OCP provides a variety of services to help our students secure judicial clerkships. Typically, 15 percent of Michigan graduates on average have accepted prestigious judicial clerkships in federal and state appellate and trial courts.* Since 1991, Michigan Law has placed 29 graduates in United States Supreme Court Clerkships. Over 50 percent of our tenured and tenure-track faculty members have served as law clerks and they generously make themselves available as mentors and advisors throughout the application process.

*At Michigan, as at other law schools across the country, fewer students are choosing to apply for clerkships right out of law school, but rather wait a few years before pursuing and then accepting a clerkship as an alumnus.

An indispensable component of our services is individual counseling, which allows us to tailor the information and advice we provide for individual interest and qualifications. Students work with one or more of our five attorney-counselors, who assist them throughout their law school experience on issues ranging from how to translate their legal interests into a career path, to identifying their options, to figuring out where to apply, and anything in between. We also work closely with our graduates to provide counseling and networking assistance to those considering a career move.

Career counselors have daily drop-in hours for quick questions:

Susan Guindi:  Monday–Friday, 2:00–2:30pm
Alyson Robbins: Monday–Friday, 3:00–3:30pm 
Robin Kaplan:  Monday–Thursday, 3:00–4:00pm
Laura Scott:  Monday & Tuesday, 3:45–4:30pm, and Wednesday–Friday, 9:30–10:30am
Carolyn Spencer:  Monday–Friday, 10:00–11:00am
Beth Wickwire:  Monday–Friday, 11:00am–12:00pm
Gary McGinnis: Monday–Friday, 9:30am–10:30am

Counseling is also available in scheduled, 30-minute appointments.  Please drop by 1100 South Hall, call the office at 734.764.0546 to schedule by phone, or you may schedule online.

Early Interview Week (EIW) occurs in late August, before school begins, during which time most interviews of upper-class students occur. 

In addition to Early Interview Week, OCP hosts a Fall and Winter Interview Program. 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. And while our on-campus interview list is impressive, our students also independently arrange for interviews with, and receive offers from, the handful of national firms that do not travel to our campus.

In addition to these on-campus interview opportunities, employers from throughout the United States contact the law school to post job openings and to request student resumes. For those employers that are unable to visit campus, we provide the option of conducting interviews with our students via video conferencing.

In addition to one-on-one counseling, OCP presents numerous panels, programs, workshops, and informational sessions for students and graduates to learn about various career paths. We invite lawyers from all types of practice areas to come to campus and speak to our students about their careers and about opportunities with their organizations. Past programs have addressed opportunities practicing International Law, Intellectual Property, Entertainment Law, and Sports Law, to name just a few. The Market Series, offered each year, brings consultants from across the nation to Ann Arbor to talk about the state of legal hiring in the most popular markets, including New York City, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and California. The Inspiring Paths Series is a lectureship series highlighting alumni who have incorporated public service into their legal careers. 

OCP provides a variety of services to help our students secure judicial clerkships. Typically, 15 percent of Michigan graduates on average have accepted prestigious judicial clerkships in federal and state appellate and trial courts.* Since 1991, Michigan Law has placed 29 graduates in United States Supreme Court Clerkships. Over 50 percent of our tenured and tenure-track faculty members have served as law clerks and they generously make themselves available as mentors and advisors throughout the application process.

*At Michigan, as at other law schools across the country, fewer students are choosing to apply for clerkships right out of law school, but rather wait a few years before pursuing and then accepting a clerkship as an alumnus.

OCP has a comprehensive collection of specialized guides, many of which are written by law school staff, readily available to use in the office or to be borrowed. These resources include directories, periodicals, and audio and videotapes covering such topics as interview techniques, judicial clerkships, graduate programs and post-graduate fellowships, teaching opportunities, and public interest organizations. 

We have a mock interview program with volunteer attorneys each Fall and Winter semester, and prior to the Early Interview Week, for students who wish to polish their interviewing skills. We also have in-market mock interviews for select geographic markets during the summer break, where we match students with a UMLS alumnus. 

In addition to a resume writing workshop, the OCP staff meets students on an individual basis to go over their resume and cover letters. This one-on-one counseling can provide invaluable feedback as students begin their job search.

University of Michigan Law School students and alumni interested in using the career resources or accessing job listings of another law school should contact OCP to arrange for a letter of reciprocity. Alumni and students from other law schools wishing to use our services should review our  full reciprocity policy.

A menu of funding opportunities exists at the law school, including guaranteed summer funding for all 2Ls via the Public Service Guarantee, along with numerous other opportunities such as the Dean's Public Service Fellows Program, Student Funded Fellowships, Clara Belfield and Henry Bates Overseas Fellowships, and the Bergstrom Child Welfare Law Summer Fellowship, to name a few. The list goes on, but you get the idea: Michigan Law has funding available, and we can point you in the right direction.

Our office has stewardship of University of Michigan Law School fellowships such as the Robert B. Fiske Jr. Fellowship Program for Public Service, the Dean's Public Service Fellows Program, and the Perry Watkins Fellowship. 

The University of Michigan Law School has long been a leader in public interest law. Our Public Interest Program is committed to building and fostering a robust community, providing students with hands-on experience during the school year, and advising for summer and post-graduate positions. In conjunction with the Financial Aid Office, we also help students find financial support for public-interest work.

OCP helps graduates strenthen their network of mentors and contacts worldwide through searchable databases such as AlumNetwork for (alumni use) and the Public Service Network, for students interested in that field of law.

Through the Law School's voluntary Pro Bono Pledge, students have the option of completing 50 hours of pro bono work, which not only benefits the local (or gloabal) community, buts also develops studetns' skills and experience in law.