The mission of the Office of Career Services (OCS) is to provide the resources and professional environment to enable students to achieve their career goals. The OCS assists students in their self-directed career searches by advising them about career options and job search strategies and creating opportunities for them to connect with legal employers. OCS staff provides individual career advising and coaching, assistance with résumés and cover letters, interview and job search training, and offers, mock interviews and resources online through the OCS website. The office hosts numerous career-related programs throughout the year, including on-campus interviews and off-campus job fairs and other recruiting opportunities, seminars, panel discussions and workshops designed to allow students to learn about different career paths and to network with employers. OCS also works with a wide variety of employers to provide students access and exposure to a broad range of employment opportunities.
The OCS is located on the third floor of Carr Collins, Jr. Hall on the east side of the Law Quadrangle. Interview rooms within the OCS are available for legal employers interviewing on campus.
The OCS staff includes six experienced career professionals and an administrative coordinator/assistant. The assistant dean oversees the management of day-to-day operations, creates and implements innovative programs for students and employers and conducts outreach to promote the Dedman School of Law and students to legal employers. The assistant dean, all directors and the senior associate director share JD counseling duties and work together to generate semester, summer and post-graduate job opportunities in the private sector with large, mid-size, boutique and small-firms and corporations. OCS has two advisers dedicated to working with the judiciary to develop internships and post-graduate judicial clerkships. The senior associate director manages all arrangements with employers and students relating to on-campus and off-campus interview and résumé collection programs and oversees all job fairs, special events and programs. The administrative coordinator/assistant works closely with the senior associate director to coordinate recruiting events and programs and maintains technology services and databases, such as the OCS website and the OCS career management software. OCS has a special career advisor dedicated to working with alumni and advising International, General and Tax LL.M., and SJD candidates. All members of the OCS staff develop and present programs and opportunities to nurture and enhance the professional development of all students.
Career advising is available to all students by appointment throughout the calendar year. Each student is assigned a career advisor who advises and coaches the student throughout their law school career. An individual career advising session might include a discussion of the student’s career goals, how to align experiences with goals, how to build a resume utilizing one of the school’s fifteen experiential clinic or externship opportunities, planning an individualized job search strategy, reviewing and revising a résumé or cover letter, a direct referral to an employer and/or tips on successful interviewing. Advisers are always available on an informal basis to answer questions and guide students through the job search process.
The OCS maintains a library of career resources digitally on the Career Services website. The Career Services website contains a wide variety of publications on career and job search information, legal specialties and judicial clerkships. Students have access to directories for courts, government agencies, nonprofit and public interest organizations, and corporations throughout the country. The office subscribes to a database that students use to manage the on-campus and off-campus recruiting programs, from the application process to scheduling interviews. Students also use the database to conduct research on legal employers and access the online job bank for job opportunities posted by the OCS.
SMU Dedman School of Law is committed to helping our students develop as polished professionals. In furthering that goal, OCS holds the Career Foundations and Professional Summit, a one-day program for first-year students. Through the Summit and other Inns of Court seminars first-year students are exposed to the information and skills required to be a competitive candidate in today’s job market and a valuable contributor to the legal profession, covering topics such as job search strategies, professionalism, networking, résumé and cover letter writing, interviewing skills and the business of practicing law. For all students throughout the academic year, the OCS conducts an extensive range of career-related programs and presentations. To educate students about the many different career paths available to them, including opportunities in private practice, government, and public interest, OCS invites attorneys to campus to share their experiences, to conduct informational sessions, and network with students. Also, OCS actively works with student organizations to promote their career-related programs. Most of the programs are recorded and posted on the website for students who are unable to attend.
The OCS hosts both on-campus and off-campus interview programs for employers. In recent years, more than 100 employers have visited the campus for the fall and spring interview programs. At any time during the year, employers may solicit résumés from students and graduates, including lateral attorneys, by posting a position on the online job bank. More than 1,500 job notices (part-time, full-time, summer, and graduate) are posted each year for law students and graduates.
Dedman School of Law also participates in a number of job fairs during the year, providing students access to local, statewide and national opportunities. The OCS works with the Office of Public Service to promote the public interest job fair, Public Advocate Day(PAD). PAD is where representatives from government agencies and public service employers come to campus to discuss with students their work and the many employment opportunities in the public interest and government sectors. The OCS also facilitates the application process for internships with six local county courts, as well as for the Federal Judicial Externship course offered each term. Law students and alumni also participate in the following off-campus annual career fairs:
Bay Area Diversity Career Fair – San Francisco, California
Boston Lawyers Group, Law Students of Color – Boston, Massachusetts
Diverse Attorney Pipeline Program – Atlanta, Georgia
Equal Justice Works Career Fair – Washington, D.C.
Heartland Diversity Legal Job Fair – Kansas City, Missouri
Hispanic National Bar Association Job Fair – Boston, Massachusetts
Lavender Law Career Fair (LGBT) – Los Angeles, California
IndyBar Diversity Career Fair – Indianapolis, Indiana
International LL.M. Student Interview Program – New York, New York
Minnesota Minority Recruitment Conference – St. Paul, Minnesota
National Black Law Students Association Career Fair – Houston, Texas
Patent Law Interview Program – Chicago, Illinois
Rocky Mountain Diversity Legal Career Fair – Denver, Colorado
Southeastern Intellectual Property Job Fair – Virtual, Atlanta, Georgia
Southeastern Minority Job Fair – Virtual, Atlanta, Georgia
Sunbelt Diversity Recruitment Program – Dallas, Texas
Texas Consortium Public Service Career Fair – Austin, Texas
As participants in all of the recruiting programs, students have the opportunity to demonstrate their interest in employment with a wide range of employers that have identified Dedman School of Law as a top school from which to recruit. To emphasize the importance of professionalism in the interview process and in order to participate in the interview programs, students must sign the Agreement Regarding Professionalism in Recruiting and Employment acknowledging their agreement to adhere to the ethical and procedural guidelines by which the interview programs operate. Students are expected to attend the interviews they are granted and to uphold their commitments to employers. The legal profession is built upon the highest ethical and professional standards, and cultivating these standards begins the day a student enters law school.
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