Networking and Career Development

Resume Building Opportunities

Law Student Division Leadership Opportunities
As an ABA Law Student Division member, you are eligible for election or nomination to a Division leadership position at the national, regional or local level. There are over 100 leadership positions (elected and appointed) offered each year by the ABA Law Student Division. Representing over 45,000 dues-paying law students is a significant responsibility and requires the commitment of our nation’s most talented and dedicated law student leaders. The various leadership positions entail interaction with practicing attorneys, advocating the needs of law students and helping shape ABA Law Student Division policy. Tell me more

Law Student Division Competitions
The Law Student Division annually sponsors four national competitions. These competitions offer participating students a forum to develop the very skills they will use as practitioners, and a chance to meet and network with fellow law students - future colleagues - from around the nation. Competitions also provide an excellent opportunity for law students to gain important resume-building experience and recognition. Tell me more

Writing and Essay Competitions
Did you know the ABA presents over 100 awards and distributes over $100,000 in awards and grants each year? Over 20 of these awards and grants have been specifically designed for ABA Law Student Division members and ABA-approved law schools, including writing competitions and fellowships. Don’t miss the opportunity to gain recognition for your accomplishments, that of your law school or student organization. Tell me more

Law Student Vice-Chair Positions
ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section (TIPS)
Take advantage of an opportunity to meet and work with trial attorneys, enhance your résumé, and write for national publications. Note: The TIPS Liaison/Vice-Chair program is an independent program and not associated with the ABA Law Student Division Liaison program. Application deadline: November. Tell me more

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Legally Minded

Legally Minded
LegallyMinded is an online community serving the legal profession. Our goal is to create an unparalleled resource that gathers law school students, academics, firm administrators, legal support staff, judges, paralegals, attorneys, law librarians and other professionals to contribute, network, and collaborate online.

The community fuses cutting-edge social networking features, top-notch news and articles, and user-generated content. LegallyMinded enables you to:

Connect with Peers. Expand your professional network using member-matching features to discover like-minded professionals. Find mentors, research employers, or meet new friends.
Share Knowledge. Exchange ideas, files, and schedules within virtual groups and engage with other members via blogs, wikis, chats, and discussion groups.
Explore Resources. LegallyMinded editors scour the Internet for the best content on Careers, Education, Practice Management, and Diversity, among other topics.
Schedule Meetings. Set up meetings with community members using your integrated calendar.
Voice Your Opinions. Rate and comment on community content.

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Selecting a Practice Setting

Many ABA entities provide information and guidelines for law student interested in their specific area of law. A sampling of the resources available to help law student refine their legal education and career expectations while still in law school are listed below:

Learn From Legal Professionals on the Front Lines
Many ABA specialty entities will be happy to arrange for attorneys to visit your law school to talk to students about their area of legal expertise and how law students can prepare to enter their specialized area of the law. Tell me more

Access to Resources Designed for New Lawyers
Young Lawyers Division (YLD)
Join ABA YLD for only $5 and take advantage of these great member benefits while you're still in law school:

Access to The Young Lawyer - a practice-oriented newsletter designed to deliver specific, practical information in an easy-to-read format. It is mailed to all ABA YLD members 11 times per year. Tell me more about The Young Lawyer Newsletter
Access to the 101 Practice Series - an online resource for new lawyers covering basic training in both substantive and practical aspects of law practice. With over 170 quick tips and tools, this series is an essential resource for lawyers in their first three years of practice. Tell me more about the 101 Practice Series
Continue the advantages of ABA YLD membership after you graduate: Advance your career by attending CLE and Professional Development programs at an ABA YLD conference, joining an ABA YLD committee, and even applying for a leadership position in the ABA YLD. The information and networking available through the ABA YLD are priceless resources that will help you advance your career. Tell me more about the Young Lawyers Division.

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Volunteering

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Internships, Fellowships and Clerkships

American Bar Association
Internships at the American Bar Association
Chicago and Washington DC Offices
Occasionally, internships become available for law students to work in the Chicago or Washington DC offices of the ABA. These positions generally include research, project coordination and other legal assistance assignments. Tell me more

Antitrust Law
The Janet D. Steiger Fellowship Project
The Janet D. Steiger Fellowship Project offers 1L and 2Ls the opportunity for summer work in the Consumer Protection Departments and/or Antitrust Law Departments of state attorneys general offices throughout the United States. The ABA Section of Antitrust Law provides each participant with a $5,000 stipend. For details about the Janet D. Steiger Fellowship Project, contact Deborah Douglas at (312) 988-5606.

Business Law
Diversity Clerkship Program
The purpose of the program is to expose more students to business law and business courts and encourage students to consider a career in business law. These clerkship opportunities are aimed at qualified minority or otherwise disadvantaged candidates who have completed the equivalent of their first year of law school. Tell me more

Center on Children and the Law
Internship Opportunity – Washington, D.C. Office
Internships are available during the summer, spring and fall for students with an interest in child welfare issues. One of our Summer ‘08 internship positions will be focused on child and adolescent health; a background in health or psychology is strongly preferred for this position. To apply, please e-mail a cover letter and resume to PilnikL@staff.abanet.org. Tell me more

Criminal Justice
Internship Opportunity
Internship opportunities with the Section are available. Previous successful candidates spent a summer or semester in the Washington, DC offices of the Section, and assisted Section staff with criminal justice policy research, Section Committee projects, and various other activities. (Note: You must be a member of the ABA Criminal Justice Section in order to obtain additional information and an application form for this Internship Opportunity.)

Dispute Resolution
Internship Opportunity
Take advantage of Student Internship Opportunities at the Section of Dispute Resolution office in Washington, D.C. Law student interns focus on ADR research into emerging critical issues under the supervision of an attorney, conduct needs assessment and systems design for dispute resolution in specific practice areas or institutions, and make site visits to local programs such as the D.C. Court's Multi-Door Program. Tell me more

Domestic Violence
Fellowship Opportunity
One year position to begin in August 2008 with the ABA Commission on Domestic Violence located in Washington, DC. Applicants must earn their J.D. from an ABA-approved law school in 2007 or 2008 and must be licensed to practice law in a U.S. state or a candidate for the July Bar exam. Provides a $40,000 salary and excellent benefits. Deadline to apply: December. Tell me more

Environment, Energy and Natural Resources
Fellowship Opportunity
The American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources is pleased to announce the sponsorship of Fellowships for eligible law students during the summer. The ABA Fellowship in Environmental Law, formerly the Minority Fellowship in Environmental Law, is designed to encourage disadvantaged or traditionally underrepresented law students to study and pursue careers in environmental law. Tell me more

Ethnic and Racial Diversity
Judicial Clerkship Program
A joint effort of the Advisory Council and the Judicial Division, this program is designed to bring judges and minority law students together through structured networking activities. Students are able to demonstrate their knowledge and research skills in a small group setting while interacting with the judges in a team building effort. Tell me more

Homelessness and Poverty
John J. Curtin, Jr. Justice Fund
The ABA John J. Curtin, Jr. Justice Fund provides a $2,500 stipend to three law students who spend their summer months working for a bar association or legal service program designed to prevent homelessness or assist homeless or indigent clients or their advocates. Tell me more

Immigration
Clerkship Program
The ABA Commission on Immigration seeks talented law clerks and interns to assist in cutting-edge national advocacy work for immigrants, refugees and newcomers to this nation. Law clerks (law students) and interns (undergraduates) will participate in research and development of various policy initiatives to ensure that immigration laws respect the due process rights of immigrants, to benefit adult and children immigrants and refugees detained by the ICE, and to promote pro bono practices across the country. Tell me more

Individual Rights and Responsibilities
Internship Opportunities
Internships are available year-round and applications are accepted until positions are filled. Candidates should send a resume, a brief writing sample (less than 10 pages), and a cover letter detailing the candidate’s interest in working for the ABA Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities. Tell me more

International Law
Internship Opportunity
The program is intended to facilitate the establishment of legal internships for U.S. law students interested in the practice of international law with overseas law firms. Tell me more

Law and Aging
Internship Opportunities
Seasonal internships designed to provide law students interested in pursing a career focusing on law and aging issues with experience in a nationally known organization in that field. Tell me more

Litigation
Judicial Opportunities Internship Program
Seeks to provide internship opportunities for minority or financially disadvantaged law students, those who are members of traditionally underrepresented groups in the legal profession. The Judicial Intern Opportunity Program is a full-time, six-week minimum, summer internship program open to all first- or second-year minority and/or financially disadvantaged law students who want to do legal research and writing for state or federal judges in participating cities. Students may indicate geographic location preferences on their applications. Interns will receive an award of $1,500. Tell me more

Mental and Physical Disabilities Law
Internship Opportunities
Available for the fall, spring, and summer semesters. Duties include using Westlaw to research disability law issues, cite-checking cases and legislation, and assisting with various other Commission projects. Tell me more

Public Service
Internship Program
The Division for Public Service provides summer internships to design and carry out a public interest legal research and writing project of particular interest to the law student. Tell me more

Rule of Law Initiative
Domestic and International Internships
Applications are now being taken by the ABA Rule of Law Initiative for domestic and international internships for the Spring and Summer. Deadline: Spring Internships--November 15/Summer Internships--February 15 Tell me more

Tax Section
Public Service Fellowship
The ABA Section of Taxation is pleased to announce our new Public Service Fellowship award program, developed to address the need for tax legal service assistance around the country, and to foster an interest in tax-related public service for those lawyers who participate. The Public Service Fellowships are open to recent J.D. and LL.M. graduates and judicial clerks who commit to working in tax-related public interest, non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations for two years. Applicants must select and arrange employment with those organizations prior to applying for the Fellowship, and must confirm that their work will involve taxation or the administration of tax law. Up to two Fellowships will be awarded each year, and the Section will fund the salary, benefits and law school debt service (when applicable) for each awardee. Tell me more

For more information on Career Resources and Opportunities, visit the ABA Career Counsel.

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ABA Specialty Entities Offer Law Student Networking Opportunities

Sections, Divisions and Fourm Committees draw their membership from law professionals with common professional interests, and operate much like independent bar associations with their own officers, dues and committees. They address professional development, improvement of laws, and continuing education through the work of committees, publications, periodicals and journals.

Many ABA Sections, Divisions and Forum Committees offer free or substantially reduced membership fees to law students. Those entities that provide webpages specific to the needs of law students include:

Legally Minded
ABA Online Legal Community
LegallyMinded is an online community serving the legal profession. The community fuses cutting-edge social networking features, top-notch news and articles, and user-generated content. Tell me more

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Job Postings

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Find a Mentor

CLEO diverCITY Network
Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO)
The CLEO diverCITY Network is an online portal recently established by the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) to be “the virtual destination for minority law students.” CLEO is actively encouraging minority/underrepresented law students seeking membership in CLEO to register as a new CLEO Affiliate. Registration is Free. To sign up, click on the “Students” button from CLEO's home page. If you are not familiar with CLEO or their mission, click here.

Mentor Program for Students with Disabilities
Mental and Physical Disabilities Law (Commission on)
This program is open to all law students with physical, mental, or learning disabilities (brochure). Students are paired with practicing attorneys, based on the student's interest in either being matched according to disability, geographical location, or area of interest. Mentors offer students both academic and career advice, in addition to insights into the private and government sectors. Tell me more

Mentoring Certificate Program
General Practice, Solo and Small Firms Division
The ABA General Practice, Solo and Small Firms Division offers a Mentoring Certificate Program for law students designed to expand upon traditional law school education, by focusing on introducing law students to the practical aspects of being a lawyer through real world activities and through the mentor’s insight and guidance. Further, the program is flexible, enabling law students to pick their own mentor and tailor the program’s criteria to their own interests. Tell me more

Mentoring Program
Health Law Section
When most people think of health law, they think of Medical Malpractice. Health law encompasses so much more, touching on employment laws, contracts, transactional issues, and yes, even medical malpractice. Does your school have a Health Law organization? Would you like access to experienced health law attorneys to speak at your school? The Health Law Section can help. For more information, contact Marc Meyer (marcmeyer36@yahoo.com), Law Student Division Liaison to the Health Law Section.

Mentoring Program for Third Year Law Students
Labor and Employment Law
The Section of Labor and Employment Law sponsors a voluntary mentoring program, open to all lawyer and third year law student Section members. This program matches new Section members seeking guidance in their practice with veteran members who have experience in a particular aspect of the labor and employment law field. Matches are made based on interest, affiliation, geographic location, and any other criteria provided. Tell me more.

Listserve for Law Students in Recovery
Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs
A listserve has been developed by the ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs (CoLAP) to provide a confidential email vehicle for law students who want to get, or stay, clean and sober while in law school. This is a chance for students to connect with and ask questions of their law student peers throughout the US and share their experience, strength and hope. Interested law students should email the CoLAP Director, Donna Spilis (spilisd@staff.abanet.org and be prepared to talk a bit about your history, need and desire to communicate with other law students facing similar challenges. Tell me more

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Resources for Minority Law Students

CLEO diverCITY Network
Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO)
The CLEO diverCITY Network is an online portal recently established by the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) to be “the virtual destination for minority law students.” CLEO is actively encouraging minority/underrepresented law students seeking membership in CLEO to register as a new CLEO Affiliate. Registration is Free. To sign up, click on the “Students” button from CLEO's home page. If you are not familiar with CLEO or their mission, click here.

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ABA Law School Visits

Why Antitrust?
Section of Antitrust Law
"Why Antitrust?" was developed by the ABA Section of Antitrust Law to encourage law students to consider antitrust law as a career. Representatives from private firms, the government, in-house and academia come together at various law schools around the country to discuss why they embarked on a career in antitrust, and talk about their experiences and the benefits they have realized from practicing in this area of law. Tell me more

Pathways to Employment in International Law
Section of International Law
The Section of International Law invites your law school to join their national tour! If you are interested in attending a program or hosting one at your law school, please contact Angela Benson at bensona@staff.abanet.org or (202) 662-1664. Tell me more

National Directory of Law School Disability Programs
Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law
The ABA Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law launched an online national directory that will allow potential law students to search for law schools that offer disability-related curriculum. This resource is the first of its kind and allows students to easily search ABA-approved law schools to find those that offer courses and clinical programs in disability or mental health law. The directory also includes student organizations for law students with disabilities and contact information for those seeking assistance. Tell me more

Begin a Real Estate Organization at Your Law School
Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law (RPTE)
Wish your school had a real estate organization? Wish you could get America's most successful real estate attorneys to come speak at your school? Find out how you and your school can start a new student branch of RPTE ("Rippity"). Tell more more

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