The Office of Career Planning

Welcome
Events
Employment Overview
For Employers
Walk-In Hours

The Office of Career Planning provides a broad range of programs to help students and graduates as they explore career opportunities while also serving employers both nationally and internationally.

OCP encourages and helps guide students to look broadly at all the opportunities a Michigan Law education makes possible. We're here for our students even before they become our students: our emphasis on one-on-one counseling begins during the admissions process and continues long after our students become our alumni.

Students at Michigan Law have always enjoyed a wealth of opportunities, even in a difficult economy. Nonetheless, in response to the most recent economic downturn—from which we are now emerging—we concentrated enormous amounts of institutional attention on expanding the tremendous services we provide to our students. Our most dramatic step was to merge the Office of Public Service and Office of Career Services into a single entity, the Office of Career Planning (OCP), to facilitate students' exploration of opportunities in a variety of practice settings, and to allow us to build and develop all elements of our existing well-rounded programs. The coordinated approach that the reorganization allows reflects the reality of our students' careers, which are more often a melding of multiple opportunities than a strict division between private and public. Our new structure allows us to more effectively help students focus on both long- and short-term goals, and also facilitated the following improvements:

the hiring of additional counseling staff, with resulting expanded counseling hours and diversified expertise
increased career-planning and networking programming
development of post-graduate and summer-funding opportunities that allow individuals to enter into new markets
ever-increasing use of our powerful and broad alumni base
expanded outreach to new employers outside our traditional network

Throughout the academic year, the Office of Career Planning offers a speaker series covering a variety of topics and designed to help students explore their career options, translate individual legal interests into professional paths, and analyze the latest market trends. Past programs are available on our Archived Programs page.

Bar Information Meeting
Date: 9/23/2013
Time:11:55am-12:50p.m.
Location: 100 Hutchins Hall
Description:

Hear* (MP3 file) Deans Baum and Zearfoss provide information on the bar exam application process, multi-state and state portions of the bar exam, bar review courses, and character and fitness consideration. Sponsored by the Offices of Career Planning and Student Affairs.
How to Apply to DOJ Honors and SLIP Programs
Date: 7/15/2014
Time:
Location:
Description:

Listen to* (MP3 file) alum Sam Hall ('13) for tips and advice on applying to the U.S. Department of Justice Honors Program (entry level-3Ls and alums) and Student Law Intern Program (SLIP-2Ls) for 2015. Sam is a trial attorney (via the Honors program) at the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Housing and Civil Enforcement Section.
Early Interview Week (EIW) Meeting
Date: 8/6/2014
Time:2:00pm-3:00pm
Location: 100 Hutchins Hall
Description:
Dean Jeremy Bloom will present information and advice for Early Interview Week. Please note this meeting is required for any 2L participating in EIW.
Callback Interviews
Date: 8/8/2014
Time:12:10pm-1:00pm
Location: 100 Hutchins Hall
Description:
OCP will provide students with information on how to schedule and prioritize callback interviews. Please note this meeting is strongly suggested for any 2L participating in EIW.
Air Force JAG Presentation
Date: 9/4/2014
Time:11:50am-12:50pm
Location: 0220 South Hall
Description:
Captain Nicholas Mahanic, Air Force JAG lawyer and UMLS '08, will give an informational briefing to 1Ls, 2Ls, 3Ls, & LLMs about the opportunities in the Air Force JAG Corps. Lunch is not provided.

*Although the United States Armed Forces have recently revised their employment policies and practices (specifically, through the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"), their policies continue to discriminate on the basis of gender identity and gender expression. Current federal law, however, effectively prevents the Law School from applying its anti-discrimination policy to military recruiters, including those for the Judge Advocate General Corps. The fact that military recruiters are here in no way reflects the Law School's endorsement of their discriminatory employment practices.
Welcome to OCP for Sections EFGH
Date: 9/5/2014
Time:11:45am-12:45pm
Location: Caminker Arcade (outside 1100 South Hall)
Description:
Sections EFGH...Join the Office of Career Planning for some tasty treats on your patio (outside 1100 South Hall). Please stop by to introduce yourself!
Welcome to OCP for Sections MNOP
Date: 9/8/2014
Time:11:45am-12:45pm
Location: Caminker Arcade (outside 1100 South Hall)
Description:
Sections MNOP...Join the Office of Career Planning for some tasty treats on your patio (outside 1100 South Hall). Please stop by to introduce yourself!
Welcome to OCP for Sections IJKL
Date: 9/9/2014
Time:11:45am-12:45pm
Location: Caminker Arcade (outside 1100 South Hall)
Description:
Sections IJKL...Join the Office of Career Planning for some tasty treats on your patio (outside 1100 South Hall). Please stop by to introduce yourself!
Navy JAG Info Session
Date: 9/9/2014
Time:11:50am-12:50pm
Location: 1025 South Hall
Description:
LT Taurean Brown, MLS '11, will give an informational briefing to students about opportunities with Navy JAG.

*Although the United States Armed Forces have recently revised their employment policies and practices (specifically, through the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”), their policies continue to discriminate on the basis of gender identity and gender expression. Current federal law, however, effectively prevents the Law School from applying its anti-discrimination policy to military recruiters, including those for the Judge Advocate General Corps. The fact that military recruiters are here in no way reflects the Law School’s endorsement of their discriminatory employment practices.
Public Service Kick-Off (2Ls and 3Ls)
Date: 9/11/2014
Time:7:00pm
Location: Mike Steinberg's home
Description:
2Ls and 3Ls: Please join us at the Public Service Kick-Off for dinner and catching up with the MLaw Public Service Community at the home of Mike Steinberg (Legal Director at the ACLU of Michigan)! Mr. Steinberg's address will be sent to the public service email group (PIMichLaw) prior to the event. See you there!
Suing the Government is a Growth Industry: How to make the most from your law degree (and your life) with a career in public-interest law
Date: 9/15/2014
Time:11:45am-12:45pm
Location: 1020 South Hall
Description:
Sometimes law students are told they have two options: a miserable life earning decent money at a law firm, or a rewarding job coupled with a vow of poverty. This isn’t true. On September 15, Jeff Rowes, a senior attorney with the Institute for Justice, will discuss his public-interest career and steps you can take to have a career at IJ. The Institute for Justice, the nation’s leading libertarian public-interest law firm, offers the best of both worlds: cutting-edge constitutional litigation on issues that actually matter to real people, combined with competitive pay. Sound interesting? Learn what steps you can take now to put yourself on a path to litigating the kind of cases you read about in the newspaper and your casebooks.
Introduction to Career Planning for LL.M. and S.J.D. Students
Date: 9/16/2014
Time:11:50am-12:50pm
Location: 1025 South Hall
Description:

Office of Career Planning Staff Jeremy Bloom, Kimberly LeClair and Tammy Sindlinger, will provide an introduction to the Office of Career Planning's resources and services available to Law graduate students, including how to schedule counseling appointments and how to view and apply to our Symplicity job postings.
The New Patent Battlefront: How Inter Partes and Post-Grant Reviews Have Changed Litigation
Date: 9/26/2014
Time:12:00pm-1:00pm
Location: 1225 South Hall
Description:
The America Invents Act created a new regime for patent litigation and parties are scrambling to adjust. The regime’s new administrative patent challenges complicate even relatively straightforward patent disputes, changing the calculus for demand letters, licensing, and litigation. Please join attorneys from Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP as they explore these two-year old proceedings, using specific examples and anecdotes from personal experience, to help introduce and prepare attendees for the changing patent landscape.
Careers in Compliance and Securities Law
Date: 11/3/2014
Time:11:50am-12:50pm
Location: 1225 South Hall
Description:
Matt Moore ('92) will talk about compliance careers, life at an international investment bank, and his experiences working in NYC (at Davis Polk, the NYSE, and Goldman Sachs) and moving to SLC. Matt is Goldman's Global Co-Head of Regulatory Audits & Inquiries, Global Co-Head of Compliance Employee Services, and Head of Compliance for Salt Lake City.

The reputation and global reach of Michigan Law means that, after you complete your education, there is virtually no limit on where you can go, and the fact that our students come from all over the country and abroad makes for a rich and eclectic educational climate. Click on the links below to see which states our students come from, to which states they go after graduation, and the kind of work our graduates do. Attending Michigan Law will allow you to go anywhere geographically, and the Office of Career Planning will help you explore and obtain jobs in a broad range of practice settings, whether in private practice, government, public interest, judicial clerkships, or legal academia.

The Michigan Law Difference

Employment Statistics

Employment data generated by NALP, the Association for Legal Career Professionals, and based on annual information that the Law School reports to NALP. More...

Fellowships

For over seven years, Michigan Law has offered Postgraduate Fellowships to help provide a bridge to full-time, permanent legal employment for our graduates. More...

List of Employers

What kinds of jobs do MLaw grads get upon completing law school? See a complete list of the initial employers for students graduating in the classes of 2010, 2011, and 2012. More...

+ View More Employment Statistics

Employers Interviewing on Campus
During Early Interview Week (EIW) in August 2013, almost 500 employers from 36 states, Washington, D.C., and five foreign countries conducted almost 5,000 interviews with our students. Approximately 380 of our 2L and 3L students participated in this program. In addition to EIW, we offer a smaller on-campus program in the fall. Beyond on-campus interview opportunities, almost 1,100 other employers from throughout the United States contacted the Law School last year to post job openings and to request student resumes. Nearly all of the American Lawyer Top 100 firms, the American Lawyer Global 100 firms, and the American Lawyer list of Best Places to Work firms visit the law school or request resumes of Michigan Law students.

Listing an Employment Opportunity
If you have not posted a position with Michigan Law in the past, please follow these four steps to register and submit a job opportunity within Symplicity. Please note - if you are submitting a resume collect, you will need to follow the same steps below and select "yes" for resume collect near the end of the job posting process:

Please go to this link: https://law-umich-csm.symplicity.com/employers/
Click on "Register and Post Free Local Job."
Please fill out the form as completely as you are able, and hit "Next" at the bottom of the page.
You will be directed to the job posting page, where you can fill out and submit a new position posting (if you are submitting a "resume collect", be sure to select "Yes" for that field near the bottom of the page).

Please feel free to contact our office at lawcareers@umich.edu or 734.764.0546 if you have any questions, and thank you for thinking of our school!

Our Recruiting Programs
We are thrilled to announce that our 2014 Early Interview Week (EIW) will be held in the Lawyers Club (the Law School's student dormitory, and part of the Law Quadrangle), making it truly "on-campus interviewing" for the first time in more than decade! Our 2014 Early Interview Week (EIW) is scheduled for Thursday-Friday, August 7-8th and Monday-Tuesday, August 11-12th. Employer registration for EIW will begin on Monday, March 10, 2014 via Symplicity. Our Recruiting at Michigan - EIW 2014 (PDF) has instructions and registration information. Dates for EIW will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Please be aware that last year the most popular dates filled up in literally just a few hours after registration was open -- so needless to say, we strongly encourage early registration if you have a specific date in mind.

We also offer on-campus interviewing in the fall and winter. Our Fall On-Campus Interviewing (OCI) Program will be September 17 and 18 and October 1 and 2, 2014. Our Recruiting at Michigan - Fall OCI (PDF) has instructions and registration information. Employer registration for Fall OCI will begin Monday, July 14, 2014 via Symplicity.

Our Winter On-Campus Interviewing Program is in February each year. Dates for our 2015 Winter Interview Program are February 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, and 26. Our Recruiting at Michigan - Winter OCI (PDF) has instructions and registration information. Employer registration for Winter OCI will begin on Monday, November 3, 2014 via Symplicity. Of course, arrangements may be made to interview at other times of the school year if it is more convenient.

Our listing of Ann Arbor hotels (PDF) contains street addresses and phone numbers for local accommodations.

For more information or questions, please email Kim LeClair, Recruitment Manager, at kleclair@umich.edu.

Videoconferencing Services
Employers interested in arranging student interviews using our videoconferencing system should contact Kim LeClair at kleclair@umich.edu for more information.

Student Directories
The Office of Career Planning compiles two student directories each year for distribution to employers who may wish to contact University of Michigan Law School students directly. Each directory includes student name, anticipated graduation date, local and permanent mailing addresses, email address, and undergraduate/graduate schools and degrees received.

Our First-Year Student Directory, comprising exclusively of first-year law students, is typically available in late November. Our Second- and Third-Year Directory comprises rising second- and third-year students and is typically available in early June. To request a Student Directory as a PDF, please email Tammy Sindlinger at sindling@umich.edu.

NALP Directory of Law Schools Information
View our 2014 questionnaire, available as a PDF or from the Directory online.

Discrimination Complaints
Please see our memo from Dean Mark West on procedures for handling discrimination complaints.

Our Counselor Walk-in Hours:
Walk-in counseling is for quick questions, 10 minutes or less in nature.

Pyper Logan Alpern, Attorney-Counselor: 11:00am-12:00pm, Monday-Friday.

Greta Trakul, Attorney-Counselor and Judicial Clerkship Advisor: 11:00am-12:00pm, Monday-Friday.

Kindra Baer, Attorney-Counselor: 2:00pm-3:00pm, Monday-Friday

Alyson Robbins, Public Interest Director: 3:00pm-3:30pm, Monday-Friday

Robin Kaplan, Attorney-Counselor and Government Advisor: 3:00pm-4:00pm, Monday-Thursday

Contact Us

The Michigan Law Difference

Employment Statistics

Fellowships

List of Employers