{"id":327,"date":"2012-10-15T19:27:05","date_gmt":"2012-10-15T23:27:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/?p=327"},"modified":"2013-09-22T14:39:41","modified_gmt":"2013-09-22T18:39:41","slug":"duquesne-law-grads-offer-advice-to-job-seeking-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/2012\/10\/15\/duquesne-law-grads-offer-advice-to-job-seeking-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Duquesne Law Grads Offer Advice to Job-Seeking Students"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"(\u00a9<\/a>
(\u00a9 Guukle.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

by: Eric Donato, Assoc. Web Editor<\/p>\n

A five-member panel of Duquesne Law School graduates spoke to students on October 11 about their personal experiences and recommendations for succeeding in the tough legal job market. The program, Beyond OCI \u2013 Successful Job Strategies of Recent Graduates, addressed topics that the panel considered vital to breaking into the legal field, including networking, confidence, job hunting and interviewing.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarket, market, market,\u201d said Bryan Brantley, L ’04. \u201cYou have to think of yourself as a commodity, you have to sell yourself,\u201d said\u00a0Brantley, who now does product and consumer litigation work at McGuireWoods LLP.<\/p>\n

Marketing yourself\u00a0is about \u201cmaking yourself known\u201d during the internships and clerkships that are available during law school,\u00a0said Robert Fisher, Jr.,\u00a0L ’03\u00a0and attorney for Edgar Snyder & Associates.\u00a0Fisher\u00a0encouraged students to become \u201cvisible\u201d on the job by socializing with the attorneys that they work with.<\/div>\n
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When meeting an attorney for the first time, \u201cdon\u2019t just ask for a job,\u201d said Melissa Ruefle Spencer,\u00a0L ’04\u00a0at Caroselli, Beacher, McTiernan, and Conboy. \u201cIt\u2019s awkard.\u201d Instead, ask for advice about how to find a job, have an informal conversation about your interest in the legal field, and politely ask that if the attorney hears about any opportunities to get in touch with you, she said. Spencer said that this more subtle form of networking can pay off for students with little practical experience to lean on.<\/div>\n
Networking doesn\u2019t always have to be done in the workplace, Fisher clarified. He suggested students befriend fellow students who may one day be successful and make excellent contacts in the legal field. \u201cYou guys have to stick together,\u201d he said \u201cyou have to form your own network.\u201d<\/div>\n

Confidence was a common theme for the panel, and they agreed that it played a critical role in many aspects of job acquisition, including networking and making an impression at the interview.<\/p>\n

As an evening student who worked to pay for her attendance at law school, Jessica Jurasko,\u00a0L ’04, didn\u2019t have time to get the practical legal experience that her peers did through their clerkships. Jurasko,\u00a0now currently works at eCap Network LLC,\u00a0recommended that students in that position get involved in a clinic program to help them get some hands-on experience while earning credits toward graduation.<\/p>\n

The panel suggested that resumes and cover letters be specifically tailored to the firm that the student is applying for. At the very least, \u201cinstead of saying \u2018your firm,\u2019 say McGuireWoods,\u201d\u00a0Brantley\u00a0said. \u201cYou know, fill in the blanks.\u201d Spelling and grammar, he said, are also key.<\/div>\n
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Appearance and presentation during networking and job interviews is also essential to making a good impression, said Kimberly Tague,\u00a0L ’04\u00a0working at Fenchel Law Offices PLLC. She said that although \u201cdon\u2019t look like a slob\u201d may seem like obvious advice, she speaks with many networking students and job seekers who \u201clook like they just rolled out of class\u201d wearing hoodies and flip flops. Tague also recommended that the prudent job seeker research the firm and interviewer before sitting down for the interview. This enables the interviewee to show off his knowledge about specific aspects of the firm, and demonstrates his diligence, she said.<\/p>\n

The event was hosted by the Career Services Office and the Allegheny County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by: Eric Donato, Assoc. Web Editor A five-member panel of Duquesne Law School graduates spoke to students on October 11 about their personal experiences and recommendations for succeeding in the tough legal job market. The program, Beyond OCI \u2013 Successful Job Strategies of Recent Graduates, addressed topics that the panel [\u2026] <\/p>\n

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