Law Student Division website, and a lunch on the day of the event for two of your representatives. Tell me more about this listing the Program Guide.
Are there discounts on hotel and airfare for participants of the Career Fair?
Discounts on housing and airfares can be obtained through Experient, a professional convention management company retained by the ABA to manage the registration process for the Annual Meeting. You must register for the 2008 ABA Annual Meeting to receive discounts associated with the ABA Annual Meeting. For details, visit the ABA's Official Annual Meeting website. Year-round discounts are also available to ABA members through Starwood Hotels, Orbitz and Hertz. For more information, visit the ABA's Member Advantage webpage.
Will representatives of my organization be required to register for the Annual Meeting?
If the representatives from your organization or law firm attending the Career Fair have no intentions of participating in other ABA Annual Meeting activities, they will not be required to register for the Annual Meeting. In order to obtain admittance to any event outside the Career Fair, your representatives must register for the Annual Meeting and obtain an official Annual Meeting badge in order to be admitted to events outside the Career Fair.
How will law students and graduates find my table at the Career Fair?
Each attendee to the Career Fair will receive a program including a list of participating employers and a map of their location at the Career Fair.
What is contained in the Career Fair Program Guide?
The Career Fair Program Guide contains:
- A Law Student Division Annual Meeting Schedule
- Floor Plan of the Career Fair Exhibit Hall
- General Information about the Career Fair
- List of Participating Firms by Category
- Employer Listing in Alphabetical Order
- List of ABA-Approved Law Schools
- Law Student Division-specific information and announcements
- List of Law Student Division leadership
- Advertisements for Legal and ABA entities
A copy of the 2007 Career Fair Program Guide is available online for your convenience.
Will my organization be able to take out a formal ad in the Career Fair Program Guide?
For an additional fee, each registered employer may also receive a black and white ad in the Career Fair Program Guide. Submission of advertising copy must be sent via email to the ABA Law Student Division at lsd-careerfair@staff.abanet.org for receipt by June 16. Tell me about advertising rates and deadlines.
What is the attire for the Career Fair?
Students have been instructed to dress as if they are actually interviewing for a position. Business formal attire (courtroom attire). The attire for firms participating in the Career Fair is at their own discretion.
What other activities will the Law Student Division provide during the Annual Meeting for representatives of my company to meet and mingle with law students?
Attorneys and other law professionals who wish to extend their stay beyond the Career Fair are encouraged to register for the Annual Meeting and participate in the more than 200 programs and activities that will take place throughout New York City between August 7-12, 2008. For more information about the ABA Annual Meeting, visit the ABA's Official Annual Meeting website. For specific information about the activities of the ABA Law Student Division please look at our brochure.