Did you know that we can help you with your job search beyond the great state of Illinois? You bet we can! Here are just a few ideas. Please work with your career advisor to help you put a strategic plan in place.
Out-of-State Searches: For referrals to law alumni who practice in your areas of interest outside of Illinois, reach out to James Redmond, the Law School’s Associate Director of Alumni Relations at jredmon4@depaul.edu. To find regional DePaul alumni chapters across the country, visit alumni.depaul.edu/community/groups/regional. You can also tap into the BYU Intercollegiate Job Listings database at www.law2.byu.edu/career_services. ; You will find the login and password in Symplicity.Consider applying for Reciprocity with law schools in your city of interest. For the procedure and necessary paperwork, see the Reciprocity Guide in Symplicity’s Resources Tab.We have a few Wisconsin listings comparable to the Chicago 4 or More List in the Symplicity Resources Tab. Look for the documents entitled Milwaukee Law Firm List and Madison Law Firm List if these interest you. If you apply for Reciprocity with a law school in another city, they may well have a similar resource for firms in their area.By the way, if you do focus on another state, have your resume reflect as many contacts to that state as possible. Use a local address, join and list your membership in a local bar association, and let your contacts show you're serious about practicing in that city. In addition, clearly articulate in your cover letter why you chose this city, at this time, and what you have to offer. Here’s an idea: Use Google Voice to Show your Contact with a City. Are you trying to establish yourself in one city with a phone number prefix that makes it look like you’re from another city? Consider obtaining a local phone number to show your contact with that city. If you do this through Google Voice, it’s free in the U.S, the number links up with all of your other numbers, and voice mail messages can be texted to your email.
Find publications that cater to attorneys in your cities of choice and read them. These will be the equivalent of the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. Use these publications to research trends in the areas such as spurts in hiring and defections, salary shifts, changes in local laws, and more.Join the local bar associations and get immediately involved. Call or check the bar associations’ websites to find information on upcoming classes, speakers and events, and look for helpful publications offered by the association, i.e., Chicago Lawyers’ Court Handbook from the Chicago Bar Association. Bar Associations are fantastic places to start building your professional network. Bar Associations often post job openings as well.Finally, call the bar admission authority in the state(s) to which you plan to move. This will help you determine the requirements that must be met prior to practicing law in that state. The ABA website, www.abanet.org/legaled/baradmissions.bar.html contains a nationwide directory of bar admission offices that can be downloaded for free.
