Services for Current Students

The CSO offers one-on-one career counseling on a range of topics including:

• Self Assessment / Identifying Career Paths

• Job search action plan

• Resume and cover letter review

• Mock interviews and interviewing skills

• Building your network of contacts

• Evaluation of offers 

To schedule an appointment, call the office at 213-738-6794 or come to the office and speak with the CSO front desk representative. 

​First-Year Student Career Counseling Program

During the first-semester, first-year students are introduced to foundational career development topics including resume review with a CSO counselor, self-assessment, legal career paths, and utilizing the Symplicity platform.

Graduating Student Exit Counseling and Recent Graduate Programs

During the final year of law school, students will meet with a 3L career counselor to discuss post-graduate employment and the ABA required graduate survey, job search strategies and resources, as well as Southwestern sponsored post-graduate support programs. Current Bridge to Practice programs include:

• Graduate Advancement Program (GAP) (PDF on right side)

• Public Service Graduate Program - forthcoming 

• Los Angeles Incubator Consortium 

• Alumni Law Clerk Program - forthcoming 

​Alumni Counseling

CSO advisors are available to provide career counseling to alumni, including guidance regarding job search, resume, career change, and any other career-related matter. Please contact the CSO at  213-738-6794 or at careerservices@swlaw.edu to schedule an in-office or phone appointment. Note that Alumni have lifetime free access to Southwestern's Symplicity job board. 

Throughout the year, the Career Services Office maintains extensive listings of current job openings within the legal profession, including full- and part-time positions for students and graduates, fellowship opportunities, post-graduate judicial clerkships, on-campus student research assistants, and other work-study positions. Job listings are available on Symplicity, our web-based career management platform.

On-Campus Interview Programs (OCIP)

Every fall and spring, the Career Services Office hosts an On-Campus Interview Program (OCIP) where employers interview students for positions during fall, spring, summer and after graduation. All second- and third-year law students may participate in fall OCIP after attending an OCIP workshop. The fall OCI program begins in August. See Recruiting Program for a detailed schedule.

• Fall On-Campus Interview Program (Fall OCIP)

• Spring On-Campus Interview Program (Spring OCIP)

Fall Firm Reception

Small and mid-size law firms are the largest (and currently most actively hiring) population of employers.  Each fall, the Career Services Office recruits firms and brings them on campus for mini-interviews.  This event is open to 2Ls, 3Ls, and recent grads.  No application is required.  Simply bring your resume, dress in business attire, and meet with employers who are looking to hire. The mini-interviews are approximately 7 minutes in length for each student and serve as the gateway to securing a more traditional interview that may result in being hired. Preparation is important to stand out from the crowd.

GAP Associate Program

The GAP Associate Program (GAP) is a recruitment platform that matches recent Southwestern graduates with small firms that do not typically hire entry-level attorneys for twelve-month, full-time, paid positions.  GAP is an incredible opportunity to develop practical litigation skills, create fresh work samples, build confidence and gain a competitive advantage in the job market.  To participate in GAP, you must complete a legal training boot camp, which takes place in evenings during the first two weeks of December.  GAP 2017 is open to May 2017 and December 2016 graduates who have passed the California Bar Examination. 

• GAP Associate Program handout (PDF)

A number of off-campus interview programs and job fairs are held in various cities both locally and nationally. These events are coordinated by different law schools, student groups, and legal professional associations and include:

• Bay Area Diversity Career Fair

• Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair

• Hispanic National Bar Association Annual Convention and Job Fair

• Journal of Law and Technology Career Forum (JOLT)

• Lavender Law Conference and Job Fair

• Loyola of Chicago Patent Law Interview Program 

• National Black Law Students Association Job Fair 

• San Francisco Intellectual Property Law Association

• Southern California Public Interest/Public Sector Career Day

Post-graduate fellowships and government honors programs are entry-level, limited term positions, and provide students with one more choice in pursuing public interest/public service employment. 

If you are interested in clerking for a judge after graduation, please contact the CSO for assistance with the process.  A panel presentation is scheduled during the academic year where judges, as well as former and current clerks, offer insight and guidance, re post-graduate clerkships.

• The CSO Library

• Photocopying, fax and scanning machines

• Computer and printer access

Southwestern students and graduates may have the opportunity to use other ABA-approved law schools’ career-related services on a limited and case by case basis.  Only one request per student is allowed at a time. Reciprocity is not available during the on-campus interviewing season of August 1st through November 15th and February 1st through March 15th. All reciprocity requests are handled by the Office Coordinator.