We help you transition from enthusiastic law student to confident legal professional.
Career Exploration
It's normal to start law school without a clear picture of your “dream job.” We're here to help. We stay abreast of emerging legal markets and new opportunities, plus offer presentations, coaching, and library materials to help you determine where your law degree will take you.
Career Coaching and Strategy
Take advantage of one-to-one career coaching. We discuss your ideas, concerns, and everything in between. Common topics include career exploration, job search strategies, and tips for interviewing.
Resume, Cover Letter, and Writing Sample Workshops
You are required to attend a legal resume and cover letter workshop during your first semester of law school. Completing a resume is one of the first steps to preparing for externships and job opportunities.
Personalized Resume and Cover Letter Review
Not only will you complete our workshop, but we take it one step further to make sure your resume and cover letter stand out. All students come from diverse backgrounds and have unique experiences that employers will be interested in. We help you pull out those unique attributes while making sure your materials effectively reflect and showcase your skillsets.
Mock Interviews
It really is true: Practice makes perfect. Legal interviews are intimidating, even for students with previous professional experience. Practice interviews coupled with ample feedback help you shine. Mock interviews can be scheduled in traditional formats, or with situational and behavioral questions.
On-Campus Interviews
Each year, we arrange more on-campus interviews than we have students! This robust program gives you a convenient way to interview for diverse opportunities with prominent employers.
Networking Events
More than half of legal jobs are awarded based upon who you know and being in the right place at the right time. Whether you are interested in launching your legal careers here in West Virginia, in Washington, or across the country, we offer networking events and suggestions to help you cultivate effective professional networks.
Professional Development Events
Professional development means more than learning dinner-table etiquette and what to wear to an interview. Yes, we offer events to foster great table manners and work-place style savvy. But we also have programming focused on developing an appropriate social media presence, time management, and working in multi-generational settings.
Access to Career Fairs
Take advantage of national career fairs and symposiums. Events focused on cybersecurity, intellectual property, and public interest law are popular among our students.
Top-Notch Access to Judicial Clerkships
WVU Law students find judicial clerkships at a higher rate than the national average.
Many lawyers who have clerked for a judge describe their clerkship as one of the defining moments of their legal careers. A law clerk serves as a close adviser to a judge and is uniquely positioned to gain an inside perspective on how courts make decisions. Most clerks find that their experiences behind the bench and the ensuing relationships with their judge pave the way for a fulfilling legal career.
You have the support of the Clerkships Committee, led by Professor Mary Claire Davis, when looking for clerkship opportunities.
Resources for Launching Public Interest Legal Careers
We team up with the Center for Law and Public Service, and WVU Law Public Interest Advocates to create exceptional support for students willing to use their education to give back to their communities. Summer and post-graduate fellowships along with unique relationships with top public interest law employers are just the beginning!
Career Resource Library
Stop in and check out our extensive library, which includes books and electronic resources on career exploration, interviewing, negotiating job offers, and emerging legal markets.
Access to Additional Job Search Tools
WVU Law partners with law schools across the country to provide access to job boards and other resources, no matter where your J.D. takes you!
