After completing a service project as part of ABA pro bono week, attending the Equal Justice Works Conference, and/or going to your school’s public interest programming, magic often happens! For the first time after OCI, students start to open up to the possibility of looking outside private practice. Despite a bit more openness, students NEED guidance since many do not know what areas of practice they are interested in – or where they have the best match.

October is the time to open up these conversations! Following your public interest programming, invite students to your office to talk about public interest job paths and discuss which ones might be a good fit for them. Show them how to search for public interest organizations on PSJD, and talk to them about networking with your alumni and local public interest attorneys. Of course, have them take the LawFit Career Assessment, so they can learn in detail (and be confident about) the unique qualities they can contribute to a public interest or government position.