Career Services Timeline

While there may be slight variations in how students handle their career search activities during the first year of law school, this is the suggested timeline to give you an overview of the process.

Summer Before Law School

• Look over your resume and incorporate any skills you have developed which could be transferable to law
• Read general information on legal careers. See recommended reading list.
• Network with lawyers who are friends or family members to seek their advice.
• RELAX - 1L first semester is very challenging, and you should try to go into the fall well-rested.

Fall 1L Year

• Focus on your coursework for the first couple of months, making sure to keep up with assigned readings.
• Attend programs, such as the World of Law, which give overviews of different career paths.
• At the beginning of November, attend the Career Services orientation for 1Ls and specific programs on resume writing and  cover letter writing.
• If you are interested in public interest careers, attend the Office of Public Interest Advising (OPIA) orientation and programs.
• In early November, make an appointment to have your resume reviewed and discuss your career goals with an OCS attorney adviser.
• In mid-November, if you are interested in a summer position overseas, attend the ISEP (International Summer Employment Program) Orientation.
• In December, you can begin to send out cover letters to employers. The National Association of Law Placement, of which Harvard Law School is a member, restricts students and employers from contacting each other before December 1, in order to allow students to focus on their coursework.

Spring 1L Year

• Spring Interview Program takes place in February. Bid for interviews in late January.
• Conduct any call-back interviews resulting from cover letters you mailed out in December and on-campus interviewing.
• Attend general career programs to explore areas in which you might want to practice.