» Job Search

Alumni Counseling
Whether you are searching for your first job after law school or seeking to make a transition later in your career, we are here to counsel you and provide information to you as you develop as a professional. This includes search techniques, database training, practice area exploration, and mock interviews, as well as resume/cover letter reviews.

Contact a counselor directly to schedule an appointment.

Alumni Job Seeker Listserv
We created the "Alumni Job Seeker Listserv” as a more efficient means of bringing job and networking opportunities to your immediate attention.

Contact the Assistant Director, Third-Year Students and Alumni to be added to the listserv.

We encourage students to reference the Externship TWEN page listing to explore employers from many sectors who may be seeking externs/interns. The Externship Program a number of existing externships and, through the efforts of the Externship Director, will also work with students to explore new externships where appropriate. As an example, in 2008, the Fowler School of Law established a new externship program with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, upon the request of a third-year student who had made initial contact with the team.

Explore the Externship Program. 

Contact the Director of the Externship Program.

Participants in fellowship programs obtain many professional and personal benefits. Post-graduate fellowships offer opportunities to:

• Develop expertise in a particular area of law or public service; 

• Acquire employment contacts for post-fellowship job openings, within and outside of the host organization; 

• Work in fields and with organizations that usually only hire more experienced lawyers and professionals; and
• Gain notable recognition of accomplishments for future employment. 

Federal Government Hiring

The federal government is the nation's largest employer, with more than 1.67 million full-time, permanent workers (excluding the U.S. Postal Service). The Career Services Office has created a webpage devoted exclusively to educate candidates about taking advantage of these vast opportunities.

Explore federal government hiring.

State & Local Government Hiring & Networking Opportunities

Explore state and local government career resources.

Explore state-by-state list of government career resources.

Below you will find a list of organizations that provide valuable networking opportunities to students interested in state and local government opportunities.  In many government practice areas much of the networking is done through trade organizations such as those below, as opposed to a bar association.

State & Local Government Networking Opportunities (.pdf)

Orange County District Attorney

The District Attorney’s (DA) office is a great way to gain litigation experience and/or is a wonderful career. 

Click here for more information regarding DA hiring.  

The Career Service Office subscribes annually to the Government Honors & Internship Handbook which is published by Arizona Handbooks, L.L.C. The Handbook includes detailed information on over 100 federal, state, and local government honors programs (legal internships - both paid and unpaid). In addition, there are entry-level attorney positions which you may apply for through the Honor's Program.

Explore the Government Honors & Internship Handbook.

Public Policy Handbook

Many career opportunities available in the public policy arena. The Public Policy Handbook is still growing and currently contains information about hundreds of employers who are offering internship and fellowship programs. In addition to opportunities in the DC area and New York City (where a majority of public policy organizations are headquartered), it now includes many states. The federal government is the nation's largest employer, with more than one million full-time, permanent workers (excluding the U.S. Postal Service).

Explore the Public Policy Handbook.

Public Policy Career & Scholarship Database

PublicPolicyDegree.com is a comprehensive online resource for students considering a degree in public policy.

Search Scholarships.
Search Careers.

PSJD (formerly PSLawNet)

PSJD is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive online resource for law students and attorneys to find public service employment opportunities. The database includes open job postings for attorney positions, post-graduate fellowships, and paid and unpaid law clerk positions. Additionally, it contains relevant information about securing jobs with both government and public interest employers.



Explore PSJD.

Martindale & Avvo Directory

Martindale is an online compilation of information on individual lawyers, law firms, and companies. Students can use Martindale to do research on prospective employers and interviewers, identify alumni or other attorneys for informational interviews, and obtain useful information for personalizing application materials.



Explore Martindale.  


Another similar resource you can use to research and identify local practitioners is the Avvo Directory.


NALP Directory of Legal Employers

The NALP Directory of Legal Employers lists and provides information on hundreds of legal employers nationwide, with a strong emphasis on large firms. Additionally, the Directory has a feature that allows students to create a mail merge so they can easily personalize each cover letter.

Explore the NALP Directory
.

Learn how to use the NALP Directory via the step-by-step instructions

Symplicity

The Symplicity Career Services Management (CSM) system is a password-protected, web-based program through which students and graduates can search for ongoing live job postings.

Symplicity is used by many schools, employers, and associations. Each organization has its own system with its own unique URL and login. If you have previously used Symplicity to register for events hosted by other institutions (e.g., the Consortium's Symplicity used for Public Interest/Public Sector Career Day at UCLA Law), please note that you will not be able to use the same account information to log in to our Symplicity site.



Explore Chapman University Fowler School of Law's Symplicity
.

Explore the Southern California Law School Consortium's Symplicity. 

External Job Search Websites

The Career Services Offices regularly maintains job search websites. They are organized categorically by practice area or field. The list includes websites with live job postings and also helpful information. 



Explore the Job Search Websites handout

We support student and alumni who would like to apply to judges nationwide for postgraduate judicial clerkships.

Explore judicial clerkship opportunities.

The Career Services Office has compiled recruitment information for the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, and Coast Guard. The spreadsheet provides an overview of what the candidate should do before they apply, the application process, the steps the candidate should take after he/she is accepted, and other tips. Please note: This information is subject change at any time.



Download Information about JAG (.xls)

Contact the Assistant Director to inquire about up-to-date JAG recruiter contact information.

Alternative careers typically use the J.D. or one's legal background and applies it to another field(s) where he/she isn't practicing as an attorney.

Alternative Career Materials 

Courtesy of alternative careers expert: Susan Gainen 

Cover Letters and Resumes: Critical Tools for Alternative Career Searches

Getting to "There" 

Alternative Career Positions 

View Susan Gainen's entire presentation at Chapman Law

Field Specific Information

A Career in Compliance?

View the guide on "How to Become a Law Professor" 

Reciprocity

We can request, on your behalf, access to the job boards and career services of other ABA-Accredited Law Schools outside of the Southern California region for limited periods of time. Please note that most schools (including Chapman University Fowler School of Law) prohibit Reciprocity during the Fall OCI season.



Request reciprocity by contacting the Recruiting Program Manager.

View our Reciprocity Policy. 

Bar Associations

Bar associations are a valuable way of getting involved with attorneys in a certain geographic region. Often times, the Career Services Office will support your efforts. For additional information about bar associations, please visit the Networking page. 

Out-Of-State Alumni

Law alumni can be a valuable resource in networking and helping identify resources that are out-of-state. The Career Services Office has developed strong relationships with many alumni by working with Alumni Affairs on various events, programs, and outreach efforts.

 Please contact us for more information.

National Job Search Websites

Several of the Job Search Websites we have organized and compiled for our students and alumni have job and internship postings for all 50 states, as well as international postings. We encourage you to review this list and find websites that you find useful and informative; however, we have found the following websites to be particularly useful for searches outside of Southern California:

• Indeed.com 

• Lawstudentjobs.net and grads.lawstudentjobs.net 

• Simplyhired.com