by Donna Gerson

Government lawyers seem to enjoy the best of both worlds. Working for the government—whether as a prosecutor, public defender, attorney for an agency or department, or military officer in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps—enables you to practice law, serve your country, and have time to maintain some balance in your life.

Finding employment in government requires advance planning and patience. Unlike the ritual in which large private firms come to campus in the fall to conduct interviews, arrange free fly-back trips, and make offers in relatively short order, the government hiring process can be cumbersome, confusing, and slow.

What’s more, salaries for government lawyers generally are lower than for their private practice counterparts, with median annual salaries for entry-level government lawyers around $38,000. Yet perks such as pensions, loan repayment assistance (under certain circumstances), mentoring opportunities, flextime, and predictable work schedules can outweigh the lower compensation.

Before you start mailing résumés, begin by examining your motivation for pursuing government employment. Having sincere reasons for becoming a government lawyer will help you withstand the arduous application process and pass muster in interviews. Don’t seek government employment merely because you perceive it to be easy. (It’s not.)

Many government lawyers cite as their primary motivating factor a strong desire to serve the public. They relish being part of a larger mission by helping to protect their community or their country. Whether they prosecute criminals, ensure fairness in employment, or help people in countless other ways, government lawyers see themselves as team players who feel they’re part of a larger endeavor.

Working as a government lawyer provides an excellent path toward future employment in the private sector. For instance, if you’re interested in becoming a corporate lawyer specializing in initial public offerings, an entry-level job with the Securities and Exchange Commission is a wonderful way to learn the intricacies of federal securities regulations.

That’s because government lawyers tend to assume greater responsibility earlier in their careers than do many of their private sector counterparts. While their classmates in private practice are organizing documents for a large case or digesting deposition transcripts, government lawyers—including entry-level attorneys—are trying cases, formulating trial strategies, and prepping witnesses. One lawyer I know who worked for the Food and Drug Administration noted that—even as a second-year lawyer—she was empowered to close multimillion-dollar food plants that did not comply with federal regulations.

If you’re committed to federal employment, you might have to move to the nation’s capital to secure the position of your choice. But don’t rule out other large cities—as regional government offices can be found throughout the country.

The same applies to state government jobs. State capitals have the most government jobs, with branch offices of agencies and departments spread throughout each state. In my home state of Pennsylvania, for example, Harrisburg is home to the majority of state-employed lawyers, while Pittsburgh and Philadelphia each have smaller percentages of government lawyers.

If you want a government job, get ready for lots of red tape in the hiring process. Government hiring is not centralized, although there are resources to help you gather information and keep ahead of deadlines. Every department or agency in the federal government hires separately, and state and local hiring processes vary.

Once you’ve decided that government employment appeals to you, consider breaking down your interest into specific practice areas. For instance, if you want to gain expertise in federal tax issues, consider the Internal Revenue Service or the Office of the Auditor General. An excellent book with general information about the array of federal departments and agencies by topic is Congressional Quarterly’s Washington Information Directory (2002-2003), available in most law libraries and career services offices.

After you’ve pinpointed agencies that hold a special interest for you, check their web sites for application information, whether for summer internships or full-time employment. Federal agencies tend to maintain excellent web sites with lots of information. For example, the Department of Justice (www.usdoj.gov) offers detailed information about summer 2003 employment. Updated applications will be available online in August 2002, and the deadline for receipt of applications is Sept. 23, 2002. Your career services office also should post information received from federal, state, and local agencies, so keep a lookout for information and ask for help.

The ABA Government and Public Sector Lawyers Division web site (www.governmentlawyer.org) also offers useful resources for law students. For just $10 above your regular ABA Law Student Division membership fee, you can join the Government and Public Sector Lawyers Division and access a members-only Career Center web site. It features employment and internship openings, links to public law offices, mentoring opportunities with government lawyers, and articles on career issues from the division’s periodicals.

Every October, the National Association for Public Interest Law (NAPIL) sponsors a free job fair in Washington, D.C., featuring many federal and state employers who are conducting interviews for summer positions for first- and second-year students and full-time positions for graduating students. NAPIL usually posts job fair information in early September, so bookmark its web site (www.napil.org) and consider budgeting time and money to attend.

Because government agencies typically won’t pay your travel expenses, the NAPIL job fair can be very economical, especially if you can arrange several interviews on the same day. Many interview slots get filled early in the application process, so make it a point to apply directly to the employers listed on the NAPIL employer list as soon as they’re posted. It’s a great event, and you’ll be able to network during the "Table Talk" sessions and the annual awards dinner.

Two other web sites will be of interest to you: The National District Attorneys Association (www.ndaa.org) offers student memberships for $25, entitling you to breaking news and employment postings. And the National Association of Attorneys General (www.naag.org) posts a master list of state attorneys general you can access at no charge.

A little-known route into post-graduate government employment is the Presidential Management Intern Program (PMI). The program is designed to attract outstanding graduate students, from a wide variety of academic disciplines, who have an interest in and commitment to a career in the analysis and management of public policies and programs. It is a two-year internship program, which enables graduate degree students to be appointed to federal positions as PMIs and also have the opportunity to be converted to a permanent federal civil service position following a successful internship. The PMI application is available from mid-September through Oct. 31 at PMI’s web site, www.pmi.opm.gov.

Be prepared financially. Some summer jobs with government agencies are paid, but others are volunteer internships. Compensation is not extravagant, and you probably can expect to be classified, according to federal government pay scale information, at level GS-9 (about $10 per hour). Volunteer positions might earn you academic credit with your law school, so check out your school’s policy on such credit. If working for free for the summer doesn’t figure into your budget, find out if your law school offers school-term internships for academic credit.

Although the official SF-171 federal employment form no longer is required, you may still see references to it on government applications. A standard résumé is acceptable. For ideas, your career services office should have books containing model résumés for seeking government jobs.

Getting experience with a federal, state, or local agency while in law school will help you decide if government is really the right career venue for you, and it will build your résumé at the same time. Determine whether government employment appeals to you, plan ahead, and be patient with the process. For those who are dedicated to serving the public, the rewards can be well worth the effort.

Donna Gerson (gerson@law.pitt.edu) is a freelance writer who covers legal career issues.