Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently asked questions

We have compiled answers to some of the most frequently asked career-related questions from prospective students. Please click on the question to read the answer.

1.	How will the Office of Career Services help me find a job?
2.	What types of summer employment can I expect during law school?
3.	I have just been admitted and wonder if it matters what I do for summer employment now (the summer before law school)?
4.	What opportunities are available for me if I want to be a public interest lawyer?
5.	Where are HLS graduates working?
6.	How can I find HLS alumni in my area?
7.	What should I be doing now to prepare myself for recruiting at HLS?
8.	What do HLS graduates earn?
9.	Why are HLS graduates interested in pursuing clerkships after graduation?
10.	Should I pursue a dual degree (i.e. J.D./M.B.A, J.D./M.P.A., etc.)?

1.	How will the Office of Career Services help me find a job?

OCS assists students in every step of their job search from developing their resumes and cover letters to considering and deciding on offers.

2.	What types of summer employment can I expect to obtain during law school?

This depends largely on you. Harvard Law School is a respected institution whose name opens many doors and this offers Harvard students a multitude of exciting opportunities. Only you can decide which of these opportunities you will pursue and what you will make of them. Harvard students generally spend their summers working in a law related area. Over 600 employers participate in our Fall On-Campus Interviewing program for second and third year students. A wide variety of legal employers including law firms, public interest employers, the government and large corporations, recruit HLS students. However, some students chose to pursue business alternatives such as investment banking, consulting or management. In most years, there is at least a small contingent of employers from these areas who come on campus to recruit.

3.	I have just been admitted and wonder if it matters what I do for summer employment now (the summer before law school)?

Congratulations!

Don't feel you have to have a legal job or some highly impressive credential to add to your resume. You will have ample opportunity to get legal experience during your summers in law school and Harvard Law School looks awfully good on a resume. This is a good summer for you to explore interesting opportunities or to take an opportunity to do something relaxing or fulfilling so that you arrive at law school prepared to face a challenging year.

The only exception would be if you have never held a job. In that case it would be a good idea to work for at least part of the summer so that you have some sense of the work world and so that you will have employer recommendations when you are seeking employment for your 1L (first year) summer.

4.	What opportunities are available for me if I want to be a public interest lawyer?

Harvard has made a major commitment to aiding students who are interested in public interest work. The Office of Public Interest Advising (OPIA) has significant resources, in print and on line, and excellent counseling staff that can help students identify and pursue opportunities. See OPIA's web site for more information.

5.	Where are HLS graduates working?

It would be easier to say where they don't work. HLS graduates can be found in almost every walk of life. They are not only prominent attorneys but novelists (like Scott Turow), bankers, consultants, policy analysts, journalists, lobbyists, and international aid workers.

The About Our Students page will give you an idea of some of the common practice areas students enter immediately after graduation.

6.	How can I find HLS alumni in my area?

Use the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory at www.martindale.com. You can search by a number of different criteria including location and law school.

7.	What should I be doing now to prepare myself for recruiting at HLS?

It never hurts to get your resume in shape, or if you do not have one, to start putting one together. It will be very helpful to have your employment background and prior experience organized. Sit down and generate a list of where you have worked or volunteered. Think about what you did and how that could be applied to the law. You may not have done legal research in a law firm but if you were a shift supervisor at the local fast food joint you had to organize detailed records, supervise others and perhaps do some negotiating. Some of your college academic work might have applicability to the law or at least demonstrate research and writing skills that are valued by employers.

It is also a good idea to organize your potential references. Make sure you have full and correct names and contact information so that when you are starting the job search for your first year summer you can easily and quickly contact former employers and ask if they would be willing to act as a reference. In a few months, when you are facing the challenge of balancing classes and your job hunt you will be glad you have already pulled together and organized the details of your work life.

8.	What do HLS graduates earn?

The range of starting salaries is quite wide. A recent HLS graduate who chooses to work providing legal services to Native Americans or in an inner city clinic may earn only 30,000, while the starting salary in the most prestigious big city firms is more than 120,000. Don't be discouraged by these figures if you are hoping to go into public service; Harvard has one of the nation's most generous debt forgiveness programs for those who pursue public interest employment.

There is no upper ceiling for alumni earnings. A Harvard grad who is a highly successful real estate developer or personal injury lawyer can earn seven figures.

9. Why are HLS graduates interested in pursuing clerkships after graduation?

Students pursue clerkships for a variety of reasons. Clerkships, especially those with well-regarded judges or courts, are a prestigious credential valued by many legal employers. Clerkships also give students interested in the courts an opportunity to see trials or appellate actions from the other side of the bench, an opportunity they may never have again in their career unless they are fortunate enough to be appointed to the bench. Even those students who do not intend to pursue litigation as a career path find the experience valuable because it provides the opportunity to do intensive research and writing under the supervision of an experienced jurist. The research, writing and critical thinking skills developed during a clerkship are much sought after by employers.

10. Should I pursue a dual degree (i.e. J.D./M.B.A, J.D./M.P.A., etc.)?

This depends on your objectives. If you have a clear goal (e.g., your life dream is to work at a legal policy think tank or to teach law and finance) and that goal will be substantially furthered by obtaining a joint degree, then it may be worthwhile. Another great reason to purse a joint degree is simply because you have a strong intellectual interest in two disciplines- provided you can readily afford the cost in terms of time and money, since a joint degree does not necessarily translate into a higher salary.

There are some reasons not to pursue a joint degree. Don't assume that if one Harvard degree is good two will necessarily be better. Employers are not always impressed by a joint degree and it will not always make you more marketable. While a joint degree may be very desirable for some employers, with others it may backfire as they wonder where your true interest and commitment lie. Perhaps the worst reason to pursue a joint degree is to "keep my options open." It is far better to do the hard work of career exploration and self-assessment now, before you spend an additional year and many thousands of dollars to defer an inevitable decision.