Joan Heminway and I must be thinking similar thoughts because before I even saw her helpful post on business law jobs, I asked my former research assistant Samuel Moultrie to share his thoughts and advice on finding legal employment in this economic environment.
Sam is one of the hardest workers I know and took his job search seriously. He also took a big risk by going beyond the typical employers we had recruiting on campus when we were at Regent Law – mostly non-profits, government agencies, and a few VA and NC law firms. Sam wanted to practice in the state that has the greatest influence on U.S. corporate law and has made it happen. His journey was not and is not easy, but I thought his story might be inspiring. Recently, Sam was also selected as a 2015 Leadership Delaware Fellow. Sam’s thoughts on finding legal employment are reproduced below.
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By: Samuel L. Moultrie
The job market for recent law school graduates is, without a doubt, miserable. While the statistics seem to vary, I think it is safe to say that the supply of new law school graduates exceeds the number of legal job openings. Nevertheless, graduates should not lose all hope. Any law school graduate can find a job, if they are motivated, willing to work hard, and take steps to distinguish themselves.
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My story is a little unique, but not necessarily that different from many others. Despite graduating from a fourth tier law school, my dream of becoming a corporate lawyer came true. After graduating from law school in 2013, I moved to Delaware. It is commonly known that Delaware has one of the toughest bar exams (if not the toughest) in the country. It is also a small, elite bar that requires its members to do a five-month clerkship and a schedule of “clerkship requirements” such as attending a hearing on a civil motion, a criminal trial, and an omnibus hearing before an individual can be admitted. In other words, it’s not the easiest place to be admitted or begin a legal career. When I moved to Delaware, I had no money, no experience, and no job prospects. In fact, I didn’t really know anyone in Delaware and had only set foot in the state one time before moving there. I did not go to a prestigious law school, graduate number one in my class, work as a summer associate for a firm with a Delaware connection, or clerk for a Federal Judge. Simply put, it was a huge risk coming to Delaware.
In addition, often times I felt as if the deck was stacked against me. Most of the people I met in my bar review course came from higher ranked law schools and had been recruited to come to Delaware by a large law firm. In fact, other than a few students at the local law school (where most of the law students don’t even take the Delaware bar), it seemed as though I was the only person without a job already in place. Furthermore, there were very few attorney job openings in Delaware, and they all seemed to require at least 2-3 years of legal experience. I cannot begin to tell you how many sleepless nights I had worrying about whether I had made the right decision to come to Delaware. Yet, despite being rejected by several firms, it all seemed to work out—at least so far. I found a full-time associate position at a well-respected litigation boutique with amazing and experienced lawyers to learn from.
I don’t mean for this to sound like a rags to riches story—it is far from. Rather, I merely offer my story to prove that you do not have to be a highly decorated or well-connected individual to find a job practicing law. I didn’t do anything unique or special. I simply believed in myself and worked extremely hard. With that in mind, I’m sure there are a lot of people that can give you far better advice on how to navigate the legal job market (e.g., start early, craft a thoughtful resume, contact a legal recruiter) than I can. You should listen to them and take their advice seriously. However, I would like to share a few things that I did that I thought were extremely helpful for me when I was looking for a job.
(1) Pass the Bar Exam – This is obvious. Take the time to study and pass the bar exam. Unless you have some great connection, nobody is going to hire you until you are admitted to practice law in your state.
(2) Make Contacts (or at least try to) – I did not have tunnel vision during my job search. I thought about more than just securing a job. I wanted to build a network in my new home. Thus, I didn’t simply sit in my apartment and send out resumes in response to various attorney job listings (that is not to say that you shouldn’t respond to attorney job listings, you should). I did much more. I tried to leverage any and all contacts I had with Delaware. I contacted people I had met during my bar review course, former classmates from law school, and professors from law school (to whom I am forever thankful). I asked if they would be willing to introduce me to any attorneys in Delaware that they knew. Once I was put in contact with someone, I would send an email or letter to that person asking if they would be willing to meet me for coffee or lunch. I asked them questions about practicing law in Delaware, their experience as a young attorney, and what suggestions they might have for young attorneys in Delaware. It was a great experience for me, and I still talk to most of the people that I met.
Also, get involved in organizations or chartable endeavors outside of the law. After taking the bar exam, I began volunteering as a tutor for a local after school program. I also became involved with a local non-profit organization. First, it is always good to give back to your community. Second, it helped me set me apart from other potential candidates. I was asked about my charitable work during every interview, and a few times the individual interviewing me knew of the non-profit organization I was involved with, and mentioned it during the interview.
(3) Read Everything – When I say read everything, I mean EVERYTHING. I wanted to know as much as I could about all potential topics of conversation. I read the newspaper every morning, all the most followed legal and political blogs, a few well-known local and national news cites, all the important decisions from the Delaware Supreme Court and Court of Chancery, espn.com, People Magazine (while standing in line at the grocery store), and anything else I could get my hands on. It was important for me to be able to carry on a dialogue about a wide variety of topics. Moreover, sometimes it is easier to build a relationship with someone while talking about something unrelated to his or her professional life. In my experience, this also really helps during interviews.
(4) Think Long-Term – Thinking about your long-term career goals this is one of the most important things to remember when you enter the legal job market. Your first interview or offer may not be for your “dream” job, but it can still be beneficial for you. You need to think in terms of your long-term goals and not let your pride get in the way. I know a colleague that now works for a large law firm here in Delaware. Upon graduating from law school, he had no job prospects. After searching for months, he finally swallowed his pride and began working as a contract attorney doing document review. After a few years doing document review for one of the largest, most prestigious firms in the country, he got an offer from that firm. There are two important points I took away from his story. First, your “dream” job can come from anywhere and at anytime so don’t pass on opportunities. Second, work extremely hard and provide excellent work product all the time. You never know what will come from it.
(5) Do Not Get Discouraged – You will be rejected a lot. Don’t let it bring you down. Throughout my search, I continually had to remind myself that all you need is one OFFER.
Best of luck in your job search!