Job-Seeking Law Students Advised to be Flexible and Expect a Long Search

Law students should expect the job hunt to last six to eight months, making patience an important attribute, a law professor says.

In a column for the American Lawyer, New York Law School professor Cameron Stracher warns of a difficult and lengthy job hunt but says students should not despair. “Although the market may be bad, it's never as bad as they say,” he writes. “The wheels of commerce never stop grinding; they just slow and, occasionally, roll over people.”

Stracher says flexibility is important for job hunters, who should consider practice areas and niche law firms that haven’t been hurt by the downturn. He also stresses the importance of networking, “which means talking to everyone you know and even people you don't.”

He tells students they should always dress for success and carry a resumé since they never know when they will run into someone important to the job search.

“When all else fails, there's always another year of school to consider,” he writes. “While this may seem to be postponing the inevitable, an extra year can give the markets time to recover (or collapse further) while polishing up your credentials with an LL.M. or other post-graduate degree. More school can also defer student loans and other harsh realities of adult life. Best of all, more school means more teachers, which means more job opportunities and security for the person who needs it the most: me.”

Stracher is a legal writing instructor and the author of a book chronicling his efforts to be home for dinner five nights a week.