Category: Other

Welcome back pre-law students!  As is typical for our first post of the semester, this is a long one.  But it is chock full of interesting opportunities and events, including our PLAS LSAT Boot Camp, PAID campus internships, the Career Center’s Part-Time Job Fair, and more!  Make sure you scroll through the entire post so you don’t miss out on something.

UIUC is hosting many events to celebrate the life of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., including the Day of Service. Click on the following link to find out more. https://oae.illinois.edu/MLK/calendar.html   

Pre-Law Advising Services Workshops and Programs

We have updated our Spring Semester calendar of events on our website here.

Pre-Law 101 — Monday, January 27, 4:00pm, 514 IUB

Are you new to pre-law at Illinois? Then this event is a great opportunity for you! This workshop will cover: What it means to be pre-law at Illinois; what law schools are really looking for; what pre-law students can do to maximize their undergraduate years; how to build a strong pre-law resume; what resources are available to assist pre-law students at Illinois. For more details and to register, click here.

Get That Law-Related Internship or Job — Wednesday, January 29, 5:00pm, 514 IUB

Looking for law-related internships or jobs? Whether you are a sophomore applying for summer internships or a senior applying to post-graduation jobs, this workshop is for you! We will help you draft a resume and learn important skills for effectively finding and landing law-related internships and jobs!

We will cover:

• Resume tips for applying to law-related jobs/internships, including what to avoid, what to include, how to structure it, and more. Bring your resume!
• How to find law-related internships and jobs, including what to look for, where to look, and how to enhance your application
• How to create effective cover letters that lawyers will read
• What kinds of transferrable skills to highlight

Join us as we provide inside insight into how exactly to land a meaningful internship or job in the legal world.

LSAT Bootcamp—Mark your calendars for Feb. 10 at 4:00 pm. What’s covered on the LSAT? What is it really like to take it on a tablet? How can test takers best prepare? Which LSAT should you take, and how can you plan ahead for a retake? All of this will be covered at LSAT Bootcamp, which includes presentations by both the representatives from the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) and Kaplan Testing Services! Visit this website for workshop schedules and more details.

INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Legal Administrative Intern Opportunity –  UIUC Office of University Counsel

The Office of University Counsel seeks 2-3 undergraduate student interns for 2020-2021. This PAID position will provide administrative support to the office, with specific duties outlined below. Hours per week will depend upon intern availability. Interns will gain experience working in a legal environment and will also be introduced to legal procedures with the possibility of increased responsibilities over time.

Required: Sophomore, junior, or senior standing; minimum 3.0 GPA; consistent weekly availability. Preference will be given to candidates with availability over breaks.

About the office: The Office of University Counsel (OUC) provides legal advice and representation to the university, its administrators/employees, University Related Organizations, and others who seek legal advice arising from their official university responsibilities. OUC attorneys provide advice on an extremely wide variety of subjects. The office staff consists of attorneys and staff with unique skills and specialized training, as well as generalists who are well versed in multiple areas of law and policy. For more information, please visit: http://www.legal.uillinois.edu/

Specific intern duties will include:

• Primary responsibility for answering main phone line
• Directing calls to appropriate personnel (attorneys, support staff, and business staff)
• Greeting visitors and directing to appropriate meeting place
• Copying/scanning/shredding projects as needed including highly confidential legal documents
• Managing, with appropriate supervision, the department car reservations including monthly submissions of mileage to car pool and coordinating the service on cars
• Scheduling car reservations with car pool when the unit staff car is unavailable
• Setting up equipment for video conferencing or other network needs. Tidying up conference space before & after meetings as needed
• Managing the conference room calendar accepting/declining/and advising support staff of potential conflicts
• Managing the staff car, visitor parking space and cash key calendar
• Monitoring the cash key for parking at campus/city meters. Logging time used on the corresponding spreadsheet to track current available balances.   Alert staff prior to funds being depleted from the cash keys.
• Filing library updates
• Distributing mail and taking outbound campus mail to appropriate locations
• Maintaining office and supply inventory
• Assisting with legal and business document compilation, organization and delivery
• Other duties as assigned

To apply: Submit a resume and cover letter to Ms. Carol Hannah at channah@uillinois.edu.
Cover letters should include: 1) Relevant experience; 2) Weekly availability; 3) GPA and class standing; and 4) Availability over breaks.

Deadline to submit applications is 5:00 pm on February 7.

Legal Internship Opportunity — Holder Law Group, LLP

Holder Law Group, LLP, a young law firm in Champaign-Urbana, is looking for interns who want to be involved in a fast paced, high-tech, multi-area, legal environment. Holder Law Group engages in personal injury, medical malpractice, and civil litigation. Attorneys at Holder Law Group have had experience in both public and private sectors of work, including small and large law firms and are happy to share their knowledge and experience. Interns jobs will vary, and be assigned based on capabilities, but may include medical record organization, filing, abstracting depositions, assisting in trial preparations, Court filings, and attending depositions and Court hearings and legal marketing. Work times are flexible and we are willing to work around your academic schedule. Positions are available for fall, spring, and summer semesters as well as during breaks. Please email resumes and cover letters to Ms. Betsy Holder: Betsy@holderlawllp.com  

Undergrad PAID Internship at UIUC in Environmental Humanities for 2020 — 2021 Applications due March 2, 2020!

Environmental Humanities is environmental studies from a humanistic standpoint. Envrionmental Humanities pulls from different movements (environmental philosophy, environmental history, ecocriticism, cultural geography, anthropology, and others) to study the relationship between humans and non-human nature, past and present. The IPRH-Mellon Environmental Humanities Research Group is composed of professors, post-doctoral scholars, graduate students, and undergraduates from different disciplines who are united by their desire to understand the human place in nature, as well as to examine critically the way people make meaning of it.

The research group seeks three undergraduate interns who will work with the group on their seminars, workshops, and programs for the academic year 2020-2021. Interns will also work with the research group director, Professor A. Naomi Paik, to develop their own research projects as well as a research symposium for undergraduates at the end of the spring semester.

Interns will work approximately 10-11 hours per week, paid at the rate of $15.75 per hours, and will have up to $600 to support their research. Applicants must be juniors or seniors the year of the internship. For more information and to apply,  go here.  Remember: The application deadline is 5:00pm on Monday, March 2! Please address questions to: Dr. Nancy Castro, at ncastro@illinois.edu.

LAW SCHOOL EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Diversity Law Day – Indiana University Maurer School of Law – February 8, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Diversity Law Day is dedicated to the idea that the legal profession must reflect the expanding diversity of our society. Joining efforts with the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC), we hope that this day will encourage student from underrepresented and underserved communities to discover career opportunities in law. This day is particularly tailored towards high school juniors and seniors, as well college freshman and sophomores.

Diversity Law Day is free to attend, but registration is required for planning purposes. To attend, simply complete the registration form at www.law.indiana.edu/diversity-day

Contact Kendra Abercrombie, Assistant Director of Admissions and Diversity Initiatives, at klabercr@indiana.edu or 812-855-2704 if you have any questions.

The Wisconsin Statewide Pre-Law Diversity Day is set for Friday, February 28, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Marquette University Law School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This event is open to all students. For more information and to register, visit their website here.  Cosponsored by the University of Wisconsin Law School and Marquette University Law School, this FREE event includes lunch and:

• an update on law school admissions in Wisconsin featuring the University of Wisconsin and Marquette University Law Schools;
• breakout workshops featuring a mock class for students ; and
• law school fair featuring admissions representatives from law schools around the country.  Click here for a list of law schools that participated in last year’s event.

Minnesota Pre-Law Scholars Summer Program – Application Due March 6!

Minnesota Pre-Law Scholars (MPLS) is a program that offers a select number of students a free LSAT prep class each summer at the University of Minnesota Law School. Admission is highly selective and based on a holistic review of the MPLS application material.

College students considering law school, especially rising seniors and those from groups historically underrepresented in law school, are encouraged to apply. The program is open to undergraduate students and recent graduates from any undergraduate institution.

Students will learn about law school admissions preparation from Minnesota Law School staff. The remaining portion of class, taught by an instructor from The Princeton Review, will be dedicated to LSAT preparation and practice exams. Some daytime events such as law firm visits will also be offered. Three (3) excused absences will be allowed during the summer session.

There is no cost to participate in MPLS. However, participants must submit a $100 seat deposit which is fully refundable upon successful completion of the program. All books and study materials will be provided.  The program will run from June to mid-August 2020.

To learn more about MPLS or to apply, click on this link:

https://www.law.umn.edu/admissions/minnesota-pre-law-scholars-mpls-program

Law School Open Houses and Admitted Students Days

As we first mentioned in several of our fall blog posts, many law schools host open houses for prospective applicants and all law schools strongly encourage students to visit their campuses.  Note: spring semester is a time when many law schools will host events specifically for admitted students. Make sure you check the law school websites to see what types of events the schools in which you have an interest are offering.   Listed below are upcoming events for four Illinois law schools.

Chicago Kent Law School Open House, Saturday, January 25, 9:00am-2:00pm.  For more information or to register, go here. 

DePaul University College of Law Open House, Saturday, January 25, 10:00am. For more information and to register, go here.

UIC John Marshall Law School Open House, Saturday, January 25, 9:00am-Noon, or Tuesday, February 11, 5:30pm-8:30pm. For more information or to register, go here.

other campus opportunities

RSO Involvement Fair — Thursday, January 23, 11am-3pm, Illini Union

The RSO Involvement Fair 2020 will take place on Thursday, January 23 from 11am-3pm in the Illini Union (I-Rooms, South Lounge, Courtyard Cafe). This is a great way to find a student organization to join.

Fulbright UK Summer Institutes – Information Session Tuesday, January 21, 3:30-4:30pm, 1002 Lincoln Hall

Fulbright UK Summer Institutes are fully funded opportunities for high-achieving freshman and sophomore students to explore a topic of interest in a multi-week summer program in the UK. Applicants must be US citizens.

The National and International Scholarship Program will be hosting an information session for students to learn about the Fulbright UK Summer Institutes. The information session will take place in 1002 Lincoln Hall on Tuesday, January 21st from 3:30-4:30 pm.

The 2020 summer institutes include:

• Aberystwyth University Summer Institute   (Wales) will investigate contemporary issues in farming and agriculture, including land use and agricultural production systems focusing on livestock agriculture, arable land use and conservation issues.
• University of Bristol Summer Institute (England) will explore how literature, music, visual arts, poetry and storytelling, dance, philosophy and critical social theories have shaped movements for social justice across the globe, with particular attention given to racial justice and the legacies of slavery.
• Queen’s University Belfast Summer Institute (Northern Ireland) will focus on Northern Ireland in terms of its political, economic and cultural relationships within the UK, and with the Republic of Ireland and the world. Participants can choose one of three academic programmes:  Irish Studies, Conflict Transformation and Social Justice, and Story
• Technology, Innovation and Creativity Summer Institute  (Scotland) will feature design and innovation in the context of Scotland, hosted by the Glasgow School of Art and the University of Strathclyde

International Holocaust Remembrance Day — January 27, 7 pm
Illini Hillel and the University YMCA will observe International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, 2020, on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.  As part of the remembrance, there will be a screening of Liberation Heroes: The Last Eyewitnesses followed by a discussion with Scott Gendell.

​Career Center

Illinois Part-Time Job Fair — Tuesday, January 28, 10am-2pm, Illini Union Rooms B and C

The Illinois Part-Time Job Fair is open to all students on campus seeking opportunities to make some extra money and build their career competencies while completing their academics. Opportunities at this fair are paid positions on campus or in the Champaign/Urbana community.  For information about other events and workshops at The Career Center, check out their spring calendar at:  https://www.careercenter.illinois.edu/events.  Now is a great time to update your resume, plan your job search or summer internship, and get to know their office and resources.

The Career Certificate – International Students (CC-I) program is a nationally awarded career program designed to help international students be more competitive job/internship candidates.

• Undergraduate and master’s international students are eligible as long as they are available either Mondays or Tuesdays from 4-5:30pm.
• Attending an info session is mandatory and the application deadline is February 4^th.
• Program details: https://www.careercenter.illinois.edu/career-certificate-international-students-cc-i
• Contact: Un Yeong Park at park351@illinois.edu

Office of Undergraduate Research

The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) is now accepting submissions for the 2020 Undergraduate Research Symposium (URS), set for Thursday, April 30. Deadline for submitting an application to the URS is Sunday, March 1, 2020, at 11:59 pm. The application can be found here. 

The URS is the signature event of Undergraduate Research Week (April 26-May 2, 2020), and brings together students, faculty, and staff from all disciplines on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus, as well as corporate partners and sponsors, to learn more about undergraduate research and its potential to change the world. Students are encouraged to apply even if titles or abstracts have not yet been finalized – they can be edited.  Just make sure the application is successfully submitted by March 1!

We have some changes to announce!

From Jamie Thomas-Ward:

After 11 years as Director of Pre-Law Services, I have accepted a new position on campus and will no longer be providing pre-law advising. I have enjoyed working with pre-law students and alumni, and you can still find me at my Illinois email or connect with me over on LinkedIn. I especially hope that those of you applying this cycle will continue to keep me updated on your law school choices!

An announcement will be made here and on our social media when a new Director of Pre-Law Services is hired.

Spring Semester Appointments

In addition to Pre-Law Advisor Judy Argentieri, Pre-Law Graduate Assistant Alex Gil will be available for pre-law advising appointments. Illinois students and alumni will still be able to schedule using our online system here.

Appointments with Judy–in person, telephone, or Zoom format–are available beginning Jan. 6. Appointments with Alex will begin with the spring semester.

Pre-Law Advising Services will be closed Dec. 21 through Jan. 6 and staff will not be available during this time.

Enjoy your break, and happy holidays!

December is prime law school application season, and our November LSAT registration was high, so we know that this will be a very busy month in terms of our appointments.

Pre-law advising appointments will be available through Dec. 20. Our office will close and reopen on Monday, January 6. Limited advising appointments will be available over winter break from January 6 through January 17. The winter break appointment slots will be released the week of Dec. 15. You can select phone, Zoom, or in-person formats for your appointment. (Click here to schedule.)

Due to a high appointment volume between now and Dec. 20, please make sure to follow these guidelines.

Pre-Law Events

Personal Statement & Resume workshop–Today (Monday Dec. 2) at 4:00 pm. All Illinois students and alumni are welcome, particularly those who will be applying to law school this fall. Register here. This workshop will cover:

• What the personal statement is (and isn’t)
• The role of the statement in the application process
• A suggested plan for drafting it
• An overview of law school resumes
• How to make sure that your resume and personal statement complement each other.

Taking the GRE? We have vouchers that expire Dec. 31 for a $50 discount on GRE registration fees. Email Jamie at thomas99@illinois.edu if you are planning to take the GRE to apply to law school and we can provide you with one of the vouchers.

Law School/Legal Education Events

Harvard Law School Online Info Sessions. Interested in learning some tips about applying to Harvard Law School?  HLS has begun offering online information sessions.  Some concern the admissions process, others offer insight into campus life, student organizations, and clinical opportunities at HLS. Click here to register for these upcoming sessions, and to see the entire schedule. 

• • Need-Based Financial Aid — Dec. 5, 12:00-1:00 pm Eastern Time
  • JD Application Requirements & Insights – Dec. 14, 3:00 – 4:00 PM Eastern Time

AccessLex, a nonprofit working to educate law students about the financial aspects of legal education, invites all who are interested to these free upcoming webinars. Click here to register and to view their full schedule.

• • The Road to Zero: A Strategic Approach to Student Loan Repayment, Dec. 4, 9:00 pm (ET)
  • Your Public Service Loan Forgiveness Plan Webinar, Dec. 5, 4:00 pm (ET)

Internships and Jobs

We’ll be posting our winter break Internship Newsletter on Dec. 9! We’ve also been posting internships and job opportunities for December grads over on our Pre-Law Compass page and on our Facebook page. Follow us on Facebook to make sure you don’t miss any postings!

Career Center https://www.careercenter.illinois.edu/

Handshake–Looking for internships, jobs, career fairs, networking receptions, or other professional opportunities? Handshake is where it’s at! All students, not just seniors, should set up an account and start checking in on a consistent basis to see what opportunities interest you. Set up your account here.

ALL students should utilize the Career Center’s services! They offer a variety of programs to help you identify career paths through workshops, career fairs and individual meetings. Click on the link above to view all of their offerings.

Here are some of their upcoming events:

• • • International Student Career Meetup: What Employers are Looking For – Dec. 6, 4:30-6:30pm, Career Center Conference Room (143)
    • Peace Corps Drop Ins – Dec. 6 & Dec. 10, 10:30-12:30, Career Center Resource Room
    • Resume, Cover Letter, and Linked In Reviews are offered almost every day. Check the website for times and locations.

Scholarships

UK Summer Fulbright Information Session–Dec. 6, 3:00-4:00 pm, 1090 Lincoln Hall.

The US-UK Fulbright Commission offers special Summer Institutes for US citizens to come to the UK.  These summer programs provide the opportunity for undergraduates (aged over 18), with at least two years of undergraduate study left to complete, to come to the UK on a three, four, five, or six week academic and cultural summer program.  There were nine Summer Programs available for US students in 2019.  The Summer Institutes cover the majority of the participant costs (round-trip airfare from the US to the UK, tuition and fees at the university, room and board, and social programs).  More information about the institutes and their application can be found at: http://www.fulbright.org.uk/fulbright-awards/exchanges-to-the-uk/undergraduates.

This info session will tell you everything you need to know about the benefits of attending a UK Fulbright Summer Institute and how to be a competitive applicant. We hope to see you there!

Are you an undergrad student applying to legal jobs and internships? Or getting ready to graduate and applying to full-time legal jobs before law school? Either way, here are tips for prepping your resume.

Keep updating your resume. You should be ready to apply for positions as soon as they are posted–the earlier, the better. So your resume should be updated, polished, and ready to go at any time.

Accurately describe your degree.

• • • • If you are in LAS, your degree isn’t in “history” or “English”–it’s a Bachelor of Arts (or possibly science) in Liberal Arts & Sciences with a major of history or English. (Not sure what exact degree you’re getting? Click on your major in the Academic Catalog to find out which degree you’re getting.)
      • A double major is not two degrees when the two majors are in the same college. It’s one degree consisting of two majors. For example: Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts & Sciences. Majors: Communication and Political Science.
      • A double degree–two majors from two separate colleges–IS two different degrees and should be indicated as such. For example: Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences. Major: History
        Bachelor of Science. Major: Advertising
      • If you have not yet graduated, then your resume should indicate “Expected Graduation: May 2020” or whenever you expect to graduate. If you have graduated, then the date should be Month Year.

Start and update a master resume. You may have multiple versions of your resume. At some point, you will gather so many work and internship experiences that you can pick and choose which to include depending on the job for which you’re applying. Having a master resume with every one of your jobs and internships, along with the primary duties of each, will let you develop job-specific resumes over time. (Also: When you apply to sit for the bar exam, you must provide a list of every job you’ve held and when, so this is a great document to have for the future.)

Be concise. Lawyers are very busy. Keep it to one page unless you have several years of post-college work experience.

Use action verbs. Drafted, presented, created, researched: these are all action verbs. Use this list of action verbs if you need ideas.

Watch your verb tenses. Is the job over? Then your verbs should be in the past tense. Are you still working there? Then it should be in the present tense.

Keep the format simple and clean. This is not an industry that enjoys creative fonts, colors, pictures, fun formats, etc.

Be specific. Go beyond the title you had to describe what, exactly, you did. Over what period of time? How many people were involved? What was the budget? What was the end product or deliverable?

Edit to perfection. Legal professionals must be DETAIL ORIENTED, and mistakes will be noticed. The resume should be 100% error free, meaning:

ABSOLUTELY NO: typos, grammatical errors, misuse of punctuation, or incorrect use of words like “there” and “their”

No need to include the following in your resume for law school or for a legal job:

• • • Professional goal. Law schools/legal positions aren’t looking for this.
    • Skills overview. They will determine or infer what skills you have based on what you present elsewhere in the resume.
    • A list of specific courses you took. If they want to know that, they will request and review your transcript.
    • High school information or activities. By the time you are a junior/senior in college, this is no longer recent or relevant.

Want to know more or see examples? Visit our Pre-Law Handbook for more details on law school/legal job resumes. (Click on the Applying to Law School tab, and then on the Law School Resumes sub-tab.)

Take it to the career center and/or make an appointment with a pre-law advisor to have it reviewed. Not sure whether to include something? Talk to us and we will help you decide what is the best use of your resume space.