The Career Services Office is located in Room 116 of the Law School. A beautiful suite of offices, interview rooms and a career resources library are there for your education, comfort and pleasure. The office is open 8:30 a.m. – 5:45 p.m. on Monday, and 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Tuesday thru Friday. With an active Part-time Division, Career Services recognizes these times will not be convenient for all students, so additional times for any student in either division are available by appointment.
We are pleased to offer access for job search-related printing, copying, faxing, and the computer for the convenience of students and graduates using Career Services.
Using Career Services
An important asset in providing career development information and guidance, Career Services is available to all students in every stage of your academic career. Services are available even after you graduate. As a member of the National Association of Legal Career Professionals (NALP) first-year students are invited and strongly encouraged to attend all educational programs and workshops and to proactively seek information for the purpose of planning your future. However, NALP guidelines prohibit full-time, first-semester students from using the office’s job search services until Nov. 1.
A series of workshops and activities in late fall and early spring terms are geared toward preparing all students for the impending job search. Whether thru on-campus interviews or self-initiated activities, everyone should prepare for the job search. Note: These trainings are not just for those in the first year who anticipate participating in on-campus interviews. Regular annual programming include sessions on writing the legal resume, tips for effective interviewing and strategies for a productive job search. In early fall, first-year students will receive a welcome letter and password and an invitation to complete registration on Symplicity. This password gives students access to job postings (after Nov. 1 for 1Ls), the Spring On-Campus Interviewing Program and several key passwords to other subscription job search resources. Continuing students, including transfers and visitors, may complete Symplicity registration at any time. For all, the resume must be uploaded to Symplicity before registration can be completed or documents released to OCI employers. Most employers will request a grade sheet (a self-styled “transcript” you develop by cutting and pasting grades from BOSS), and a writing sample. We will critique your resume if requested. We do not require resume reviews, but will contact students when resumes come to our attention that seem inadequate or inappropriate.
The first opportunity for on-campus interviewing for first-year students is in the spring semester. These interviews are primarily for local law clerk positions for the summer, fall, and spring after the first year. Part-time students should actively participate in spring interviews when possible. Important employment opportunities may be lost if you choose not to vie for interviews during your first spring term.
Once your file is open and approved, you can update it as often as you like. Be sure to update if you move or if you change your telephone number. Definitely update and rename Symplicity documents each fall.
While the number of out-of-state employers participating on campus is limited, Career Services will work with you as you seek to enter the legal job market. If you are interested in out-of-state Summer Associate positions, communicate your plans to Career Services as soon as possible, the sooner the better. We will work with each Bowen student to develop and implement a job search as geographically expansive as you need.
First-year students should submit their resumes and transcripts for out-of-state summer associate positions from Dec. 1 through Feb. 15. Second-year students should submit their resumes and transcripts from Aug. 15 through Sept. 15. Career Services is available to discuss your plans and will communicate with your chosen employers to introduce Bowen School of Law to those who are outside Arkansas.
Other Services
Second- and third-year students may use the resources of the Career Services program at any time. First-year students may use job search services after Nov. 1. Our alumni may use Career Services resources at any time but should understand that our services are geared more towards law students and new graduates. With prior reciprocity approval, students and graduates of other law schools may have limited access to Career Services resources. A letter of reciprocity is required from the referring law school before services are provided. This may be emailed to law-careers@ualr.edu.
The Career Services staff posts openings for part- and full-time, temporary and permanent positions on Symplicity. The office also communicates openings via the Intercollegiate Job Bank (graduates from other law schools should obtain the username and password from your home school).
Individual career counseling appointments may be requested through Symplicity or by calling 501.324.9436. The assistant dean provides personalized career planning and guidance as you explore the legal profession or consider career paths outside the traditional legal field. Individualized job search assistance is also available.
Educational workshops are staffed by practicing members of the bench and bar and provide a wonderful networking opportunity to participants. While workshop topics may change each year, standard workshops focus on the mechanics of the job search, starting your own practice and nonlegal career options. For those unable to attend sessions, including students in the part-time division who find it difficult to attend daytime programming, every effort is made to record all educational workshops for availability on the law school’s lecture-capture system. Access these lectures from this section of the Bowen website.
The Career Resources Library (CRL) contains books, directories and other information found to be of real value to the career exploration/job search process.  In addition to computer and printing access, popular resources in the CRL include Guerrilla Tactics for Getting the Legal Job of Your Dreams, the NALP Directory of Legal Employers, Choosing Small, Choosing Smart: Job Search Strategies for Lawyers in the Small Firm Market, What Can You Do with A Law Degree?, Building Career Connections: Networking Tools for Law Students and New Lawyers, and alumni contact information. Hard copies of the online subscriptions: Government Honors and Internship Handbook, NALP’s Federal Legal Employment Opportunities Guide and the Vermont School of Law Guide to State Judicial Clerkship Procedures are in Room 116c.
If you are interested in clerking or looking for full-time work in another state, read Conducting a Successful Job Search in this section. The Intercollegiate Job Bank (IJB) also has alumni job announcements from over 100 law schools nationwide and will help you identify small and medium-sized firms that are actively hiring. Use that information to develop your own search strategies. The 2011-2012 username is “jobbank,” and the password is “employment2.” This information is available on Symplicity and is updated yearly. Career Services can request reciprocity services for you from other law schools in selected areas where you’re seeking employment. Approved reciprocity agreements allow you to use the resources of career services offices in those area(s) NOTE: Reciprocity agreements are generally limited to one school per state and are not available at most schools during the fall on-campus interviewing seasons.
Rules for Participating in the On-campus Interviewing Process
Student classification determined by earned hours. Career Services follows the classification by hours as determined by the administration and noted here:
- First year: 0 – 17 hours
- Second year: 18 – 53 hours
- Third year: 54 – 90 hours
If you have questions about your “year status” as it relates to job listings, please see us.
Be certain the information waiver you signed reflects your intention. During orientation of your first year, you are asked to sign a document styled, “Records Policy.” This document says that we may (or may not) release certain information about you. When employers request names and addresses of those in the top x% of the class, we DO NOT release this information about you if you have requested that we not do so. If you change your mind and want to make this information available to prospective employers, you must go to the Registrar’s Office in Room 104 and complete a new form. Inform Career Services if you have changed your waiver.
Your official class rank and GPA can only be calculated by the Registrar. You should not attempt to calculate your “official” rank yourself. A representation of your GPA or class rank which reflects other than that shown by the Registrar’s Office is false and may be considered an honor code violation. “Rounding up” is not ethical. If you want to put a better “spin” on your academic information or if you want to complete a resume before the semester’s information is available, please see us for suggestions. Update your resume at least once per semester to reflect your changed GPA and rank, class status, contact information, and recent employment. Inaccurate resumes (GPA, rank, etc.) should not be released to employers.
Symplicity registration: your profile and job search credentials. To participate in on- campus interviewing, you must register with Symplicity. This includes completing your profile and uploading at least one copy of your resume. You should also upload a writing sample and your most recent transcript (or, self-styled “grade sheet” taken from BOSS). You may upload up to 10 documents allowing for more than one resume should you wish to develop targeted resume documents or cover letters.
Keep documents on Symplicity updated. If you’ve updated your resume, please upload the new one to Symplicity. Save current resume under a different document name. Ex: bfanderson, spring10. Old resumes reflect outdated GPAs or may not show important new honors and activities. It is important to put your “best foot forward” with the accurate information.
Meet the interview criteria. Employers tell us their criteria for interviewing. If they require a 3.0 and you have a 2.9, please don’t drop your resume for that interview. An employer’s OCI hiring criteria in the listing will indicate if they are willing to consider those who don’t meet their criteria. Be aware of words like “preferred” vs. “required.”
If you can’t keep the scheduled interview, call us. If you must miss an appointment because of an emergency, call 501.324.9436 or email law-careers@ualr.edu prior to your appointment time. Failure to keep an interview appointment without notifying Career Services prior to the appointment may result in your inability to interview on campus again during that interview season. Before access to services is reinstated, a letter of apology/explanation must be sent to the employer and copied to Career Services. Failure to show for or call prior to missing a scheduled interview is irresponsible and reflects poorly on you and the Law School.
The Career Services program is an excellent resource for your use in exploring the legal profession and planning and conducting the job search. Use us. Use all the resources you can identify. Your career planning and job search will be richer for it!
