While recruiting for large firms often follows a predictable and limited timeline and structure, recruiting for public interest jobs varies more widely. The stark difference leaves many prospective students with questions about how to explore roles in public interest. To dispel confusion, we talked with Beth Cruz, Assistant Dean and Martha Craig Daughtrey Director for Public Interest, about the differences between law firm recruiting and public interest recruiting.
Law Firm Recruiting
In the past, recruiting for large law firms followed a strict schedule and took place through On-Campus Interviews, more commonly abbreviated as OCI. However, the past 5 years have seen major changes in the recruiting process. Prospective firm candidates can now expect offers from large firms anytime from December of their first semester of law school through the end of the summer before their 2L year even begins. Most firm-oriented students will receive large firm offers between June and August of their rising 2L summer. “In the past, there was a rule prohibiting employers from interacting with 1Ls too early after starting law school,” Cruz recalled. “The rule no longer exists… so 1Ls are learning how to be law students and applying for jobs at the same time.”
Although some 1L students do secure law firm 1L Summer Associate roles through early recruiting, many opt to pursue other opportunities their first summer, including positions in public interest, government, or judicial chambers. “I encourage [1Ls] to be more open with their first summer internship,” Cruz said. “Use the time to explore an area of law you may want to practice. You have more flexibility and freedom during your first summer.”
Once a student secures their 2L Summer Associate position in a large firm, most can expect to receive an offer to return to the firm after graduating law school (with some exceptions). In effect, this means that Vanderbilt Law students focused on working in large firms will be reasonably certain of their post-grad plans before their second year of law school starts, and they will have officially accepted their return offer to the large firm before their 3L year begins.
Public Interest Recruiting
Public interest recruiting occurs on a different timeline. Typically, public interest internships recruit first-year students in early January, and most candidates secure their summer plans by March or April. Although there are opportunities to apply for public interest internships prior to January, it is not necessary in most cases. Most public interest summer positions are unpaid, unlike law firm roles. To support this important public-minded work, as well as the professional growth of its students, Vanderbilt Law awards 70-100 students a stipend each year to ensure all students have additional access to these crucial opportunities.
As second-year students pursue government or public interest careers, they focus on finding summer internships that closely align to their practice interests and geographical preferences. In an ideal world, that internship would lead to a full-time job after graduation. “In your second summer, you’re hopefully working at an organization that you’d like to work for after graduation,” Cruz confirmed.
There are public interest recruiting opportunities for 2L and 3L students throughout the fall. For example, Equal Justice Works hosts the nation’s largest public service virtual career fair every October. Vanderbilt Law’s Public Interest Office covers the cost of registration for Vanderbilt students; participants often receive internship or post-graduate job offers from this recruitment program. “You can sign up for interviews with different employers across the country and some students are able to get jobs [and internships] through that process,” Cruz explained. Many Public Defender and District Attorney offices hire in the fall through this and other formal recruiting programs, particularly for post-graduate employment. Students aspiring to become federal government attorneys also apply for a range of post-graduate Federal Government Honors Programs, with most requiring application submissions between August and October of a student’s third year.
Some graduating students also choose to pursue public interest fellowships, which provide funding for one or two years. Applications for the competitive Skadden and Equal Justice Works fellowships are due in early September. Other fellowships include the Immigrant Justice Fellowship and the Gideon’s Promise Program. Past Vanderbilt Law graduates have received each of these fellowships. The Public Interest Office is available to assist preparing student for each step of the fellowship process – from writing an application through the interview. Each spring, Vanderbilt Law also awards the George Barrett Social Justice Fellowship to one graduate who is pursuing a public interest project. “We often find that students who go do these [fellowships] end up being hired by their host organization,” Cruz said. “It’s a way of securing employment a little earlier down the line than you might if you just waited and went through the normal job process.”
Public service-minded 3L students can also monitor PSJD.org for online postings of internships and full-time jobs throughout the school year and beyond. “Sometimes public interest organizations won’t know their budget until closer to graduation,” Cruz explained.
Cruz noted that some students struggle to be patient as they watch many of their peers accept post-graduate job offers before public interest recruiting even begins in earnest; she encourages them to stay focused on what they can control and keep applying to jobs. “It is challenging when your peers have their employment and futures settled and you have to wait. I just acknowledge the truth that it’s very uncomfortable… [but] we’re here to support you through that discomfort,” she said. “There’s a community that understands the process and supports them in having to wait until everything works out… We’re going to find a way to make this come together. You’re a Vanderbilt student, and we have the resources, alumni network, and institutional support to help you chart your public interest career path.”
